New Zeplich
With Fidget now on the brink of becoming delusional (luckily her wittering had provided the group enough entertainment to take Dust's mind off everything else), Dust and his group had now reached the highest peaks of the Blackmoor Mountains. Dust, having never been up so high before, was grateful for Ash's adaptation magic preventing him from getting altitude sickness. He wasn't going to lie, though — all that walking combined with fighting wolves, Frites, and other mountain-dwelling monsters had made him a tad light headed and food was scarce up here.
"Please tell me we're getting close," he muttered as they entered yet another cave to shelter from a brief flurry of snow.
"We can't be much further now," Ash guessed. "How's Fidget holding up?" Dust peeked over his shoulder at the shivering nimbat.
"I'm… Achoo!… fine…" Fidget mumbled.
"Anything but fine," Dust sighed. To her credit, Ash had tried her magic on the nimbat earlier but for some reason there had been no effect. The group, as well as Ahrah, theorised that nimbats had a natural resistance to magic given their gifts of wielding it. Whatever it was, Fidget was still coming down with something and Dust, even with his limited medical knowledge that his mother had taught him, knew that the best thing to do was get to New Zeplich as soon as humanely possible.
"I saw the village just up ahead," Kim informed. "We'll wait for this flurry to pass then head forward. We'll be there in less than ten." Dust muttered a thank-you to the Overseers of Elysium. As much as Fidget was serving him well as a decent hot-water bottle, she needed to get someplace a lot warmer than his freaking vest. The chain-mail he had on underneath could not be comfortable or warm, either.
Once the flurry had ended, the group made a beeline for the houses that Kim had spotted. Dust made a mental note to buy some decent snow gear as soon as he found a shop that sold it (they had yet to bump into a single merchant, strangely enough) so that Ash didn't have to use too much magic keeping the party warm. Thankfully, the snow wasn't too deep at this time of year, even in the highest peaks of the mountains, so they made it to the village in just over five minutes.
"Made it…" Dust sighed with relief, tugging his cloak around his shoulders. Kim had gone on ahead for a moment and was talking with another Moonblood a short distance away. Ash took the opportunity to check on Fidget.
"You okay there, Fidget?" she asked.
"Achoo! Just peachy…" Fidget sniffled. Dust rolled his eyes. Kim walked back over at that point.
"Sounds like the Elder only got back this morning," he said. "We timed this pretty well."
"Well, he sure moves fast for someone who's way over two hundred years old," Dust remarked. "Where's he at?"
"His house is in the centre of the village," Kim replied. Fidget sneezed again. "We should…probably get there before your friend catches her death of cold." Fidget rambled some nonsense so the group began heading directly for the centre of town.
New Zeplich was barely a hamlet, as villages go. It was easy to tell that it had not been around for a long time (as Dust found out, the village itself was less than ten years old). What was there, however, was sturdy. The houses were built to keep out the cold and looked well defended against avalanches. There were no Warmbloods, as far as Dust could see, but no doubt with magic like Ash's the Moonbloods were fine.
Soon enough, the group reached a house in the very centre of town, having been directed by the other Moonblood villagers. Taking a deep breath, Dust stepped to the front of the group and knocked three times on the door. Moments later, a familiar face appeared as the door opened.
"Dust," Elder Grey-Eyes greeted. His eyes looked sad. "I've been expecting you. Do come in."
Dust and his companions shuffled into the house where Fidget wriggled out of Dust's vest and made herself comfortable by the fire. Once they were inside and finished stomping the snow off their boots, Elder Grey-Eyes welcomed them into his home and began preparing some tea for them.
"You certainly move quickly, Dust," the elderly Moonblood noted. You're one to talk. "Although, given the circumstances I do not blame you for doing so."
"You know why I'm here, then, Elder?" Dust asked quietly as he accepted a mug of tea.
"I feared such an occasion would rise," Grey-Eyes answered. "I had only hoped it would not have been so soon." His gaze fell on the two Moonbloods who had accompanied Dust. "I see the party has grown significantly since your last venture."
"Elder," Ash greeted formally. Kim nodded his head curtly in greeting.
"We're taking all the help we can get with this one," Fidget spoke up once her shivers had ceased. "Not that Dust isn't capable but we don't want to take any chances."
"A wise choice," Elder Grey-Eyes agreed. "Ashelin, if I recall correctly, you're quite the Mage." Ash once more flushed with humility.
"Still training, Elder," she claimed.
"It's not many trainees who can master the spells you have done," Elder Grey-Eyes praised. "And Kim, I am glad to see you helping as well."
"Just doing what needs to be done," Kim shrugged shortly. "And someone needs to keep an eye on these kids."
"I thank you for it," Grey-Eyes said. He turned back to Dust who was sitting quietly and not taking much of his tea, just staring at it blankly. "Judging by the fact that you carry the Blade of Ahrah and Fidget is with you, I trust that, by now, you know who you are, Dust?" he noted. Dust nodded.
"'He who is Born from the Dust'," he recited. "Sen-Mithrarin."
"Correct," Elder Grey-Eyes confirmed. "Ginger never wanted this burden to be placed on your shoulders again, as much as I warned her that it might."
"I'm…kinda glad that she didn't tell me, really," Dust admitted. "I've remembered so much over this last day alone…I don't know how much more I can take of it."
"I understand, Dust," Grey-Eyes said. "But if you have any questions for me, then I will not hesitate to answer them." Dust glanced at the Blade of Ahrah, which was once more hovering at his side.
"Do not be afraid to ask questions, Master," the sword spoke. "If you believe that understanding who you are will help in your journey, none of us will hide anything."
"Well, thank Elysium you learned that making him frustrated by keeping stuff from him last time was not a good idea," Fidget muttered dryly. Dust took a sip of tea, taking a deep breath as he asked his first question. In fact, it was a question that the previous day he'd told Kalyn he had no interest of ever finding the answer.
"Where am I from?" he asked. "Where did Sen-Mithrarin come from?" Elder Grey-Eyes paused, as if trying to think of the best way to answer the question.
"If one were to give you a physical place of origin, that would be the Life Thread," he replied. Dust nodded — Sen-Mithrarin had been born of the Life Thread's very essence. He knew that much. "Your history, however, is more complex than merely that."
"How so?"
"Sen-Mithrarin is created of two souls, each of opposite nature to the other," the Elder explained. "Two souls that, since your rebirth, appear to have fallen dormant."
"Two souls?" Dust blinked in amazement. "How's that even possible?" Ash and Kim listened in closely — they knew the tales of Sen-Mithrarin's deeds, but little about his origins.
"Your twin souls were ones that perished at the same moment," Elder Grey-Eyes explained. "Never before have I seen such an occurrence, and I doubt that I will ever again. They faced each other in battle, and fell to the other's blade."
"Who were they?" Dust asked. "My souls…before they were me?" At this point, Elder Grey-Eyes fell silent. He looked regretful, as if this was something he was unwilling to answer.
"An innocent heart and a ruthless killer," he said in the end. Dust looked unsatisfied with the answer.
"That's not what I meant!" he protested. "What were their names?"
"Dust," Ahrah cut across. "There is a reason why it would be unwise at this point to reveal the identities of your twin souls."
"Huh? Why's that?" Fidget asked.
"There are strange forces at work in Falana," Elder Grey-Eyes explained. "One that I have no doubt correlates with the resuming of the king's campaigns against our kind."
"What's going on, Elder?" Kim questioned.
"Not far from this village lies an ancient shrine," Grey-Eyes replied. "A sacred place wherein lies the source of the Life Thread itself."
"Did something happen?" Ash wondered aloud.
"Unfortunately, yes," Grey-Eyes confirmed. "The shrine has been a place of pilgrimage for our kind since the days of the Cynthak. I took a journey there myself a few days ago, merely on a hunch."
"Is something going on with the Life Thread?" Fidget asked.
"I am by no means as in tune with the Life Thread as beings like Lady Tethys of the Underground are," Elder Grey-Eyes explained. "But as an old Elysian Warrior, I still have a connection to it."
"Settle in, Dust — this may take a while," Fidget muttered, rejoining Dust on his shoulder.
"I felt a disturbance and travelled to the shrine," Grey-Eyes continued. "When I arrived, there was something missing. A precious and powerful artefact called the Eye of the Life Thread."
"I've heard of that!" Ash exclaimed. "They say that whoever gazes into the Eye has the ability to contact the souls who have returned to the Life Thread. One can also draw upon the powers of the Life Thread itself — powers that can heal even the gravest of injuries!"
"You have heard correctly, my dear," Elder Grey-Eyes confirmed. "But the Eye is also capable of much more. Legend has it, that whomever possesses it has control over the Life Thread and the souls of the departed."
"What's this got to do with Dust?" Kim asked. Dust had already caught on.
"The souls that make up me… They're…?" he began, trailing off.
"Indeed," Grey-Eyes nodded. "With the Eye of the Life Thread missing, your souls are in peril of succumbing to whomever possesses it. However, so long as your souls remain dormant, you will be able to remain under your own control."
"Wait, soul control is one of the powers of this thing?!" Fidget exclaimed. "It can control the dead?!" Elder Grey-Eyes nodded. "Now that is messed up! Not to mention a major taboo last time I checked!"
"Will saying the names of my twin souls wake them up?" Dust asked.
"Indeed it would," Elder Grey-Eyes said. "I warned Ginger of this while you were still an infant." Something clicked in Dust's head.
"Is…one of them her brother?" he guessed.
"She has told you of him?" Elder Grey-Eyes questioned, his eyes narrowing with concern.
"She never told me his name, if that's what you're worried about," Dust replied. "Said that it was disrespectful to speak the names of the dead."
"I would not go that far, but if it kept your souls dormant and safe then we must be grateful to her for telling you as such," Grey-Eyes sighed with relief. "Yes — one of your souls is that of Ginger's brother. The other belongs to his killer." Dust gulped, but he was starting to remember a conversation very much like this one. The only things that weren't coming back to him were the names, and if what Elder Grey-Eyes said was true, he couldn't afford to have these names spoken aloud.
"That must be so strange…" Ash remarked. "Do…do you notice anything at all?" she asked Dust who shook his head.
"Nothing," he replied. "They're just…part of me, I guess, but I'm still me. I can't say much about before, though…" he added hesitantly, glancing at Fidget and Ahrah.
"Main reason why you couldn't remember anything," Fidget explained. "But, long story short: the brother was your moral compass and the other guy gave you your strength." She made extra sure to not let slip the names. With this…Eye…missing, they couldn't afford to wake Dust's dormant souls. "But, hang on, if those souls are dormant…as in, sleeping…how come's Dust is still up and about?"
"That's what I'd like to know as well," Kim admitted.
"Dust's body and mind have always been his own," Elder Grey-Eyes explained. "I can only theorise that when he was reborn thirteen years ago, his spirit formed a soul of his own."
"So, wait, Dust has three souls now?" Fidget gaped.
"It's is only a theory, nothing more," the Elder said simply. Dust moved onto his next question.
"What do I need to do?" he asked bluntly. "I left things unfinished last time. I don't want to do the same thing again."
"Your primary goal is to seek out and rescue your mother, is it not?" Elder Grey-Eyes checked. When Dust confirmed this, he replied, "Were I to take any gander as to her whereabouts, I would direct you to the capital city: Falun. The Royal Family and their Army both use that place as their centre of operations. And if I were to guess, this conflict leads back to the King of Falana himself. You very well may need to confront him." Dust nodded. It seemed that their next destination had been decided.
"How do we get to Falun from here?" he asked.
"You will need to cross the Sunrose Plains to the north of these mountains," Grey-Eyes replied. "Falun lies in the centre of them. It is not hard to miss."
"Wait, the Sunrose Plains?" Fidget grimaced. "Haven't they been filling with bandits over the last decade or so?"
"We can take them!" Ash exclaimed confidently. "If we can defeat wolves and imps and Frites, bandits won't stand a chance!"
"I appreciate the confidence, Ash, but I don't fancy the risk of being turned into a nimbat scarf!" Fidget snapped.
"We'll be fine, Fidget," Dust smirked. "Have a little faith in the team, already." Fidget muttered something under her breath that went either unnoticed or ignored by the rest of the group.
"You will need to tread carefully around Falun," Elder Grey-Eyes warned. "I doubt Moonbloods will be welcome and neither will you, Dust, if what I have heard is true and the Army are also out searching for whom they believe to be General Gaius' killer."
"Which makes no sense seeing as far as nearly everyone was concerned, he died in Everdawn with the guy!" Fidget huffed.
"Trust me, I thought the same thing, Fidget," Dust sighed. "We'll think of something."
"There is one woman in Falun who may be able to help you," Elder Grey-Eyes said. "She has long been an ambassador for our kind since she was but a mere child, even at the risk of her own life. Her name is Elissa, and I promise that she will be a valuable contact to make."
"Wait, Elissa?" Dust repeated in shock. That name was very familiar — there wasn't a citizen in Falana that didn't know it. "As in Crown Princess Elissa of Falana? That Elissa?"
"They are one and the same, yes," Elder Grey-Eyes confirmed. Dust whistled in amazement. If the King of Falana had a thing against Moonbloods then he could see how dangerous it was for the princess to be a sympathiser. "I will send word to her, so that she may find you in the city." Dust gave his thanks and the group began preparing to move on.
"Ready for an audience with Royalty, Kid?" Kim smirked.
"Hopefully not the kind which ends with the King saying 'off with his head' or something of the like," Dust grimaced.
"Seconding you there," Fidget muttered.
"Well, what're we waiting for?" Ash said with a wickedly exited glint flashing in her eyes. "Let's get moving! Ginger's waiting." Dust suggested that they restocked before heading out anywhere — he'd smashed enough walls to gather a few emergency Mysterious Wall Chickens but they were otherwise running low on other food supplies. He also wanted to be sure that Fidget wouldn't come down with anything else while they headed down the mountain again — Fidget insisted she was fine but both Dust and Ahrah were less than convinced.
As Ash and Kim headed out to the shops to restock supplies, Elder Grey-Eyes held Dust back. Fidget was now snoozing by the fire as she recovered from the last of her chills and the Blade of Ahrah was hovering dutifully nearby, never straying far from Dust's side. Elder Grey-Eyes couldn't help but marvel at the trio, and how the bonds tying their fates together had transcended time in such a way.
"I am truly sorry that Fate has treated you this way, Dust," Elder Grey-Eyes sighed. "Although I feared this may come to pass, I had hoped that it would have waited until you were older at the very least."
"I would say that I'd rather it hadn't happened at all," Dust grimaced. "But then I might not have ever met Fidget again." Fidget mumbled something in her sleep. Elder Grey-Eyes searched the boy's eyes closely, as if trying to find something that he couldn't place a claw on.
"You are young, but even these old eyes can see that you have something beyond your years in you," he said calmly. "You may be our destined hero, Dust, but you are also a boy. Do not ever forget that. You have been living a life that's entirely your own for the past thirteen years — do not let this take that away from you."
"What do you mean, Elder?" Dust asked quietly.
"The last time you saved our people you forged your own identity in a manner of days," Elder Grey-Eyes said. "But we still defined you by what you are. This time, you are far more. You are more than what we made you to be. Do not let go of what makes you who you are."
Dust wasn't entirely sure what the Moonblood leader meant by this, but he nonetheless nodded and promised that he would do his best. He considered himself to have changed drastically already — he already knew that he wasn't the same boy he'd been growing up as for the last thirteen years — but he couldn't change so much as to let this new-re-found part of his identity take over completely.
By the time Ash and Kim returned, Dust and Ahrah still weren't entirely satisfied that Fidget had recovered from her chills despite her insistences to the contrary. They decided to remain in New Zeplich and set out the following morning before they would attempt to tackle the Sunrose Plains and head towards Falun.