Rivers Keep Flowing

Chapter 35: Witchfire, Soul Bonds, Human Essence

LadyRainStarDragon does not, nor will she ever own Spirited Away, Inuyasha, Yu-yu Hakusho, or any other anime. Rain is not saddened though, merely hoping to do as well as Miyazaki-san and others one day.

Does anybody remember that 15 chapter estimate that I gave several chapters back? Forget that, there are too many details, and I don't want to rush the ending.

The last chapter I worked on while on the trip. Everybody that Aharah Musici for catching a mistake and drawing my attention to it.

Marcella could not believe that her daughter had done that to her, revealing her secret passion. She had only done her paintings in her name to be able to cash the checks from buyers. Now, the dragon that she had trapped held a powerful bargaining chip if she wanted to keep her anonymity upon returning home.

The whole situation caused her a burning pain in the core of her being. Wait though, this wasn't right. It was more like how she would feel back in the beginning of her training, as her power reserves scraped the bottom of her core right before a continuous maintenance spell would break. They hadn't reached the children yet, she had to hold the spell for just a little bit longer.

Ten was snapped out of his amazement by the burning witchfire binding him slowly beginning to cool and loosen. As the witch's hold on him slackened, he could feel his powers return from wherever she had locked them. He would be free of her coercion soon, and then he could act under his own free will once more. So why then did he feel like something bad was going to happen?

As Marcella struggled to maintain her hold on the dragon, she could feel her body weakening as she began drawing on the force that sustained her own physical shell. She had no idea which was worse, the fact that he wasn't even struggling to get free and allowing her to tire out or that she had been reduced to the very tactic that had sent so many witches in the world on a premature stay in the spiritual planes.

The last of what she could spare flickered and died, and the ropes gave one final surge. The red flames that had been plaited could be seen by even low level humans now as they snapped and dissipated. What energy had been used turned around on the witch, returning to her in one grand blaze that engulfed and consumed her flesh and bone. If she had not attempted to hold it, the energies would have returned peacefully and slowly been reabsorbed in the eternal energy cycle that exists on all planes. Instead, her pride and stubbornness had won, and she had lost.

Witchfire had driven Ten and Marie back with its intense heat, the red of Marcella's life force dancing in the flames. Other colors soon joined the original flames until the fire resembled some kind of rainbowed thing. At her physical death, all of the acts that she had ever performed and all of the spells the witch had ever cast had returned to her. Most had been powered by channeled deities of her homeland for various persons in need of healing or fertility, and so the energy was returning through the channel that had conducted it in the first place. As her body vaporized, and her position as the Keeper of Brigid's Well passed down to the next eligible O'Drake family member, Witches and Clergy of all worlds on both sides of the veil between human and spirit felt the energy shift.

This included two specific witches who just so happened to have settled in Japan long ago.

As the flames of her life consumed her flesh, Marcella felt no pain. None of her acts had been truly malicious as she had done her best to act in accord with the dignity of all beings. The few times that she had gone against another's dignity had been good reasons to do so. Marcella had not been bound by what Wiccans called 'The Rule of Three' where all acts return to the sender three-fold, nor to the so called 'Witches' Rede' that stated to harm none. She had done her best to honor the divinity in all, but the roots of her Tradition reached far back into misty pre-history and the magic of dragon kind as well. Instead of the pain and horror that many others killed by their own foolishness and stubbornness had felt, she gained a peace within herself as the mantle of mortality was once more left behind. Perhaps her next life would not leave her to feel the emptiness that had plagued her, but first she had business to attend to.

Her baby still needed her.

Marcella tried to retain the memories of her life as Marcella and as mother to Jewel, fighting the pull of the Earth. Her path had already been set though, cross stitched and embellished by Life herself. This soul could not be left to wander until the spirits of life and death got their acts back together and went back to work. She had a hand in destiny, and this was part of the prophecy. Marcella herself had provided a strengthening of the very bond that was needed to facilitate this, and being within the womb of the planet made the energies that much easier to manipulate.

'Heh. Take that Despair . . . two holes with one thread.'

Little did Life know that Despair had wanted to help repair the damage that he had created so long ago.

In the village which the O'Drake farm overlooked that seemed to always consist mostly of O'Drake families, a man of Marcella's generation woke up from his restless dreams to find the staff of the Clan Head now resting beside him. Wherever his half-sister Marcella was, she was no longer with them in life. It was a puzzlement why this staff had not gone to his niece Jewel, but then he remembered that she was still missing and presumed dead. For the first time in 10 generations, care of the well now fell to a man.

"Marcella, Jewel, wherever your souls are, may the gods be kind. Marie, I wish you had not killed your gift, as this should rightfully go to you big sister."

The encasing flames died away, and not even any physical ash was left as bodily remains. Marie was in shock that her sister had just spontaneously combusted and burned to death right before her eyes. Of course, the dangers of magic had been the very reason that she had not wanted any part of the world that had held her family in its iron grip for so many generations. In her opinion, it wasn't right that humans meddle in the other world that had a good reason to remain unseen. However, each person had their own path to follow, and hers had been different than the rest of her family.

The flames did leave something behind though, even if it was no longer of the physical realm. Rich hair flowed down past the being's shoulders in great waves of the most fertile earth and obscuring her face from view, highlighted with autumn leaf red. Golden skin gleamed slightly with its own luminescence, covered lightly by gauzy layers of what appeared at one glance to be grass, tree leaves at yet another glance, and thinnest silk at yet another inspection. Bare feet stood delicately on the floor of the lava tube, drawing sustenance from the foreign soil. As she fed from the bosom of the kind local earth spirits her transparence left her and the soul was reborn directly onto the proper side of the curtain between spirit and human.

Ten wasn't sure if he should believe his eyes or nose. She died long ago, so this couldn't be her. Yet, she smelled so much the same, and the nature born dragon that he had shared a prior bond with had been born in much the same way before the eyes of the ruler of all the earth dragons. The lovely one had sprung from the very earth that had been planned to give way to the spring that had been needed from Tatsu's mountain as the waters filtered had increased. Tatsu himself had been there to verify the tale that the king had told at that year's annual gathering of kami.

"Sister? Marcella?"

The woman looked up from her rapt inspection of her hands as Marie had startled her with the questions and light touch on the shoulder. The eyes were still the same as Marcella had possessed, and yet everything was different.

"I am sorry child but I do not know of any Marcella. Do you know my name by any chance and where I happen to be? And where my own domain is, since this certainly does not feel like it?"

"I know your name."

The woman turned her head to carefully regard the water spirit, her eyes wide and innocent. Reborn, she had not been wounded by the world around her, and so only could take in everything with a child-like wonder even though her form was that of a woman.

"I know you, don't I? Pray tell sir, who you are as well as who am I."

"Of course. Walk with me, as I have a promise to keep to you and Marie."

"Marie?"

Ten made a gesture to the human that was accompanying the pair. Something flickered in the newly born dragon's breast but died down as she tried to grasp what knowledge had been there. The male tucked the confused female's hand into the crook of his arm and gently drew her along, smiling reassuringly for her the whole time. Marie, shocked and confused about what had just happened, could only follow behind.

Maiden Snake had just knocked on the door when a tired voice bade her and Lily to enter. Carefully pushing the door open, they pushed it closed once more after they had gotten through. The man that they saw looked very much like Ryu, but strangely enough he had BlowingWind's eyes. Leaning tiredly against a black shell that was separating him from his three patients, every digit and appendage seemed to be trembling with fatigue. Indeed, even his black silk kimono and hakama edged in a molten red hung limply around his sturdy form as if it too shared in his fatigue. The visiting spirits noticed how much he smelled like Ryu and BlowingWind, but thought that it was because he was a cousin or something to the dragon and he had spent so much time confined with his patient.

"Healer Ob?"

Thump . . . . . . . . . . . Thump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thump.

Ob had been trying to keep the heartbeats of the humans from stopping, trying to keep the life in their bodies while their souls were away. It was hard though, and he had channeled much of himself into them, but he too was fading as he was feeding them from himself. Their human blood was sluggish now, and they desperately needed new life transferred into them if they were to survive long enough for someone to break this curse on them.

The man weakly raised his head, peering out from disheveled black hair to better take in the spirits standing just inside the door of the Intensive Care Unit. His skin was ashen and pale, as if he were channeling his very life into trying to crack through whatever barrier was keeping his charges from him. Little did Maiden Snake and Lily know that it was exactly what he was doing.

"Bring the supplies over here. Lily, would you mind bringing me one of the vials from the cabinet in the corner labeled 'Ob's Emergency Potion' please?"

Maiden Snake had finally gotten the hang of the walking thing and glided over to the exhausted healer, placing the supplies on a nearby table. Lily had done as asked and retrieved a vial from the mentioned cabinet. A truly vile looking mixture, Ob's emergency cabinet was literally chock full of his potion.

"This?"

"Hai."

The young man gratefully accepted it, and tried to remove the cork. Ultimately though, Lily had to uncork it for him. Lily and Snake thought that he was perhaps going to dump it on the barrier, but instead he drank the large dosage, leaving not even a drop of the glowing purple ooze behind. After the last swallow, his face contorted in utter disgust.

"Ug. I wish I could at least add some honey to make it more palatable."

As the potion began to take effect, Ob's features sharpened into a carbon copy of Ryu's and he smelled less like BlowingWind. His color began to return, and Maiden Snake understood that the potion had a two-fold effect.

"You aren't what you claim to be, are you?"

"What on Earth are you talking about?"

"I recognize that potion now. Half-breeds take it to hide their true shapes, as well as for when they have used their magic far too much. Who are you really?"

"Take Obsidian Drake. My friends call me Ob. I am who I say I am."

"Half-breed?"

Lily had busted into the conversation, confused as a bee stuck in a clear glass bottle. Buying himself to buysome time, the halfling inspected the supplies that had been brought after he rose from his slump, nodding at how sharp the knife was.

"Not for much longer I'm afraid. Run along now, you don't need to see this. Just wait outside the door until I call."

After he had ushered the snake and carp out the door once more, the healer dragon grabbed a silver cup from one of the many cabinets. Carrying it carefully to where everything else was, he began to prepare his mind for what he must do. Arcane syllables began to spill from his mouth, hissing in languages that many no longer used. As his mother began to glow from within the evil spell enshrouding her and the others, Ob could feel relief that the thread that bound him to her could actually still penetrate. As he placed the cup on the low table, he bestowed blessings on the gathered items, watching as they began to glow a pale blue.

His hand closed around the hilt of the blade, and as he launched into the spell proper, his heart began to pound as he gathered from himself what he needed to give his family a little extra time.

Blood of my blood,
Human flesh of my flesh,
Freely my humanity given
So that body and soul mesh.

A life that is owed,
Son's debt gladly repaid.
Gift of Life for a life.
May your death be long stayed.

Dragon blood and human
so long co-mingled
Separated now flow,
And my own nature singled.

Remain in this chalice
Till the time to combine.
Essence impart life
To this family of mine.

The sharp steel of the small knife bit deep into the halfling's wrist, slicing across the veins there. As he watched his red blood fill the gigantic silver chalice he could feel the magic taking hold, removing the humanity from his self. He had brooded and mingled his own human blood with his mate through their hatchlings, and now it was time to release the gift that his mother had given him. Obsidian had to replenish his mother the way that she had once replenished him. As she gained strength, so too would his Aunt as well as the Lady of the Kohakugawa.

He could feel the gush of his blood, and the ripping and tearing as his body reordered itself. Everything human was being separated from his dragon half, liquified and poured away. As the vessel filled with his blood, the blue glow began to intensify, spreading into the young man who was prepared to give his very life once more if that was what it took so that his past life mistakes were rectified.

One half of an hourglass passed for the male, and at last his wound closed after the last dregs of humanity left his body. Although he still looked the same and even continued to carry his mother's scent signature and DNA, the scent of decay that rode even the purest human had left him. No longer would he need to take the terrible medicine to hide his scent from the other dragons in the territory. Ashen once more, Ob fell to his knees in exhaustion due to both the magical strain and his blood loss.

"Now!"

As the other two spirits came in, the last thing Ob saw before losing consciousness were his three patients. Their heart rate had increased closer to a normal resting speed for now, and it followed him into the arms of the darkness.

Maiden Snake frowned as she saw the healer pass out with the blood encrusted dagger still in his right hand. Whatever spell he was going to attempt apparently needed a sizeable amount of his own blood. Was he going to attempt to tie their lives with his to buy them time? The smells of the room were distributed differently now too.

As she leaned over the healer to check his vital signs, it hit her. Not even a lingering trace of human smell clung to him. Looking up on the table, she noticed the cup full of a red liquid glowing with its own light. One side of the liquid stirred as if attempting to flow over to the dying humans, the essence of humanity seeking to join with more of itself as it had ever since the first humans.

"What was he trying to do?"

"Lily, I think he plans to give them his human essence."

"Well, that's fine for them, as they will survive it. How does he plan to survive though? The donor only lives if he is genetically related to at least one of the recipients if I am correct."

"You are. It's too late to stop it now though. We'll have to take care of him until he can finish the transfusion."

Yubaba looked up from counting her treasures yet again as the low burning fire suddenly began blazing. The red light spread over the room, and the old woman was glad that her baby was taking a nap.

"Someone powerful has died, and a powerful spirit has just incarnated. I wonder who they are?"

Yubaba began to scry in her crystal ball, searching for answers as to what exactly this power shift was and if it affected her.

In the depths of the orb, she saw a simple seeming well being approached by a middle aged man dressed in black. His red hair curled wildly around his head, but looked black in the night. The wizard fell to his knees crying, leaning over the stone wall and peering into the depths where his tears fell to mingle with the water. The staff he held was familiar to her. Just because she was a solitary witch did not mean that she did not occasionally mingle with her peers and the woman that had formerly carried it had been rather well known by both living and deceased witches.

As the wizard screamed out his grief, the view changed. Flames of all colors imaginable blazed around a central figure, dying down at last to release a new being. She would have looked human if not for the fact that her skin glowed gold and her clothing looked like it literally grew from her. As she moved, her pace and the way she held herself revealed her for what she was.

"Brigid's well has a new keeper, and a dragon has just been created?"

Zeniba's cottage was in shambles as she raced around trying to find something that would help. She had known as soon as her grandchild had fallen beneath the great darkness of some powerful curse, and was desperately trying to find something that would be strong enough to break it. Alas, not even her treasured chop was powerful enough to counter such a spell.

Kaonashi was calmly putting everything back in order. He wanted to be the one tearing around looking for the answer, but his magic was no where near as powerful as Zeniba's, and he thought she needed the stress relief more than he did right now. That dragon was surely to blame for not protecting little Sen. Next time he saw him, Kaonashi could predict with certainty there were going to be several boiling teapots poured where it counted!

The pair were pulled from their respective tasks as the fire blazed up, calling the witch's attention to some very important news. As Zeniba gazed into the glowing coals beneath the flames, the power shift unfolded for her. Somehow, she knew that it would affect her grand daughter.

"There has to be something that I can do!"

She looked away as the fire died down once more, and the old witch saw her spinning wheel.

"Kaonashi! When we are done cleaning, we have some work to do. We might not be able to lift the spell, but we can still give Chihiro strength."

"Ah! Ah!"

Lin had been hard at work when her memories assailed her. She had already remembered that she had been a Naginata guard for Itachi-hime long ago, so that was no surprise. What was the surprise was the fact that her name had come washing back to her.

Itachi-hime was looking sadly into the eyes of her most loyal guard and favorite companion. Her light golden eyes shone from the porcelain face that had been readied for her bridal ceremony, and raven wing hair was tightly wound and hidden below her white hood. The slender form Lin was looking at conveyed sadness in every line of her being as she spoke.

"Roiyaru Kurailin, you have been my best guard and most trusted companion. I so wish that my husband would allow me to take you with me, but he has specifically stated that I may bring no servants or guards of my own. After this last trip together to the room where he and I shall drink the sacred wine, I wish you to go and live the life of a free woman that I was never granted."

The walk down the halls past rice paper doors had been quiet, neither woman shedding the tears that they longed to. They had been friends, and this short time together was bittersweet. Finally, after an eternity, they had parted ways where the groom awaited the bride, sneering at the guard that had escorted her. Itachi-hime had always been adamant about only having female servants, and in his eyes, females were worthless save for breeding. Itachi-hime would never have willingly gone into this marriage, but it was an alliance of power that her father had arranged. To be a dutiful daughter she had to follow through.

That was the last time Lin had ever seen her friend. Rumor had it that the princess died in the childbed a year later. The news had devastated Lin. In a fit of rage, she had hunted the groom down and killed him. No one had been able to find out who had done such a thing, and Lin had taken refuge in the bath house, signing away her name and the painful memories for a place to live.

"Roiyaru Kurailin! That's my name!"

She would hold onto her name, it was not yet time to sever her ties with Yubaba, even though something was calling for her help. After all, her husband was stillYubaba's apprentice, and they had a child to take care of. Still, she wanted to be with Chihiro, so she would talk to Haku later on. Perhaps the shrine could use a guard for at night, or he could use someone in the forest surrounding the river. She would find a way to work this out, and after tying up some loose ends she would answer this call.

The shrine was still resounding with the chants that had been undulating non-stop, all of the gathered mystics taking shifts. Scientists had affirmed that the sun seemed to be regaining its strength, and this cheered the spiritualists.

Kumiro and his new girlfriend were taking advantage of a mutual break and sitting beneath the cherry tree, plotting out their future together. Mutually they had decided to start out as friends and get to know each other, gradually progressing in seriousness as they were comfortable. They thought it best this way so that they would know each other very well when they made good on their promise to breed, and by then would be well situated for children.

Roiyaru Kurailin - what I'll use for Lin's true name. Nobility's Loyal Companion. Roiyaru - Loyal, Kurai - Nobility, Lin - Companion.