Akbar~By Qt-chan
Chapter 7
"The rebels have been taken care of as you requested, Lord Orin." The wraith who had spoken was in the shape of a misty black orb. It hovered in the air, its shape rippling nervously. Orin was smiling widely at the news, everything was going according to his plan. He continued to flip through the voluminous book lying in front of him, "and what of the girl?" Orin's blind eyes looked towards the wraith as if with sight, waiting for an answer. The wraith's shrug resembled a quiver, "she is either dead or in hiding. From what the scouts have told me, there is no sign of her present in the rebel camps." Orin turned back to his book, "interesting…I wonder why she hides. It's of no consequence either way, not with what I have in mind." The magician's finger began to trace the script in the page. The wraith couldn't help but take note of Orin's actions, Orin glanced up. "Are you wondering how I am able to read this page, wraith?"
The wraith hovered closer towards Orin, "I always wonder how my lord completes the wonders that he does."
"The crystals heal all ills." Orin motioned to his blank eyes, "that was the initial purpose of this magic, to support and create new life, growth." Orin looked towards the page again, reading as he spoke, "this magic wants to be freed, hence your existence wraith."
"I don't understand my lord…we are the shadows of our former selves, holders of crystals for a period in time of our living lives before we passed into the next world. Now we are mere shells of what we were. You know this my lord, it is fact."
The magus waved an aloof hand, "You possessed a crystal during your living life and then passed, but," his grin became feral, "because you failed to do as the crystal truly wanted, what it truly longs to do, which is to be freed of its physical constraints and work in the world as it naturally does, with no master. Thus, a part of you was ripped from your soul as it left earth as a sort of punishment…leaving you, wraith, to fill out the uncompleted task. Incapable of gaining power, of having form, and of resting with the rest of your soul until you finish your task." Orin snapped the book shut, "what you don't know wraith, is that you have the power to free yourself." The magus's eyes glowed, "you would no longer be under my power, or Heero's."
The wraith remained silent, curious to see what more Orin would say. Orin didn't elaborate any further though, "What of Heero Yuy? Have you done what I have asked wraith?" The magus' fist clenched in anticipation of the answer. The wraith, his body swaddled in shadows, trembled, "I have, master. I detailed the force of what they are to do."
"How long until our force reaches him?" Orin clasped his hands in his lap, settling back into his seat.
"An hour my lord. …they requested that you communicate your command to them directly before they act." The wraith waited, bobbing impatiently in the air. Orin thought for a moment, stroking his chin. "Wise…a good choice wraith, tell them to wait for my sign. They will know when I want them to move but," the wraith was pinned by Orin's gaze, "they must move quickly when I give the sign otherwise Heero will stop this effort of mine which is so crucial to my success. Is this understood?"
"Yes my lord." The wraith paused before continuing, "what did you mean by freedom, my lord?"
The ghost of a smile passed over Orin's face, "Heero is your true lord and master, even as I rule over your kind, is that not true?"
"Yes my lord, it is true." The wraith came closer, what did Orin know that he and all of the other wraiths did not?
"I am only able to hold all of you through my own power so long as it doesn't go against your true lord, he could take control of you if he wanted at any moment." Orin grimaced at the thought, "Heero Yuy has this power over you only because he holds a crystal bonded inside of himself, and you must do as the crystal wishes, which is also Heero's wish in this case. His bond with the crystal ensures that he is lord over all of you wraiths. After all, that is the purpose of your existence, wraith, to do as the crystal wishes, to help it revert back to its natural state."
"I know all this," a voice hissed. Orin and the wraith turned towards the voice. Another wraith had materialized in the room. It had the form of a rail-thin female, "I held the power of a crystal longer than this fool, the reason why I don't look like a stupid ball!" She spat. She swept back her hair and stalked forwards, her bony frame jutting at odd angles. The wraith pinned Orin with her menacing gaze, "I know wraith lore better than any other wraith, what information do you hope to bestow on this imbecile that I could not Orin?"
"I have discovered a way for your freedom, wraith, will you listen now?" Orin glared back at the wraith, "such insolence…a waste of my time," he hissed.
"Tell me." The wraith murmured, her eyes were like chips of coal, "this is a secret I'd like to know." She crossed her bony arms.
Orin grit his teeth, drumming his fingers in agitation against his desk. He would have loved to have just destroyed the wraith for her insolence. He would have been more than capable of doing it. He let the air from his lungs hiss out from between his lips, but…he needed the wraith so that he could succeed in his plot. "Heero," Orin started softly, "was able to bond his crystals to himself, as Usagi has done, and he is marked, just as Usagi is, from that bond. Once your soul is bonded to the crystal you and the crystal are one; what you want is what the crystal wants and vice versa. Your power is manifold what it was when the crystal was separate from you soul. That manifold power is the lure of bonding the crystal to your soul, if you can discover the means." Orin waved his hand and a glass of water materialized on the table, he reached for it and took a delicate sip. The two wraiths waited in silence, their attention focused wholly on Orin.
"Because Heero was able to bond the crystal to himself, Heero holds that inside of him now, even in his wraith form, the reason for why he has power over all wraiths. Heero and the crystal are one."
"So," the female wraith snapped, "stop repeating this over and over and over. I am not a fool! This means nothing you useless magus! Get to the point." The wraith found her airway suddenly constricted, she gasped. Orin tightened his invisible hold on her, "speak to me like that again wraith and I will make sure that you suffer." Orin waited a moment, enjoying the look of livid hatred and anguish on the wraith's face before he released her. Orin was forced to wrestle with his anger before he was able to continue, "Heero holds that crystal within himself and is a wraith, all you must do is free his crystal from his body. Break the union between it and his soul; By doing this, you have found a way to release a crystal back into its natural state and thus release yourself from a life as a wraith, subject to others' bidding. You have helped to restore a crystal to its natural state and you will be free to do as you wish."
The female wraith narrowed her eyes, "I don't believe it is that simple Orin. Why trade this existence, even though it is not even half of what it was when I was a whole being with a whole soul, for death? I enjoy causing mischief, why would I want to end my life completely and join my other dead half?"
"You know, as well as I do, that there is another world that transcends this place. The crystal tries to abide by those rules of the higher land, where it came from…you can join your soul there, dead to this world, or I can destroy all of you with one breath…and what is left of you, in the higher place, will languish and then perish. I can only imagine what your soul looks like now, in its weakened state as it waits for you to complete this simple, simple task." Orin leaned forwards, his lips looking as if they wanted to twist into ga smile, "and you know, because you are so knowledgeable, wraith, what happens when your soul can no longer stand to wait for you to rejoin it." Orin tapped to his head, "I know that you have seen it, happen right before your eyes."
Her willow frame shuddered, "Yes, I have the memory…a burning of a wraith's body. A living flame of agony for days and days…weeks even, until, someone decided to blow that flame out." Her intense gaze rested on Orin, "I see your point magus…die by fire or die by choice," she snorted, "clever." She fell silent for a moment, thinking about what she had just been told. "How do we release the crystal from Heero?"
Orin leaned closer, "the sign on his back is the key. Strike a blade through Auri-un and turn it as if you are turning a key. Turn your blade until you can turn no longer, and then the crystal should reveal itself." Orin drew the picture of the scene in the air, "all you have to do is separate the crystal from Heero's soul."
"How are we to do this though? All he has to do is utter a single word against us, a breath even, and he will be able to stop us." The female wraith hissed, "this is an impossible task."
"That is why I have sent a force of wraiths to complete this task instead of just one." Orin sat back and waited, would the wraiths take his bait? The question reverberated through his mind, making him tense. This part of his plan was essential, fundamental even, to cementing his power over OZ. The lean wraith abruptly shook her head in disagreement, "there is a catch. Once we are free we will no longer be under the power of anyone…why lose any army Orin? Why do this for us Orin?" The wraith's gaze was like a sneer. Orin's mind worked quickly, "the price may seem great to you wraith, but all of you are nothing compared to the combined power of Heero and that little desert simpleton." Orin appeared relaxed to the two wraiths, innocent even, to the two creatures. The orb-like wraith hovered uncertainly in the air, waiting for its counterparts answer. It was true that she knew wraith lore better than all the other wraiths, so he waited. She would know if Orin was pulling some sort of scam. It tensed when he saw the wraith raise her head and direct her gaze to Orin. "I know it was no mistake that you summoned me here Orin at this time…so that I could eavesdrop on this little conversation." There was a beat of silence before she continued, "I think you know my answer to this question though, magus." Orin's expression remained remote, "I predicted as much from you."
Sorry…kinda left it at a cliff hanger, but I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm working on this story ACTIVELY again until I finish it!! Lol…sorry for the long, LONG wait. – qt~chan