Under Lock and Key
Ginger stirred wearily as the sound of hurried voices sounded outside the walls of Bopo's home. Damp hair fell over her eyes as she sleepily lifted her head and rubbed sleep from her eyelids. Moments later, the door to the house opened and thing started getting a lot more cramped as the rest of the party (Ginger noticed that Taka, Kim, Jarin and Fidget looked particularly beat up) piled into the tiny house, accompanied by an ethereal, pale green being that Ginger knew without prompt to be Lady Tethys.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "L…Lady Tethys?"
"That is me, child," Lady Tethys greeted gently. Ginger tried pushing herself to her feet, despite how cramped her limbs had become. "Please, do not rise, my dear."
"I'm sorry that I'm not better presented," Ginger apologised, stifling a yawn as much as she could.
"Don't worry, Ma'am," Taka huffed sarcastically. "Compared to us, you look like a princess." Ginger decided to let the 'Ma'am' slide for now, but she vowed to have words with Taka later (she was not that old!). Bopo came into the room and instantly bowed upon seeing Lady Tethys.
"My Lady!" he exclaimed. "I weren't expecting you…if I'd known then I woulda cleaned the house…"
"Worry not, young man," Lady Tethys reassured. "This is a matter of urgent importance — I could not delay until morning." Bopo nodded in understanding. "I have been told that Dust is here?"
"He is, my Lady," Ginger nodded, moving as much as she could to reveal Dust lying unmoving on the tiny bed. Fidget's heartstrings were nearly torn in two when she noticed that Ginger had tucked in Dust's nimbat doll into the covers next to him. To the unknowing eye, the boy may have just as well been sleeping. Lady Tethys floated over and set herself down at Dust's bedside. As she did, the Blade of Ahrah flickered weakly next to her.
"Lady Tethys…" it greeted in a voice so quiet it was barely audible.
"Ahrah," Lady Tethys replied, with as equal a sombre tone to her voice. "I wish we could have met again in better circumstances."
"Can you determine what has happened to my Master…?" Ahrah whispered.
"I have a feeling," Lady Tethys answered. "But I do not like it…" Her gaze fell on Dust's resting face, her hand tracing his forehead as if doing so would grant her access to what was happening in the boy's head. For what felt like hours, but may have perhaps been mere minutes, the house fell silent, the party cramped up against the walls as they waited with baited breath to finally learn of their friend's fate.
The sound to break the silence was an echoey gasp from Lady Tethys as she suddenly withdrew her hand, as if repelled by an electric shock.
"Are you alright, Lady Tethys?" Ash asked nervously. "Did you find anything?"
"It is as I feared…" the Water Deity murmured worriedly before turning to face the rest of the group. "Dust has locked away his souls."
"What?" Jarin exclaimed.
"That's possible?" Fidget squeaked. "How?"
"If a person has a strong enough willpower, they can lock their soul away deep within themselves," Lady Tethys explained. "Doing so protects the soul from all manner of harm."
"Well, if there's anyone who has a strong will, then it's Dust," Ginger sighed. "He must have done this to protect himself from the power of the Eye."
"Is there anyway to wake him up?" Ash asked worriedly.
"Not from external influences," Lady Tethys replied. "Locking away one's soul creates internal bonds that can only broken from the inside. It is these chains that, on the outside, cause the person to fall into a deep sleep. Never before have I seen such a case."
"So…is there any way to get in?" Kim suggested. "And before you answer that question, might I ask what you meant by internal bonds?"
"Within each living creature exists an entire dimension known as the Soulscape," Lady Tethys explained. "It is a sacred ground, one that can usually only be visited by the one it belongs to."
"So Dust is stuck in his…Soulscape?" Taka assumed. Lady Tethys confirmed this before continuing.
"If I can create an opening, another soul may enter and find Dust to help him free his souls from the chains he's locked them away in, knowingly or otherwise," she offered.
"Wouldn't this put Dust's souls at risk again?" Ginger realised. "If Cassius and Jin's souls have awakened…the King can always take control of him again."
"I can fashion a charm that will protect Dust from the Eye of the Life Thread's influence," Lady Tethys said. "It's power will weaken with proximity to the Eye, but it is the least I can do to offer some form of protection for him."
"Great!" Taka grinned eagerly. "So we have a way to wake up Dust and make sure that we can fight old King-face without him making Dust his personal puppet." She turned her gaze directly to Lady Tethys. "So how do we go about entering the kid's Soulscape, then?"
"I can create a gateway, but it will not last long," Lady Tethys explained. "Once inside, the only way out will be to unlock Dust's souls. But I'm afraid that this is the only way."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jarin cut it. "Let's go! We've got a hero to wake up!"
"Not so fast," Lady Tethys interrupted. "It is true that I can create a gateway into Dust's Soulscape, but it will only last long enough to allow one soul to enter. Even then, that soul must have a direct connection to Dust's — I fear that any other soul that attempts to enter the Soulscape will be obliterated."
A collective gulp went around the group.
"How 'direct' are we talking here?" Kim asked.
"The soul must belong to someone that Dust trusts above all else," Lady Tethys explained. "And their fate is intertwined directly with his."
"I guess that puts most of us out of the question," Ash guessed sombrely. "I mean, yes, we've all agreed to help Dust this time round, but those were choices that we all made. At every chance he's had, he's given us the choice to leave if we wanted to take it."
"Not to mention we're people he's known for a grand total of less than a week," Taka added with a grimace. "Whether or not it was fate that we all met, I doubt he'd put any of us on the top of his 'People I Trust' list."
"Yeah, you and Jarin in particular," Ash shot dryly. Taka shrugged — okay, so she had a habit of nicking people's lunches…
"I'll go," Ginger said decisively. "My brother's soul forms half of who Dust is and I'm his mother," she added. Surely that was enough to grant her access. "I raised him…"
"I'm sorry, Ginger," Lady Tethys spoke regretfully. "I understand your desire to help Dust, but I fear that may not be enough." Ginger was horrified, and quite truthfully angered by the statement.
"How can it not be enough?!" she demanded to know. "I've raised him since I found him as a baby! My brother died so that Dust could even exist in the first place! How much closer of a connection do you want?!"
"Familial connections do not necessarily equate to the direct link between souls required to enter another being's Soulscape, Ginger," Lady Tethys explained. "Were it that simple, every family member could gain access to…"
"I'll go!" a determined squeak sounded. Everyone's gaze turned to Fidget, who had just landed on Dust's chest to rest her wings for a moment.
"F…Fidget?" Ginger blinked in surprise. Fidget sighed and began to explain herself.
"Look, Dust is the Bearer of Ahrah, right?' she pointed out. "And I'm the sword's guardian. It's always been my obligation to accompany him wherever he goes," she continued, remembering how at first she hadn't been fully aware of her duties until Elder Grey-Eyes had reminded her of them. "Neither of us knew it at the time, but from the second Dust came into existence it was my destiny to accompany him on his journey."
"B…but…" Ginger stuttered, close to tears.
"Fidget is right, Ginger," the Blade of Ahrah spoke softly. "Ever since she was appointed as my guardian, her fate was intrinsically linked with the one who would become my fated sword bearer."
"I hate to break it to you, Ginger," Taka winced. "But I don't think you can get much more of a closer connection than that." Ginger was looking a bit put out by the evidence all pointing to the fact that she wasn't the one who would or could help her son, even though every fibre of her being was telling her that she needed to do something. Lady Tethys placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, an action which made Ginger feel strangely at ease.
"Dust may be your family in more ways than one, my dear," she spoke softly. "But they speak the truth. Fidget has been his companion since his first breath of life fifteen years ago." Ginger still looked heartbroken as she cast a glance at her son.
"Also, we have no idea what's even in that Soulscape," Fidget pointed out. "And…while I'm not denying that you've got killer aim Ginger…" she added, recalling multiple occasions where Ginger had lost her temper up at the numerous wolf packs and Frites in the Blackmoor Mountains on the way back from Zeplich and she'd lobbed snowballs and small rocks directly into their faces. It had been rather impressive…and actually slightly scary seeing Ginger like that. "…I'm kinda better equipped for protecting myself in there than you are," Fidget ended.
Ginger's gaze drifted from Dust to Fidget and then back again. Her eyes had run out of tears, but the pain was still etched into her face.
"Don't worry, Ginger," Fidget said with what she hoped was a reassuring smile on her face as she patted Ginger's hand gently. "I'll bring Dust back safely. I promise."
"I don't doubt that you will, Fidget," Ginger sighed. "I just… I just wish there was something more I could do to help him."
"Don't we all," Sanjin grimaced near the back of the rather cramped house. "But we've done all we can for Dust. Now, it's up to Fidget to bring him back to us."
"Way to not put pressure on me or anything," Fidget grumbled sarcastically. The comment earned a much needed ripple of soft laughter from the group.
"We know you can do it," Ash smiled. "Like you said — if anyone's destined to give Dust a hand, it's you."
"Or a paw," Jarin snickered before Ash elbowed him in the ribs.
"Besides, Ginger," Fidget continued, opting to ignore the comment. "You've done so much for Dust, anyway. Ever since we reunited, he's not sad a bad word about you and how you've raised him — thanks to you, he's had an amazing life as a normal kid." Her smile broadened, shining with gratitude. "You've not idea how grateful he is for that." Ginger looked stunned, tears finally starting to return.
"R…really?" she stammered in amazement. "Dust said that?" she asked.
"Yeah, said your curry was to die for as well…" Fidget added in an undertone. Or not so much of one…
"Fidget!" Kim reprimanded sharply.
"What?" Fidget shrugged. Ash snickered.
"Dust was right — you really do think with your stomach," she giggled.
"I do not!" Fidget protested. "I just so happen to have a finely developed palette, thank you very much!" The exchange at the very least finally made Ginger crack a smile, and she laughed softly in spite of herself.
"Alright, I get the hint, Fidget," she giggled. "How about I have some prepared for when you wake Dust up?" Fidget's ears shot upwards with excitement.
"Well, never mind me," she grinned. "Dust had better appreciate that!" Another soft peel of laughter echoed in the cramped house, even from Lady Tethys.
"I trust that you are ready, Fidget?" she asked once the laughter died away.
"I guess…" Fidget gulped. "What do I need to do, exactly?"
"I will place you into a slumber which will allow your soul to pass through the gateway into Dust's Soulscape," Lady Tethys explained. "After that, you need only find Dust himself and help him unlock his souls."
"Sounds easy enough," Fidget shrugged. "What's the catch?"
"That which I have already said," Lady Tethys said. Fidget remembered.
"Oh, right. No coming back until Sleeping Beauty here wakes up?" she guessed.
"More specifically, until all the chains binding Dust's souls have been broken," Lady Tethys corrected. "Are you ready?"
"As I'm ever going to be," Fidget sighed. Taking a deep breath, she climbed onto Dust's gently-rising-and-falling chest. Taking one last look at his face, she clenched her jaw and glanced up at the Water Deity, her green eyes almost shining in the dim light with determination.
"Alright. Send me in."
Double update today because I forgot to upload on Sunday again. Just as a forewarning: I have a lot of university coursework to finish over the next few weeks, so if I miss anymore uploads over here on this site then that will be why.