A soul.
Wandering the eternal darkness.
Lost for so long that it was on the brink of winking out.
And yet, something inside of it made the soul hold on.
What was it ?
Even the lost soul didn't know, or maybe just didn't remember, what exactly kept it from disappearing.
But the fact remains.
This soul was desperately holding on, refusing to pass on.
And this determination had caught the interest of an entity.
This entity had been around for aeons, looking for peculiar souls lost in the darkness, before bringing them to it. For what purpose ? Only this Ancient One knows.
So, it called out to the lost soul.
And the soul responded back.
In just an instant, both parties went from an unfathomable distance away, to a few meters apart.
The contrast between the two beings couldn't be greater, it was like comparing an ever-twisting inferno of light to a small flickering ember.
And yet, when the Ancient 'spoke', it was without condescension or superiority. They were 'talking' politely, like they weren't acknowledging the difference between them.
' I have felt you. Your determination, your desperation, they have called to me from across this emptiness. ' the Ancient One began, a faint curiosity shining through their words.
' And I have a proposition for you. I am able to keep you from disappearing. As I have done for countless others in the past. But as with them, my help comes at a price. '
An eternity, or maybe just a few moments passed before the lost soul managed to formulate a response.
wHy wOuLd yOu HelP onE sUCh As mE ? I aLreAdY aM So clOsE To loSiNg mYselF. whAt dO i haVe To OffEr aS pAyMenT thAt yoU dOn'T AlrEaDy hAvE ?
' Oh. That's simple. Once you have been… strengthened, so to speak, you will be capable of entering realms that I am incapable of interacting with. What I want from you is to act inside those realms in my stead. '
yOu Can rEstOre mE As I waS ?
If they were able to express it, hope would permeate the words of the soul.
' Sadly, I cannot bring you back to who you were. ' they 'sounded' almost sorry…
' It is beyond my power. You have lost a lot of yourself in the dark. And what is gone in here, is gone for good. '
aH…
' But. What I can offer is an opportunity to create a new you. With time, you will be able to build yourself back together. At least, if you accept my offer. '
For the lost soul, there was no reason to hesitate. A chance to avoid vanishing and an opportunity to be whole once again. Who would pass on such a chance?
It was with what would amount to desperation that it made its choice.
yEs. i aCcepT, I wilL aCt As yOuR haNd. juSt… dOn'T lEt Me VanIsh anD I wIll dO wHatEveR You wiSh oF mE.
Satisfaction emanated from the Ancient One as they pronounced their next sentence.
' Very well then. '
As they said that, a tendril of light separated itself from the twisting form, stopping just in front of the lost soul.
' Touch me, and our agreement will be sealed. '
Without hesitation, the soul touched the tendril. Blinding light began to radiate through the darkness, as the two beings made contact.
' Very good. Now off you go. '
Barely has the soul time to wonder about what the entity meant that it was whisked away. Its consciousness fading as it was dragged through dimensions.
…
…
The first thing that came to its mind as its consciousness returned was that it was dark.
After a moment of panic, it realised that the darkness wasn't the same as the one that it just escaped from.
This one was less encompassing, less absolute. This, however, didn't change the fact that the soul couldn't feel anything.
It tried to throw its consciousness outwards, trying to move or sense anything closeby. But it couldn't move or sense anything.
Panic, once again began to creep up inside the soul. Until…
' Hello there. ' a voice, neither masculine nor feminine, resonated inside its mind. Not unlike the entity had done a few moments ago.
The soul would have jumped if it could. Instead, it tried once again to spread out their senses in desperation towards whatever entity just spoke to it.
' Don't worry. ' the voice seemed to have felt its confusion, as it took on a calming note.
' I know that it is very disorientating, getting thrown into the physical world after all this time. Just listen to me, I'll help you get your bearings. '
The soul was confused. What does that mean ? How could it be inside a physical plane ?
Thoroughly confused, the soul wanted to ask a lot of questions. Thankfully, whoever was communicating with it seemed to anticipate its curiosity.
' I am sorry, I know you are confused, but I cannot answer whatever questions you have. But once you are capable of doing so, I will take you to our boss. They will be able to answer your questions. But until then, please bear with me. '
The soul didn't like being left in the dark, but not having much of a choice, it decided to keep its questions to itself for now.
' Thank you. ' the voice said, sounding rather relieved.
' So, now, let's begin. First of all, you do not have a physical body right now, and as you aren't in the afterlife anymore, you cannot move yourself around freely. So, instead of focusing yourself outwards, focus inwards, feel yourself and you will be able to slowly take form. Don't worry, we will take things one step at a time, there's no rush, you can take as long as you must. '
Not having a better option, the soul decided to do as it was told. It concentrated, bringing itself inwards.
At first, nothing seemed to happen, but slowly, some semblance of feeling came to it. At first located inside of it, it slowly began to expand around the soul. Until, after a long moment, it could 'feel' something surrounding it. It was like being in the middle of some kind of gel.
' Very good. Now that you have a rudimentary form, you can use it to interact with the physical world. First, try to expand your consciousness into your form, that way, you will be able to get your senses back. '
The lost soul tried to expand itself into the gelatinous feeling. It was slow going, but eventually, something happened.
As it was focused on filling up its, apparently, physical form, it felt something. A physical thing. Startled, it reflexively shrank back into itself, before cursing itself.
That was the goal of this. To be able to interact with the world again.
' Don't worry about it, I know how difficult it is to come back from the afterlife. As I said, take your time, I'll be with you every step of the way. '
Bracing itself this time, the soul began to expand once more into its form. Once again, when it reached the limit of the body, there was something, something vaguely familiar, as if it was coming from a half forgotten dream.
This something was all around it, there but not moving, not pressing either, just there.
There was also something that was directly under it, different from what surrounded it but also kind of familiar.
So much stimulus, as non-threatening as it was, after such a long time was overwhelming. The soul had to take a moment to get used to it. Used to feel.
Once sufficiently accustomed, the reality of the situation set in.
It really was back into the physical world. The soul couldn't believe it if it wasn't happening right now. It could feel it, the…
What was it again ? It wondered, until it remembered. The air. The wind. The different thing under it… the ground. Concepts that were mere memories, once again a real thing.
How amazing.
It was at that moment that the soul realised that the feeling of exultation was not as strong as it should be, and in retrospect, every feeling it had since it got sent into the physical plane had been… diminished.
Why ? This shouldn't be. Emotions and memories were the only things constituting the souls inside the afterlife.
It couldn't lose its emotions, they were the only things left. Its memories were long gone, swallowed inside the eternal darkness. If it lost them, what would remain ? It couldn't end like this ! It couldn't just wink out so soon after getting a chance to be once more !
' Is everything alright ? ' the voice questioned, sounding worried. ' I know that being able to feel again is rather overwhelming, but… you have been… flickering, for lack of a better word. '
' I know that we haven't been acquainted yet. ' the voice continued. ' But I assure you that if there is a problem, you can speak to me and I'll do my best to help you. '
This, a simple offer to help, given by a seemingly concerned person, broke through the meltdown of the soul.
The soul grasped the opportunity, like a lifeline, hoping, as much as it currently could, that this person, whoever they were, would be able to prevent it from spiralling further.
yEs, soMethIng iS wrOnG ! The soul broadcasted, desperately. i… i DoN't fEeL liKe I sHouLd, eVerYthIng Is… muTeD. mY emOtionS arE… nOt As stRonG aS thEy ShoUld be. I… i…
The soul hesitated for a moment, before taking the plunge.
i'M sCarEd… i dOn'T wAnT tO dIsAppEar…
' Oh… ' the voice went from concerned to worried,
' Okay, listen to me. ' then from worried to soothing,
' You are not going to disappear. What you are feeling right now, this lid put on your emotions, is only temporary. Your soul is trying to adjust to being back into this plane. I… I know because the same thing happened to me when I came back. You don't have to worry about winking out. You will be able to endure this. I promise. '
They said that last bit without a shred of doubt, as if it was obvious.
The lost soul couldn't help but trust them. After all, it was to be expected that being thrown back into the physical plane would have repercussions… It only wished that the entity would have explained things before doing that.
What the soul didn't realise was that its fear had been also diminished by this… complication.
Now calm once again, the soul felt ready to continue the process of regaining its senses.
yEs. yoU'rE RigHt. i jUsT wIsH thAt I wAs MadE aWarE Of thIs BefOre.
' Ah… ' the voice was sounding exasperated now, ' You're telling me… Our… boss… has a very… peculiar… mentality. Fortunately, we, and now you, can count on each other for support. '
A small instant pass as both parties were deep in their thoughts before the voice perks up once more.
' Well. Anyways. Are you ready to continue ? There's still two of them to go through. '
tWo ? questioned the soul.
Wasn't there five senses?
' Well, yes. But as long as you are in a formless body, smell and taste are going to be a problem to manifest. But don't worry. ' they repeated ' As soon as you are able to, we will go and create a new, real, physical body for you. '
A new body… Was it even possible ? This… actually, if this entity, the boss… could take a soul from the dark and put it in another plane, then it wouldn't be absurd to think that they also could create a body.
It's with this in mind that the lost soul agreed to continue.
' Excellent. Now, vision is going to be trickier. We will be going one step at a time. I'm going to have to intervene a little. I will need to touch you. Once I do, I want you to concentrate on where we will be making contact. It may take a few tries but I assure you that it will work. '
' Are you ready ? '
yeS
' Okay. Brace yourself. '
The soul tried its best to prepare itself, but the moment they made contact, the soul reflexively shrank back, not even having the time to begin to analyse the new feeling.
A shred of irritation manifested itself, although quickly smothered.
It couldn't just pull back every time a new sensation came. Even if everything was raw and unfamiliar, it had to make an effort to overcome the first instinct. No matter how difficult it was.
It expanded again, at a much quicker pace, until it could feel the air and the ground underneath again. There was no trace of the previous contact.
The soul thought that the person had removed themselves when they saw its reaction.
i aM mOrE prEpAreD nOw. We caN tRy AgaIn.
' Very well. Brace yourself. '
This time, when the other person made contact, it, barely, managed to resist the impulse to pull back inside itself.
Whatever touched it now was very different from the air around it and the thing underneath it. It was soft and warm. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, all things considered. It even was, very faintly, familiar. Which it probably was, after all the soul had been someone once.
' Okay. Now that we are in contact, I want you to concentrate on my finger. When you are done, I will pull it back, and I want you to try to use the position it was in as an anchor, and use this anchor to push yourself into it, not physically this time, but more… I guess mentally. '
uNderStoOd.
' Then, let's go. '
The soft pressure on the soul's form began to lessen, until it left the body entirely. Doing as asked, the soul began to concentrate on the point where the finger was, and tried to 'push' itself in it.
Unsurprisingly, nothing happened.
At least at first.
As the soul kept pushing into its anchor, not giving up despite the, seemingly, absence of progress, something changed. Slowly, very slowly, something began to appear. The darkness lightened up a little, almost too little to be noticed, but after an eternity in it, any change was immediately evident to the soul.
Encouraged by this development, it continued, and little by little, the dark became grey. It wasn't enough to discern anything, but just being able to make out some light was almost overwhelming the soul for a second time. Barely keeping it together, the soul pressed further. Soon, it managed to discern the blurred outline of what must be the ground, being a darker shade of grey than the air.
After a few more moments, the blur began to recede around the soul, until it settled at about five metres from it. Anything further than that was completely indiscernible, like covered by an opaque fog.
It was more than the soul could ever have hoped for. It could see. It was real. The soul would cry if it could. Whatever was drowning its emotion wasn't strong enough to cull the immense amount of joy and relief that it felt.
The soul looked at itself, trying to get a measure for its current situation.
It was looking like some kind of transparent, animated gel. A slime was the most apt comparison. There weren't any breaks on its smooth surface, but inside of it was a shining light, which the soul understood was itself.
It was weird being able to see itself like that, but it didn't let it get to it and concentrated on its surroundings.
It was on a stone slab, surrounded by grassy dirt, and could discern what it remembered to be trees on the limit of its vision. A path, covered in smooth stones, was leading down from the slab and continuing in between the trees. Something was shining high above, piercing even though the limits of its vision.
A lot of things were coming back to the soul, half-forgotten things from where it was alive.
A forest, that's how it was called when there were a lot of trees together.
The sun, the big shiny thing above it.
The wind, beginning to pick up, pressing against its body, making the blades of grass move.
The name for the smooth stones path was on the tip of its tongue, eluding its attempt to remember.
Everything was in shades of grey, but the soul was almost sure that certain things like the grass weren't supposed to be in this colour.
Still, what a wonderful thing…
A now familiar voice began to 'speak' again, cutting the soul from its contemplation. But it couldn't blame them for it. After all, they were half the reason it could see again.
' It's amazing isn't it ? I remember that moment too… But that's not the best part. What you're feeling now is just the beginning. In your state, senses are greatly reduced. But once we make you a new body… Oh, you won't believe it. '
The soul was getting excited. If this was only the beginning…
' Hehe. I'm going to come to you now. '
And indeed, from the edges of its vision, something began to emerge through the fog.
No, not something, someone.
A person made its way closer to the soul. Twice as tall as the soul's body, they had their hair pulled in a ponytail behind an androgynous face. They were wearing an open jacket, showing the loose shirt they were wearing underneath, their legs were covered by cargo pants, a pair of boots, and a smile was showing on their face, like they were happy to see the soul.
It was hard to tell what gender the person was, there weren't many signs pointing towards an easy conclusion.
Not that the soul cared either way. It wasn't like gender or sex were important when you were a ball of light…
' Finally, face to face. Almost. They 'said', their mouth not moving even as their voice resonated inside the soul's mind. ' Only one last thing to do and then we'll be able to get the presentations done. I guess we could do it as is, but I really prefer doing it verbally. '
They made an apologetic expression before continuing.
' The only thing left to do now, is to restore some sense of hearing to you. It should be easy since you managed to get your vision back on your first try. Very impressive by the way. I had to try three times before managing that ! Um… Anyway, the theory is the same, I'm going to make contact with you and you're going to use these points as anchors to restore your hearing. Same as before, push yourself mentally inside the anchors… Are you ready ? '
After a quick confirmation, the person slowly approached the soul, not willing to spook it, bent down and gently put their hands on either side of the top of the slimy body.
The soul revelled in the physical contact, the warm fingers being, again, another proof that everything was real.
Slowly, the person pulled their hands away, before taking a few steps back as the soul repeated what they did the first time.
Once again, it took time for anything to happen, but eventually, a dull buzz began to emerge from the anchor points. It gradually grew in power until, suddenly, it disappeared. In its stead an, almost familiar, whistling like sound was resonating around the soul.
It took, once more, a few moments before it managed to connect the dots between the whistling and the soft pressure from the wind.
This time however, the joy wasn't as present, it seemed like whatever was dulling its emotions was making itself known again.
The soul wasn't exactly thrilled by this development. It must have shown, somehow, because the person approached again, the sound of their steps sounding muffled to the soul's 'ears'.
' Is everything okay ? Didn't it work ? Just tell me if you want to try again. '
nO. iT wOrKed. I cAn hEar yoUr fOotStepS.
A wide smile spread across the person's face when they heard that.
" That's awesome. " they said, their voice the same as when they were talking inside the soul's mind. And this time, the soul could see their mouth moving.
Their voice, like their footsteps, was muffled to the soul's ears, but not enough to render their words incomprehensible.
It was still another massive step forward.
" So. Now we can make the presentations. I'm Charlie. " they said, the smile still on their face.
iT's nIcE To mEeT yOu ChaRlie. I aM… wEll, aCtuAlly, i DoN't rEmeMbeR.
" You… don't remember ? " they asked, the smile slipping. " Not at all ? "
nO.
The confirmation managed to completely remove the smile from Charlie's face, replacing it by a half-frown half-confused expression.
" That's… Uh… Unusual. Most people remember their name, at least, when they come back. Can you remember anything else ? "
nO.
This made Charlie lose their voice, their mouth opening and closing as they were processing what was just told to them.
" Bloody hell… " Charlie finally managed to say. " How long were you in the afterlife for ? "
The soul didn't have an answer for that, time had lost all meaning a long, long time ago.
Charlie stared at the soul, deep in thoughts, apparently not expecting an answer.
" That's why you were so scared of disappearing earlier. Shit, I understand now… " Charlie said, shaking their head " But I stand by what I said, you won't blink out just like that. Especially once we get you into your body. Speaking of which, we should get to it now. The sooner it's done, the better. "
Charlie approached the soul, then bent down and began to spread out their arms.
The soul was taken aback by that, and questioned them.
wHat Are yoU dOiNg ?
Charlie stopped in their movement, surprised by the question.
" Well, I was going to carry you. " They answered gently " It will be faster this way. Unless of course, you'd rather figure out how to move on your own ? "
The soul didn't even hesitate before answering.
Charlie was right, it would be a lot faster that way, and the soul would be lying if it said that it wasn't eager to get a body as soon as possible.
nO, yOu'Re RigHt. I waS jUst suRprIsed, tHat'S All.
" Well then, here we go. "
And with that, Charlie picked up the soul, carrying it in their arms as they turned back and made their way down the… paved… yes, paved, that's what it was, path between the trees.
It was strangely comfortable between the arms of Charlie, their warm skin, the soft noises coming from their nose coupled with the repetitive motion of their chest was bringing up a strange feeling in the soul…
Once again, words eluded it. So, instead, the soul focused on the surroundings, drinking in the sight of everything around it.
They were quickly moving through a forest, the soul could see the different kinds of trees, the variety of plants on the ground, and it could make out small movements on the edge of its vision between the trees.
The marvellous sights soon changed, and the forest was beginning to rapidly thin out, being replaced by grass covered with small plants, them too being in all sorts of shapes and forms.
The soul was almost sure that these plants weren't supposed to be grey. But before it could think about it, the scenery changed again, this time, the path spread out in multiple directions, each leading to places outside the range of the soul's vision.
Charlie chose one of the paths without breaking stride, certainly already knowing where to go. It wasn't very long before they arrived in front of a small house.
Terms and concepts began to come back to the soul when it looked at the building.
It was a one storey house, its walls made of bricks, a pair of windows flanking a simple wooden door.
Barely had the soul time to assimilate the sight that they were inside.
Charlie went as fast as they could, short of running, down the road focusing only on getting the new one to Élise as quickly as possible.
Even if they did their best not to show it to the new one, they were worried.
Throughout all of the newcomers they had to guide, there wasn't any one of them who couldn't remember at least basic things from their time as a living being.
At least until that one.
Charlie wasn't sure how it was possible. Ordinarily, a soul that lost its memories was done for. But, glancing rapidly at the soul between their arms, that didn't seem to be the case for this one.
The soul wasn't very luminous, but it was there, stronger than it should have been, its 'eye' moving around, looking at everything that they were passing with the usual wonder of someone rediscovering the physical world.
At least, the soul hadn't lost its curiosity, that was a good sign.
Soon, they arrived at the crossroads and Charlie took out towards the closest house, incidentally being theirs.
They almost threw the door open in their haste, ignoring the cosy little living room and instead, made a beeline for a strangely carved door with the knob having a rotating dial with locations marked on it, situated on the left of the room.
Charlie quickly turned the dial until it said 'Clinic', having done so countless times before, and opened it.
In a logical world, this door should have led directly to the outside of the house they just entered. Instead, they emerged into a clean white room, reminiscent of a reception.
To Charlie's relief, Élise was already waiting for them, sitting in her chair, feet propped up on her desk, playing with a pen, twirling it between her fingers.
As soon as she saw them, she put down the pen, got off the chair and circled around the desk to meet them, a big smile on her face.
" Hey Charlie. " she began, her voice chipper, eyeing the slime that sat in their arms. " I guess that's the newbie, right. "
Charlie did their best to reciprocate the smile before answering
" Hello Élise. You're right, that's the new one, but uh… " they hesitated, unsure on how to put the situation to their friend. " We should get to the lab quickly. " they finally said, hoping that Élise would understand that it was urgent. " There's… particular circumstances for this one that necessitates… speed, for lack of a better term. "
To her credit, Élise seemed to get the memo, as she went into 'professional mode'. Her smile slipped from her face as it took on a serious expression, her eyes examining the soul between Charlie's arms before looking at her straight in the eyes.
" Okay then. Let's go. " she said, turning on her heels and leading them through a door that said 'Creation Room'.
The soul was confused.
One moment they were entering a little house, the soul barely having enough time to look at the room before Charlie opened a door on the wall leading outside, and instead of leaving the house, they entered a brand new place.
It was a small room, the floor being made of small squares…tiles… potted plants were on each corner, light came from tubes in the ceiling and a smooth desk was located on the far end of the room, overlooking the entrance and a series of labelled doors. Unfortunately, the soul couldn't make the labels off, not that it tried, as its attention was directly drawn by the person at the desk.
It was a woman, dressed with an open lab coat with the sleeves rolled up, a simple pair of pants… jeans, yes… and running shoes currently resting on the desk. She had shoulder length hair that the soul couldn't make the colour off and peeking from between her bangs, the soul could make out what looked like a small jewel on her forehead.
She also looked very bored.
This changed as soon as she saw Charlie however, the two of them exchanged words for a moment, before the woman, Élise if the soul understood correctly, suddenly became serious and led them through one of the doors.
It was another small room, being only slightly larger than the desk room, an altar was in the middle of the room, lightened by and a brilliant vortex of light above it. This vortex was the only source of light in the room, making the shadows across the room stretch and twist.
Élise and Charlie, unimpressed or simply accustomed to the sight, approached the vortex, while the soul, still in Charlie's arms, was taken by the sight of it.
They stopped in front of the vortex and, after a small moment, Charlie began speaking.
" This is it. This is where you'll get your body… Don't be scared, " they said, when the soul didn't answer, " I know this looks… terrifying, but there's no need to worry, Élise, here, can answer your questions if you have any. "
" Yeah. " the lab coat lady answered, a smile getting back on her face, slightly deformed in the twisting light. " If you've got any questions newbie, shoot. I'm here for that. "
iS tHis tRulY iT ? onCe i eNtEr thIs… I'll hAvE a bOdY ?
" Yep. " Élise responded " Inside the portal, there's what we call 'Divine Clay', well it's not really clay, but it serves the same purpose. Anyway, with it, you'll be able to create a real, flesh and blood, living, body. The process is quite simple, once you're in there, you simply have to enter the 'Clay' and, kinda like when you created this temporary body you have, begin to focus on yourself, concentrate on what makes you… you. The 'Clay' will react accordingly and morph itself to best represent how you see yourself. It might take some time, but as an old friend once said : Take it slow now, it ain't a race. " she finished, with a big smile and a wink.
Charlie sighed at her words, shaking her head in disapproval.
" You're impossible, you know that ? "
Élise's smile became even wider at that.
" I know, that's why you love me. " she winked again.
Charlie threw an unimpressed look at her before returning to the soul.
" Well, now that that's done, are you ready ? "
yEs. i aM ReaDy.
" Very well then. Brace yourself. "
And Charlie threw the soul into the portal.
Its body reacted immediately to the contact with the portal, dissolving as the soul itself was sucked inside the portal.
The brief panic that it felt was quickly tempered by whatever was hampering its feeling. Again, the soul felt annoyed at this, wondering when this would stop happening.
Probably when it gained a body. The soul thought.
Before completely disappearing inside the vortex, it barely made out the beginning of a discussion between Élise and Charlie.
" So. What was it that made it so urgent ? "
" Well, you see… "
And it was pulled in.
The soul found itself inside the dark.
But once again, this wasn't the same darkness as the oppressive one of the afterlife.
In fact, it wasn't really dark. It was more like being in a room made of squid-ink spaghetti than anything else.
Where that analogy came from, the soul had no idea, but it felt right in a way.
In the middle of this room, was a pile of something that looked like clay, but if the soul's half-memories could be trusted, clay wasn't supposed to glow, nor was it supposed to pulsate.
This was finally it, the soul was so close to being alive again, all it had to do was enter the 'Divine Clay'.
Once more, the soul felt overwhelmed. This was real. It was so close. Just a few metres to traverse and this would be it.
The soul wondered if what kept it in place was nerves, or a semblance of it. It couldn't help but imagine the worst scenario, that as soon as it touched the clay, it would disappear or it wouldn't work. After all, how could the clay know what form to take if the soul itself didn't remember who it once was. How was this going to work ? Would this work ?
For the first time since it had happened, the soul was almost relieved when its emotions were suppressed.
Yes. There was no reason to doubt. Nobody had said anything in that sense.
Of course this would work.
The soul closed the few metres between it and the clay, the more it approached, the more the clay pulsated, as if it could sense its presence.
The soul hesitated only a moment before entering the clay.
This didn't feel like its temporary body at all, this was more… physical, more solid than it could ever have been.
There was only one thing left to do.
Better get to it.
And the soul focused.
Élise was intrigued.
This was the first time that a newbie came here without any memories.
She understood where Charlie's worry came from. But personally she didn't think that it was warranted. After all, as soon as the soul had accepted the Chief's contract, it had been tethered to them. And, as far as she knew, unless the Chief, or that blasted snake, cut the connection, there was no risk of disappearing.
That being said, the fact that the newbie was losing its grasp on its emotions was strange.
While yes, once going back to the material plane, and especially once in a body, the emotions were less powerful, after all, souls were only memories and emotions, but it shouldn't be as bad as the newbie had said it was. That their emotions were less powerful was one thing but them being muted ? Well, that was a whole other thing.
Élise didn't think that the newbie had lied. They didn't send Charlie to them for nothing, and if they came to her worried then there was a reason, even if it wasn't for the reason they thought.
Well, it wasn't like she could do anything before the newbie had built themselves a body. The only thing left to do now was wait. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long, she could wait a day or two but any more than that and she would have to enter the vortex herself. And she really hoped that it wouldn't come to this.
At least, she wouldn't wait alone. The Chief had cleared Charlie for the time it would take to get the newbie up and running. And then, they would probably come and see them themselves once they left the vortex.
Élise suppressed a laugh at the thought of the reaction that the newbie would have when they would see the Chief. She hoped she would be there to see it. It was always a treat.
" What's so funny ? " Charlie asked, still worrying over her charge. Time to try and change that.
" Well, I was thinking of the newbie's reaction to when they'll see the Chief. " she answered, her signature smile spreading on her face.
" Ha… " her friend sighed. " I wish you would take this seriously. You know that this shouldn't happen, how many people have you led through this ? How many of them had lost their memories and their emotions. " they finished, wringing their hands all throughout.
Welp, guess they're still as stressed as they were an hour before.
" Come on now Charlie, I already told you. There's no need to worry so much. You know that we can't die or disappear as long as we're under the Chief's contract. The newbie did the same thing as us or they wouldn't be here. As unusual as their situation is, they're in no more danger than we were when it was us in their place. " she said, before adding " Allez Charlie, trust me. I was at this for longer than you, I know what I'm talking about. "
She didn't like playing the seniority card, but stressed out friends called for special arguments.
Charlie took a deep breath, and after a small moment, threw a small smile at her.
" Yes. You're right Élise. I'm stressing out for nothing. This is unusual but we all were at that point. Of course there's no danger. What would I do without you ? "
" I know, I don't know what I would do without me either. " she answered, grin spreading once again.
She received a light punch in response and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Mission accomplished.
A more comfortable silence installed itself in the room, only the slow rumbling of the vortex could be heard, its movement still as slow as it had been since the newbie went in.
Welp, looked like they would be there for a while.
Just as she was about to ask Charlie to go and bring them drinks, the door opened.
Now that was unusual. Ordinarily, nobody took the time to come until the newbie had emerged.
Turning around, she was very surprised to see a man, bald and tall, wearing a classy blue suit, but that wasn't the most striking. What was striking was the immense purple butterfly-like wings that emerged from his back.
Élise's smile immediately dropped upon seeing the man, tension building inside of her.
" Chief ? What's happening ? Is there a problem ? Do you need my services ? " the doctor asked as fast as she could, tension spreading as she readied herself to leave if there was any necessity for her to.
If the Chief had come here then there must be a problem somewhere, and probably one that required her skills. What could have happened ?
Charlie had turned around at her exclamation, their stress rising back up with vengeance.
" Whatever you want, we're ready. " they said, straightening up, also ready to move if asked to.
Instead, the man waved his hand in a dismissive movement.
" No, no there's nothing of the sort. No emergency for now. I'm glad to see you answer so readily, but you can calm down. I only came here to see. "
See what ? Thought both friends at the same moment, the tension not leaving their body.
As if he could read their mind, the man smiled before explaining.
" I just had a feeling that something interesting was going to happen here, and I didn't want to miss that. "
If anything, this declaration only heightened the stress of the two friends.
They came to the same realisation at the same time. The newbie.
Exchanging a worried look, they turned back to the vortex which was now spiralling a lot faster than before, almost out of control. The, before, slow and peaceful hum of it was rapidly being replaced by a roaring sound.
The vortex's white colour was being replaced by an angry red glare. Tendrils began to spread out of the portal, striking at random around it, singing the places where it touched the ground and ceiling.
Fortunately, all three occupants of the room were out of range, but this didn't quell the rapidly rising anguish they felt.
Well the anguish that two of them felt, the man had put his hands in his pockets and was looking at the situation unfold with undisguised interest, his wings fluttering in excitement behind him, muttering to himself things indistinguishable through the racket that the vortex made.
Before any of the two could even think about what to do, the vortex reached its climax, spinning at such speed that it appeared as a blur, the noise it made became deafening in the small room and more and more light came striking the ground and ceiling.
Until, suddenly, everything stilled. And an instant later, something was thrown out of the portal at great speed.
Centuries of experience allowed Élise to recognize the thing that had been spat by the vortex as a human being.
It didn't take more than an instant for her reflexes to kick in, she threw herself into the path of the body, managing to catch it mid-air.
She was thrown back herself, sliding along the floor as she tried to stop their combined momentum.
She didn't manage quite that. Instead, she collided back first against the wall, taking the most of the damage herself to protect the body in her arms, leaving a visible indent in the wall.
Élise pulled herself out of it, none the worse for wear, and went to gently put the body to the floor.
At least that was the intention, but the body between her arms began flailing around haphazardly, catching her in the face by accident.
The unexpected strike, even though it didn't inflict any damage, caught Élise so off guard that she reflexively let go .
The person dropped to the floor, and curled up in the foetal position.
Swearing beneath her breath, the doctor kneeled down next to the person, the newbie, she finally realised, and began to gently check for wounds.
It was at that moment that the newbie began to scream.
It wasn't a good kind of scream, if it even existed, it didn't sound like they were scared, instead, it was like they were in pain.
Élise began to frantically search for wounds, even started to concentrate her chakra to check for internal injuries. When she didn't find any on their limbs, she started to go for the torso when, by accident, she brushed against the skin of their shoulder. Immediately, they shied away from the contact, a whimper escaping from their mouth. That's when it clicked. Élise, once more channelled her chakra to her fingers, and gently tapped her patient on their forehead.
Immediately, they relaxed, the screaming being replaced by soft breathing.
Élise sighed in relief, and checked the rest of the room.
The vortex had pulled back and returned to its original, calm state.
The Chief hadn't moved from his position, preferring to watch the situation unfold, a smile on his face.
Charlie on the other hand, was still reeling from the events that just unfolded. And didn't manage to speak a word for a small moment, before finally…
" What just happened ? Are they alright ? Why were they screaming ? What did… "
" Charlie. Breathe. "
They did as instructed, taking several long breaths before returning their attention to their friend and her patient.
" I don't know what happened in there for the portal to react like that. " Élise began, taking on a soft voice. " But I know why they were screaming. '' she gestured to the sleeping form on the floor. " They weren't prepared for all the stimulus they received, in other words, they had a sensory overload. I put them to sleep for now, to give time for their body to acclimate to the change in environment. " she finished.
" I… it never happened before. At least, not to such a degree… "
" Yes. That was a pretty bad reaction. But I have an inkling of an idea why. " she said the last bit while looking at the Chief, still observing without a care in the world.
" Chief… you wouldn't happen to know for how long they were lost in the afterlife ? " she asked politely.
" I don't have a definite answer. But I know that they were there for a very long time. Enough time for them to forget who they were. It's a small miracle that they even managed to create a body… " the man answered.
" Merde… No wonder they couldn't process all that… " was all that the doctor could say.
" Indeed, but I don't doubt that they will push through this… difficulty. I wouldn't have recruited them if I didn't feel they were capable of overcoming such hurdles. Although I have to admit that I wasn't expecting quite that. "
The man was still watching her patient, his eyes twinkling.
" Still, I was right. That was interesting… Well, I'll leave our new friend into your care Docteur Berthier. Goodbye to you, and to you too Charlie. " and with that, the man began to make his way towards the exit.
" Yes, of course Chief. " Élise answered " I will contact you once they wake up. "
The Chief stopped at the step of the door, turned around and simply smiled at her before leaving.
Once he was out of hearing range, Charlie began to seethe.
" Can you believe him !? Interesting ? I… I… He… Argh ! "
" Yes. I know Charlie. " Élise said soothingly. " But… uh… I kinda need your help right now. " she continued, waving her hand towards her patient.
" Oh. Yes. Yes, of course. I'm coming. "
They both, very gently, picked up the sleeping form of the soul. Before making their way to the entrance themselves.
" We'll put them in one of the beds in the other room. Then, you'll go back home and relax. "
" But… " Charlie began.
" No. Charlie. As soon as we put them to bed, you're going home and taking some time for yourself. Doctors' order. " she cut, her trademark smile making a comeback.
Charlie didn't protest anymore after that.
They closed the door, leaving the portal, calm once more, behind them.
The soul woke up slowly, it didn't remember losing consciousness, it didn't even know if that could happen, or maybe it just didn't remember.
The soul felt weird, something was… well not wrong… but something had changed and the soul couldn't remember what.
It concentrated, trying to recollect what was left of its memory.
It remembered meeting Charlie, being carried into a white room where it saw the doctor… Élise. And then…
Everything came flooding back instantly, the vortex, the squid-ink pasta place, the 'Divine Clay', the creation of its body and then…
Pain. Pain unlike anything they remembered, which wasn't all that much anyways.
It felt like being on fire, everything had been too much, everything had hurt, even the simple feeling of the air on its skin…
The soul's train of thought stopped brutally. The creation of a body. Air on its skin, its skin.
That wasn't a dream ? No. It couldn't be. No dream could be as painful as that.
So that meant…
Slowly, the soul opened its body's eyes.
Wherever it was, it was dark. But again, it wasn't the all encompassing darkness of the afterlife.
The soul could make out the ceiling, a lot clearer than it could ever be in its gel-like body.
But it didn't hurt anymore. If what it felt right after it was thrown out of the portal was a very painful hundred percent, and when it was in its slime was a measly five, now everything was at a manageable thirty percent. Nowhere near as clear, and overwhelming, as when its body had just been… created, but leagues better than the, in hindsight, very limited capabilities of the slime body.
The other senses of the soul's body began to come back one after the other.
After the vision, the soul could feel that its body…
Wait. No. That didn't sound right. The soul wasn't just an 'it' anymore. And the body that it was in, it wasn't just any body. It was… well, 'its' body, the one that 'it' had created, a form to take as 'its' own.
As soon as this realisation had settled, the soul felt better, more complete in a way.
'Its' other senses came back, subdued, like 'its' vision but infinitely better than before.
Whatever 'it' was lying on was very soft and comfortable, there was the sound of something tapping at a rapid pace. This, strangely enough, had a rather calming effect on the soul.
There was also something different about the air itself… it took a moment for the soul to pinpoint what it was, there was an aura, no, it was more like a smell. Yes that was it. The soul could smell the air. It couldn't really describe it for now, but there was something definite about the air in the room.
But still, something was wrong. Something other than 'its' capacity to feel the world had changed. Something that should be here but wasn't.
It took a long time for the soul to figure it out, but finally 'it' managed to put 'its' finger on it.
'It' didn't feel the way 'it' should. There was no feeling of elation, no overwhelming emotion, no. If 'its' emotions were muted before then now they were almost silent.
It seemed that gaining a body to call 'its' own had had unforeseen consequences.
The soul wondered if Charlie knew this would happen, but rejected the thought almost as soon as it came.
'It' may not have known her for more than an hour but 'it' felt like they could be trusted.
Why, 'it' didn't know, but it felt like an evidence that Charlie wouldn't try to hide something like that from 'it'.
Still, that didn't change the problem.
Maybe the doctor or the entity that had hired 'it' could offer a solution.
And if not… well there were worse ways to live 'it' presumed.
Well, no time to ponder on things that 'it' couldn't do anything about.
What 'it' could do though, was try and gain control over the body, moving it shouldn't be very hard. After all, 'it' had been, at one point, a living being too.
First, 'it' focused 'its' efforts on 'its' head, trying to make it move.
It took some time. But after a lot of tries and experimentation, the soul could move 'its' head around.
Slowly, not willing to move too fast, the soul looked around the room.
'It' really, really, wanted to look at 'its' body, but lying down as 'it' was, it would be awkward to do so. Instead, 'it' had decided that it would only do so once 'it' could relocate itself in a more suitable position.
The soul was in a different room, longer than either of the two 'it' had seen before. 'It' was in a bed, pressed against a wall, with railings made of a white material on each side of 'its' head.
Similar beds were lined up on the left, alongside the wall, four or five at first glance, all unoccupied. An open door was visible just after the beds, light coming from the frame.
On the right, there was another, shorter, wall, with a closed door located on the opposite side of the soul's bed.
The wall directly in front was occupied with a large window, a thick rain was visible outside, and the soul finally put the pieces together, the soothing sound was that of the rain tapping on the windows.
The last wall was blank, the light coming from the opened door revealing the cream paint that covered it.
The ceiling was very similar to the one where 'it' encountered the doctor, with the same white tubes in it, but those weren't producing light.
'Its' curiosity sated, for now, the soul went back to work figuring out how to move 'its' new body.
It was a lot easier since 'it' figured out how to move 'its' head. One by one, 'its' limbs were 'unlocked', until 'it' managed to move every single part of 'its' body more or less easily.
'It' used 'its' newly functioning arms to raise 'itself' up until 'it' rested 'its' head against the pillow behind 'it'.
But before 'it' could take a good look at 'its' body, footsteps began to come from the open door on its left.
From it, the doctor, Élise, if 'it' remembered correctly, entered the room, a small, closed, vial in hand, and a tired expression on her face.
The soul followed the doctor's path through the room until she brutally stopped, having finally noticed that the soul had woken up.
" Hey there. " she immediately recovered from the surprise and her usual smile came back to her face. " You're awake already, I thought I'd have to wait for a lot longer before that happened. " she approached the soul, her lab coat billowing behind her.
" I'll check that everything is alright with your body and then you'll have to take this." she said, shaking the vial in her hand, a liquid sloshing around inside.
" You should close your eyes, I'm going to make some light. "
She waited until the soul had closed 'its' eyes before snapping her fingers and making a small ball of light appear above the two of them.
In the light, the soul could finally clearly make out the doctor.
She was looking like she was in her thirties, had brown shoulder length hair, a strange jewel peeking from between her bangs, her tired hazel eyes looked kindly at soul, the bags underneath betraying her tiredness, her trademark smile was still present, although it looked a bit strained under the white light. All in all, she looked happy but tired.
Under her white lab coat, she had a light green turtleneck and was still wearing the same jeans and shoes as before.
" Had your fill ? " she asked teasingly, the soul's staring hadn't been unnoticed.
" Nah, I get it. You're curious. Like every single person before you. " she said gently, " And I know that I'm quite the eye-catcher. " she added, winking at the soul who wasn't sure of how to react.
" Well, it's fun and all but I have a job to do. " she said, shaking her head.
" So… let's see. " she waved her hand and the vial, filled with a light red liquid, began floating off her hand and stayed in midair next to her. Then, she closed her eyes, her hands began glowing in a gentle blue light, and she slowly hovered them over every part of the soul's body, paying particular attention to 'its' head and 'its' torso.
" Hmm… Everything seems to be in order… Do you feel anything wrong ? " she asked, opening her eyes, looking at the soul.
The soul opened 'its' mouth, but nothing came out. Frustratingly, communication as a bodiless entity was very different from communication in a body. The soul tried again and failed again.
Just as 'it' was about to try for a third time, the doctor interrupted 'it'.
" No, no. Don't force yourself. Just nod for yes or shake your head for no. "
With not much in the way of alternatives, the soul slowly shook 'its' head.
" Oh. " the surprise in her voice, laced with concern. " Okay. Can you point to where you feel wrong ? "
Nodding this time, the soul lifted a shaky arm and tapped 'its' head with a finger.
" In your head, uh. Well, let me check again. "
Once more, the doctor brought her glowing hands to the soul's head, carefully checking every centimetre of it, until she withdrew her hands, frowning.
" Hmm… I didn't detect anything wrong, but I don't see why you would be lying… So if this isn't physical then… " Comprehension lit up in her eyes as she remembered what her friend had said.
" It's your emotions, isn't it. " she asked cautiously.
The soul nodded.
" Ah. " was the only response.
" I want you to describe your problem to me. " she produced a notebook and a pen from her pockets. " Do you remember how to write ? " the doctor asked.
The soul nodded once more.
" Very well. " Élise handed the notebook and the pen to her patient, and waited for 'it' to write.
The soul tried 'its' best to write down what 'it' felt, but 'its' hands were shaking so much that the writing was completely unreadable, looking more like scribble than words.
Undeterred, the doctor gently took back the notebook and pen from her patient.
" I was expecting this. Don't worry I have another solution. I am going to spell the alphabet and you're going to stop me when I spell the letter you want. Okay ? "
The doctor took a breath and prepared to begin before stopping brutally.
" Hmm… you remember the latin alphabet right ? "
The soul felt a little insulted. Of course 'it' remembered the alphabet ! It was one of the few capacities that 'it' kept from when 'it' was alive.
But, well. The soul could understand where the question came from.
" Good. I just had to check. Maybe you used another type of alphabet. Anyway, let's begin. "
And so, she slowly spelled the alphabet, writing down each letter the soul stopped her at. At the end, she had written on her notebook :
S
T
T
The doctor pondered those words for a moment, while the soul watched the still floating vial and the ball of light with curiosity.
How could it fly like that ? And how did the doctor manage to create light simply by snapping her fingers ? Would it be possible to learn that ? Could Charlie do that ? 'It' would have to ask them once 'it' saw them again.
When the soul turned back towards the doctor, 'it' was to her watching the soul with interest.
" Hmm… would you say that you managed to feel curiosity ? " she asked as soon as the attention was on her again.
The soul was taken aback by the question. But, after a moment of thinking, it nodded.
" Intéressant. And would you say that you trust Charlie ? "
Once more, after a small moment, the soul nodded, 'it' didn't know why 'it' did, but 'it' trusted Charlie.
" Hmm… "
The doctor stayed silent for a moment, clearly thoughtful about the situation.
" Okay, I am going to list a series of emotions and I want you to nod or shake your head if, respectively, you can still feel it or if you can't. "
It wasn't a bad idea, the soul thought. That way, 'it'... 'it' still didn't feel right, but the soul didn't have any idea of how to refer to itself after so long. Maybe once it had a good look at 'its' body…
" Are you ready ? " the doctor asked, eyes full of curiosity, pen hovering above her notebook.
The soul nodded, 'it' would tackle one existential problem at a time.
" Okay. Allons-y. Joy " the soul shook 'its' head. " Fear. " Another shake. " Surprise " A third negative. " Trust. " A nod. " Sadness. " This time, the soul shrugged, it hadn't come up yet in 'its' limited time here. " Disgust. " A second shrug. " Anger. " The soul hesitated, it hadn't been quite anger, but there had been annoyance when the doctor had asked about the alphabet, and at other times before that… It finally decided on a nod, the doctor quickly wrote something down before continuing. " Anticipation. " That was a solid yes, it was now that 'it' thought about it, the clearest of emotions that it had felt. " Hmm. Okay, that should do. " she looked at her note for a moment before returning her attention to the soul.
" As you probably have guessed, not all of your emotions are being silenced… To be frank, I don't know why or how some of your emotions are present while others aren't. There hadn't been any case resembling that before. Sure, there had been times where the person had difficulties expressing their feelings, but nothing quite as drastic as that. I don't know if you've noticed, but you have kept the same… let's say blank, expression all throughout the time we've been together. "
Well, the soul couldn't see itself, but 'it' hadn't felt 'its' facial muscles move, excluding the time 'it' tried to talk.
" So, I'm sorry to say, I don't know how to help you. " the doctor said, and she truly looked sad, her smile falling up a little.
But the soul didn't feel anything at that statement, not even a little bit of disappointment. Guess that answered the question of sadness.
The doctor apparently agreed, as she quickly crossed something on her notebook before putting it aside.
She grabbed the vial out of the air and uncorked it.
" This, " she began, holding the vial for the soul to see, " Is a Sense Temperance Potion, as the name implies, it helps dealing with sensory overload, like you experienced when you were ejected from the portal. "
That's what had caused all that pain ? Sensory overload ? Come to think of it, it was coherent with how 'it' had remembered the sensation.
" You will need to take a full vial regularly for a time. After all, we, well actually you, wouldn't want to experience this again would you ? "
That was… putting it lightly. Under no circumstances would the soul wish to experience such pain again. If taking a potion for an undetermined period of time was the price to pay, then 'it' would do so happily… not that 'it' could be happy anymore.
" We will gradually decrease the dosage in each vial until they're not needed anymore. I can't tell you how long it will take. You'll just need to wait it out I guess. "
This wasn't ideal… but again, better to do this than to relive that.
" Of course, " the doctor added happily " I'll happily brew you as much of it as you need. I'll even make sure that you get a steady supply of it if you still need some when you're on a mission. But that's a topic for another time. You're nowhere near ready for that yet. "
The soul stared at the doctor questioningly. When 'it' was on a mission ? Yes… the entity… the Boss… as Charlie had called it, had said something to that effect…
Still, it couldn't be easy for the doctor to make the potion for such a period of time. Wouldn't it be a bother for her to do that ? Wouldn't it be better if the soul could… 'brew' ? That was the word right ?... it 'itself'.
Seemingly predicting the question, the doctor was quick to reassure 'it'.
" I know what you're thinking. ' Can't I brew it myself ? '. Well no. Unless you manage to go through a seven years long course in potion brewing, another three years as an aspiring potionner and survive an apprenticeship with Snape, you won't be able to brew this yourself. Not unless you want to poison yourself or blow yourself up. " the doctor finished, her smile turning a little sour at the memories.
" Oh ! And if you think you're being a bother, stop. First of all, it's my job. Second of all, I don't often have the opportunity to brew such complex potions so it's kind of stimulating, not to mention good practice. And third, I like being helpful. "
She waited for a moment before adding.
" And in case you're wondering how I managed to guess what was happening inside your head, well, you weren't the first to need this kind of help. And almost all of the others before you had asked me those questions, or a variation thereof. "
Well. That was 'its' questions answered. The soul wondered how many people the doctor had helped before. And how many of them 'it' would get to meet.
But that was for later. The next thing on 'its' mind was, finally, getting a look at 'its' new body. Maybe that way, 'it' could finally find another way to refer to 'itself'...
The doctor broke the soul out of 'its' musing by giving 'it' the vial. Pressing 'it' to drink it. It did.
There was something to be said that the soul had finally gotten a sense of taste back, and the first thing 'it' experienced was something that made 'it' gag.
The soul couldn't find the words to describe what 'it' just drank. It was just bad. And 'it' would have to drink that for how long already ?
The fact that the doctor was trying very hard not to laugh wasn't helping things.
" Well, if you think that's bad, wait until you have to drink Skele-gro. Or eat sale'tomah… " the doctor's face scrunched up reflexively at the mere thought of that last one.
But despite, or maybe because, of its terrible taste, the potion was effective. The soul hadn't even realised that well, everything was steadily becoming harder to process. The sensations began to tone down, until they were back to where they were when 'it' had just woken up. With a little luck, it wouldn't take all that long for the soul to be able to withstand what 'its' body wanted to show 'it'.
" Well. Now that I have made sure that nothing was wrong, at least physically, and that you took your medicine, I think it's time for you to take a look at yourself. " the doctor finally said " I'm sure that you've been waiting for that since you woke up. So let's not waste any time. I'll go and fetch a mirror in one of the other rooms. " she took back the vial from the soul's hand " Try not to get yourself too worked up in the meantime. " she added with a wink before exiting the room through the right-side door.
Finally.
After all this time, the soul would finally be able to see what 'it' looked like. Maybe seeing 'its' physical form would even help it find a name to call 'itself'...
But that would be the best case scenario. And the soul truly doubted that things would be so easy. It wasn't like anything had gone smoothly since it got here.
" Come on, you know that's not true. "
A voice, different from the doctor's, came from the soul's left, on the opposite side of where the doctor had just left.
'It' turned 'its' head, and indeed, there was someone next to 'it'.
It was a small girl, with long sandy hair, shining amber eyes and dressed in a simple, white sundress. That last thing confused the soul. After all, 'it' could still hear and see the rain battering the window. And yet, neither the girl, nor her clothes were wet. There was also the fact that she had come here without making any noise, almost as if she just emerged from thin air.
But the strangest thing wasn't any of that.
It was the fact that this small girl had big glowing purple butterfly wings coming from her back.
All in all, the soul was pretty curious about 'its' new visitor.
That must have shown because the girl let out a giggle before addressing 'it'.
" My, my, you are one of a kind my dear. And you didn't even flinch when I tried to surprise you. Oh, I knew you'd be interesting. "
There was a pretty sizable disconnect between the appearance of the girl and the words that 'she' used.
Something was wrong here.
The soul had the feeling that this wasn't a little girl at all.
" How perceptive of you. " the 'girl' said teasingly, as if 'she' could hear 'its' thoughts.
" Hehe. You're not that far off actually. And you shouldn't refer to yourself as an 'it'. You are so much more than that now. " she said, a frown on her face.
The soul wasn't sure how to feel about being scolded by what looked like a child. But apparently, the 'girl' wasn't done yet.
" Now, what does the good Doc have to say about you ? " 'she' produced a very familiar notebook from nowhere, and started skimming through it. Making small 'hmms' and 'interesting' as 'she' went through the doctor's notes.
The soul didn't like having a complete stranger go through 'its' medical record. 'It' felt like this should be a private matter between 'it' and the doctor.
" I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. '' the 'girl' said dismissively, " I would have read that sooner or later anyway. After all, " 'she' threw an amused smile at the soul. " I am your boss. "
That threw the soul for a loop.
This 'girl' was 'its' boss ? What ? How ?
Admittedly, this was no normal little girl, even with 'its' limited experience, the soul could understand that.
But still…
The 'girl' didn't seem in any rush to explain herself. Apparently having lost interest in the notebook, she was staring expectantly at the soul.
Probably waiting for 'it' to put the pieces together.
Actually, this wasn't very hard.
Both Charlie and their doctor had talked about a boss, but as far as the soul could remember, neither of them had given any indication of who, or what, they were.
It was possible that they could both be talking about a different person, but the soul thought that very unlikely.
Add to the fact that they both said that there were other people that had to go through the process of creating a body, and that Charlie themselves had said that it took them multiple tries to manage to get their vision back when they were still a soul…
Well, that left only one possibility. That the being that made it possible for 'it' to be real again, was in fact the 'girl' in front of her.
" Ding ding. You got it in one ! " the being said happily.
" Yes. I am the One you signed a contract with. " they continued putting a hand on their chest theatrically. " But fret not. I shan't just throw you into my missions before I have the time to explain things clearly to you. "
" But now isn't the time. " they said, throwing away the notebook.
The soul didn't hear it land.
" For one, the Docteur is coming back. And for two, you aren't in any state for long explanations. " they continued, their voice taking on an almost kind note.
" Focus first on being able to operate at a hundred percent. If you need further motivation, which I don't think you need, you may take that as your first mission. "
At those words, something strange happened inside the soul. It was like those words were suddenly engraved inside 'its' mind :
FOCUS ON GETTING BETTER.
Well, of course that was a priority. After all, how could 'it' uphold 'its' part of the deal if 'it' couldn't use 'its' body to its full extent ?
But how did the being, 'its'... boss…, manage to do that ? To put instructions in 'its' head ?
And why didn't it feel wrong ?
Maybe…
" Oh, I'm going to stop you right there. " the being interrupted the soul's musings.
" I didn't put anything inside your head. You did that yourself. " they continued, a frown on their face.
But how ?
The being sighed, putting a hand to their head.
" Okay, three things first. " they finally said in a stern voice, staring with a serious expression on their face.
" Number one. You may call me whatever you like : Boss, Chief, Butterfly, whatever… " they waved their hand dismissively " But I would much prefer that you refer to me with the gender of the body I'm using at any given moment. "
The soul nodded. It didn't feel like a good idea to question the girl's… 'suggestions'.
" Smart one, aren't you ? " she said without a trace of a smile.
" Number two. You must stop referring to yourself in such a dehumanising manner. That goes for everyone here. No more 'it'. Understood ? "
The soul nodded 'it's'… their head.
The girl's eyes narrowed for an instant before she continued.
" Number three. Don't put your mistakes on me, or any other person here. If you make a mistake, own up to it. There's no shame in being wrong. " she concluded, her wings bristling behind her.
She took a moment to seemingly calm herself, taking big breaths with her eyes closed.
The soul waited patiently for her to finish. Not that… they could do much else anyway.
When she spoke again, her tone was more jovial.
" For this time, you're excused. You couldn't have known that you were mistaken, and I shouldn't have said things that way. So let me explain briefly. When we made that deal in the Other World, your soul and I became… linked. That means that as long as that… link exists, you cannot die. Well, more precisely, your soul won't go back to the Afterlife if your body dies. Instead, you will just be brought back here. "
There was a risk of dying ? Wh…
" Ta-ta. Don't interrupt me. " the girl scolded.
But…
The girl glowered at the soul, her eyes taking on a glowing purple hue. The same as her wings.
" Urgh. That's why I wanted to explain this to you later. There are a lot of things to explain and right now isn't the time to do so. " she sighed again, before resuming.
" To make things real brief, yes, there is a risk that you may die during the missions I assign you with. But, as I said before, this isn't a problem. You're just going to be brought back here. Now, to explain what I wanted to initially, when I said that you could take my… advice… as a mission, you unwittingly used the link between us to… Um… Let's say make it real. Simply put, you accidentally gave yourself a mission after misinterpreting my poor attempt at a joke… "
The girl gave the soul a half-hearted smile.
" Actually, this isn't the first time that something like that happened… I should really watch my words around the rookies. Guess I should take my own advice. "
" Welp, " she bounced back into high spirits again. " That about does it for now. Whatever questions you have will have to wait until you get better. "
" And remember, " she added with mock seriousness. " You are so much more than an 'it' now. Try to keep that in mind. "
She turned around, skipping towards the door when she suddenly stopped and turned around again, facing the soul.
" One last thing. " she said, eyeing the soul with mirth in her eyes
" I never was here. " she winked.
In the time it took for the soul to blink, she was gone. Leaving no trace of her passage behind her.
It didn't take long after that for the doctor to come back, carrying what looked like an old, wooden, cheval mirror with her. The mirror was turned in such a way that the reflective side was facing away from the soul.
" Sorry about the wait. " she said, an apologetic smile on her face. " Someone must have moved this thing when I wasn't looking because I'm sure that it wasn't where I left it. " she lifted the mirror up and down to emphasise her point.
" But enough about that. You're not here to hear me ramble. " her smile widened when she pronounced her next sentence. " Let me show you your new self. "
She placed the mirror on the ground and with a flourish, spinned the mirror around.
At first, the soul didn't understand what 'it'... they… were seeing.
There was an unfamiliar person lying in a bed, covered by thin sheets staring straight at them.
It took a moment for their brain to catch up with their situation.
As soon as it hit them, the soul leaned closer and took in every detail of their new body.
A thin, pale face, with short, messy, blue-grey hair, a pair of light grey eyes and delicate features was reflected back at the soul.
This face, their face, along with the shape of the body, still hidden behind the sheets, had a distinctly feminine shape.
'It'… No.
They tried to remove the sheets, but their still… imperfect motor skills made the task much harder than it had any right to be.
Fortunately, the doctor approached, seeing their difficulties, and gently pulled the sheets from the soul's body.
The first glance at their bare body confirmed that it was indeed a feminine one.
Their body looked… fragile.
The slender frame, rather small stature combined with the outline of ribs showing through the skin gave the impression that a stiff breeze would knock them over.
There was also a strange… mark ? Or maybe a scar, looking remarkably like a butterfly, located on their chest, right on he spot where their heart was.
The soul traced the outline of it as best they could.
It felt different than the skin around it, more rugged.
It was probably a scar then.
But when did they get that ? And why did it have such a particular shape ?
The soul almost turned to the doctor when something else caught their attention.
They returned their attention to the body reflected in the mirror., examining it carefully to understand what was wrong.
That's when it hit them.
There was nothing.
Nothing at all.
No joy, no happiness, not even a hint as there had been before.
Just pure emptiness.
Why ?... Why ?... Why ?
Something wet began to run down 'its' face.
Yet 'it' didn't feel sad.
'It' couldn't.
So why…
Why did 'it' cry ?
No, there was something.
Something was coming from within, something 'it' hadn't felt yet in this world.
It was frustration. Not born from sadness, but from anger.
The soul was so, so, frustrated.
'It' had, maybe not hoped, but at the very least expected to feel something, anything.
'It' couldn't stop the flow of tears streaking down 'its' face.
'It' didn't want to.
After all, this was a sign that 'it' was alive. That 'it' still had the capacity to feel. Even if it was just anger.
And so, 'it' cried in silence, until there were no more tears.
Struck down by sudden fatigue, the soul lay back into 'its' bed, 'its' eyes closed themselves, and soon, lulled by the sound of the rain, 'it' dozed off.
Never seeing the look of pity on the doctor's face.