"Achlys," Thresh asked, "have you ever seen a soul?"

Achlys let out a small whimper as she looked into the lantern that Thresh held before her. The light emanating from it was overpowering. She squinted and held up her tiny hands to shield her face.

"Aww," Thresh cooed, "you don't need to be afraid of them. Go on, have a peak."

As her eyes adjusted to the light, Achlys lowered her hands and peered into the lantern. It was filled with countless specks of light. These orbs whirled about like snowflakes in a blizzard. Achlys was mesmerized. Instinctively, she reached out her hand to grab at them. Her fingers tapped against a wall of force and sent a chill down her spine. The cold did not bother her though, and she continued to feel an invisible pull towards the artifact.

"I knew they would interest you," Thresh said, "would you like to play with one?"

"Eh?" she responded as more of a question than an answer.

Thresh gave an approving nod. He curled his fingers over the top of the lantern and opened it. Achlys jumped back as it opened. A shrill noise like a howling wind came from within. Screams. The harshness of the sound filled her with a deep dread unknown to her until now. It broke the hypnotic spell the lights had over her, and she inched away from the lantern in fear.

"I told you, you don't need to fear them," Thresh said as he looked over the trapped souls.

At last, he spied what he was looking for. It was an older soul that had been a part of his collection for centuries. It was pitiful, deflated shell of its former self, completely devoid of will. Thresh's claw-like fingers grasped at the wisps trailing from the soul. He took his time plucking it from the lantern. The soul thrashed about, like a fish on a line, but only for a moment. It became still and lifeless. With a click, the lantern was locked and the room was once again silent. The soul hung in the air, with only the faintest tether attaching it to Thresh's hand.

"Come here, Achlys," he ordered gently, "I have something for you."

Thresh held out his hand to her. He swung the soul slowly back and forth. The steady movement caught Achlys's attention and the light drew her in once more. She crawled forward and reached out. Her fingers brushed against the glowing surface for a moment, before passing through. She furrowed her brow in concentration as she summoned power to her finger tips. Again she reached out to it, and this time her magically veiled hands grasped the soul with ease. Thresh let the tether fall through his fingers as Achlys pulled her new "toy" back to her.

"Mim?" she wondered as she turned the orb over in her hands.

Determined to learn if this new object was in fact related to her Grimm, she took the most logical course available to her and put the soul in her mouth. Nope. This object was not the same as Grimm. Grimm was soft and wonderful. This thing, whatever it was, was harder and had an unpleasant lukewarm temperature. Further investigation would be needed to learn about this strange object, but for now one thing was certain.

"Not Mim," she declared.

Thresh nodded as though he was agreeing with her.

"This is a soul, Achlys."

"Oul?"

"Soul. You have one. Karthus has one. Elise has one."

"Oul?" she asked again while pointing to herself.

"Yes, you have a soul. It's right here."

He poked her in the sternum to emphasize his point. His touch sent chills to her very core. Her heart fluttered like a small animal trapped in a cage and she let out a small whimper.

"I am not going to take your soul," Thresh reassured, "but I will show you something entertaining you can do with one. That's all this is, Achlys, just a little fun."

Thresh held out his palm for her to give back the soul. Achlys looked down at the orb. She wasn't sure, but for a moment she thought she felt something inside it. It trembled. The feeling reminded her of how the spectral crabs would flail when she picked them up. More confusing though, she felt a tugging on her heart as the unfamiliar tingle of adrenaline jolted through her. She looked between the soul to Thresh's hand and back again. Ultimately, she decided that the sensation she felt was of pure coincidence and she passed the soul over without further hesitation.

"That's a good girl," Thresh said, closing his fingers around the soul as he did.

He paused for a moment, thinking of how best to engage Achlys in a way she would understand. Patience was not something Achlys had, and so the finer points of unravelling a soul would be lost on her. Ultimately, he decided that her understanding wasn't the most important thing. No, what mattered was that she would enjoy what he was going to show and that she would want to repeat it herself.

"Now for the fun I promised," he said as he placed the soul on the floor between them, "watch."

Thresh positioned his hand over the cowering soul. His fingers were curled, creating shadows on the walls like fangs of some predatory beast. Achlys was watching intently. The aura of magic that rested on Thresh's gauntlets grew brighter. Trails of it coiled downwards towards the soul. As they connected, the magic flared up, becoming more like fire than mist. At once, the soul began to move wildly. It thrashed against its burning tethers, spinning and tugging in each direction.

"See Achlys, it's dancing," Thresh smirked.

"Dance!" Achlys repeated excitedly.

She felt very proud of herself. She knew that word. Auntie Elise had taught it to her. She had called the way they moved in circles together as dancing. Achlys watched the soul's movements and nodded her head in agreement. Yes, it was clearly dancing.

"Again! Dance again!" she demanded.

Thresh was more than willing to oblige. He let his will and his malice pour through the magic and into the writhing soul. His attention however was on Achlys. He smiled as she giggled.

"When you grow older, I will teach you," he promised.

"Now?" she asked.

She liked the word "teach." Her father was always in a better mood when he used it.

Thresh laughed.

"Eager, little Achlys. Hmm, there may be something small I could teach you. Power on the Isles comes from force of will, and your force of will is still small. It will grow stronger; I have no doubt about that. You conjured balefire easily when you were angered, that's good, but anger will not be what we focus on. No, I need you to focus on want. Grasping, pulling, hungry want."

He reached out and grabbed her, lifting her before she had a chance cry a "beh!" in protest. He placed her on her feet in the center of the room. Achlys looked up at Thresh in confusion.

"Raise your arms," he ordered.

Before she had time to comprehend his command, he had already gripped her forearms and was lifting them upwards. As he had with the soul, Thresh wrapped the threads of his magic down her arms and around her middle. He let go of her arms, but the magic bound itself more tightly around her. Achlys flinched backwards and let out a confused whimper.

"Relax, Achlys," Thresh said, "do not fight this. It won't hurt you."

Thresh lifted his hands and Achlys was raised off the floor as though she were being hoisted by her forearms. Achlys looked around in confusion. This was not all like how her father picked her up. She followed the threads of magic from her elbows to her wrists and up to Thresh's fingers, trying to make sense of it all. After a few seconds, he let her down and the magic dissipated.

"I won't waste my time explaining to you the nature of magic. Karthus can do that. All you need to know for now is that with magic you can reach out and pull things to you. If you want something, Achlys, reach out and take it. If your will is strong enough, the magic will answer you. Now Achlys," he reached his hand towards the abandoned soul on the floor and the magic that sprung from him yanked it back to his hand in a snap, "do you want this?"

"Yea," she responded as she once again became enthralled by the soft light.

Thresh swung the soul before her eyes. Achlys reached out for it, but before she could catch it, Thresh pulled it out of reach.

"No!" she protested.

"Yes," he responded, keeping the prize just above her fingertips.

Achlys stretched and reached, balanced on her tip-toes and jumped, but Thresh wouldn't let her take it. She whined in frustration as the aura of magic around her hand grazed the soul, but she couldn't touch it.

"What's the matter?" Thresh asked in a voice that feigned concern, "I thought you wanted this?"

In response, Achlys babbled shrill nothings. Her eyes were fixated on the soul. Her frustration only made her want it all the more. As her anger had before, this newfound desire was causing the balefire on her hands to grow. The tongues of energy flickered upwards. Though less precise than Thresh's tendrils, Achlys's flames accomplished the same task and wrapped themselves around the soul.

Thresh gave a weak tug against her magic. Achlys pulled back harder. Satisfied with her response, Thresh let the soul fall into her hands. Her balefire blazed brightly as she wrapped her hands around the soul. She held it before herself in triumph.

"Got!" she proclaimed.

"Very good, Achlys," Thresh said.

He looked at the soul in her hands. The movement was faint, but he could see it trembling through her burning hands. He gave her a pat on the head.

Achlys grunted as she pulled herself back. She still wasn't sure if she liked the terrifying specter, but he did let her play with the shiny orb, so he couldn't be all bad. Not as good as her Father or Auntie, but better than the angry four legged one.

"And we can practice as much as you want," Thresh continued, "Don't forget to practice when your father brings you home. I'm sure he will be thrilled to see you pulling around his wraiths. Before you know it, you will have them dancing for you."

Thresh returned to the rubble where he was previously reclining on. He called his chains back to himself, confident that Achlys wouldn't try to escape again. As he watched her play with the soul, he decided that his initial thoughts about her had been wrong. Perhaps, she would prove to be amusing after all.

Greetings Summoners,

I hope everyone is staying as safe as they are able to be and is doing their best to take care of each other. Best of luck on the Rift.

-Gwoo