Embers
"Wait," Achlys called after her father as they went to the yard, her voice filled with incredulous surprise, "we can look for someone in the Mist with our magic? Why haven't we tried that with Katherine's sister or the queen?"
"It is not that simple," Karthus responded, "to begin with, few wraiths, only those with powerful wills and sense of self, are able to actively able to search through the Mist. Most others can only detect the surface emotions flowing through it, such as if there is an invader or it is time to gather for a Harrowing."
"Oh, so Katherine can't do it herself?"
"Correct. She can retain her shape, but as you know, the more time she spends away from her cove, the weaker she grows. It may still be many more years before she never needs to worry about growing weak as she wanders the Isles."
"But there is no rush. I can keep helping until then and we have eternity," Achlys repeated the many times spoken expression.
Karthus nodded.
"And though she may not yet possess the will to search through the Mist, I believe you have the potential to do so now."
Truthfully, this was something Karthus had been curious about for years. Ever since he had first watched Achlys give individuality back to the lonely fisher, he wondered if this signaled that she would have the strength of will needed to reach into the Mist without losing herself. Most of the dead became one with the sublime majority but Achlys, still living with her soul still wrapped with the trappings of life, had a barrier that drowned out much of the chorus.
Though no matter how great his curiosity had ever become, his desire to keep Achlys safe had forced him to instruct her to avoid making contact with the many tendrils and banks of Mist that coated the Isles for more time than was necessary. Not only had this been done to keep her hidden from Viego, but also from the predatory wraiths on the hunt for the living, those that would attack her without a second thought of how important he knew she was to the Isles. But now she didn't have to be kept a secret.
Karthus drifted over to the corner of the fence, where a stream of Black Mist flowed lazily through the wrought iron and around the yard. He stopped beside it and dropped his fingers into it. It washed over them and pressed up into his palm like a living creature. Within it, Karthus sensed that there was no hum of alarm flowing through it at the moment, making it as calm as he could hope it could be for Achlys to begin testing her magic.
"What have I told you about interacting with the Black Mist?" he asked Achlys.
"That I don't need to be afraid of it," she answered, "that it's a part of my home, but that I also shouldn't spend too much time in places where there is a lot of it because spending too much time in it makes me cold and weak because the Mist does this to living things."
"Correct."
"But it doesn't happen as much since I got really Mist sick and almost died because the king did something to me."
"He strengthened your connection to it and, in doing so, made you more like a wraith."
Achlys pushed aside the pale pendant of sea glass so that she could peak down at the triangular mark on her chest.
"More like a wraith," she repeated in a wistful tone.
"And as you have become more wraith-like, you should be able to do more things that a wraith can. One such thing is taking advantage of how we are all connected."
"What do you mean?"
"It is difficult to explain, but I will try my best. Think about how during a Harrowing, thousands of wraiths can gather at once and travel together. This is because the Mist connects us all and we can all hear the call through it. This connection goes two ways. I, and several other greater wraiths, have learned to search back through this great connection. Even all together in the Mist, each soul is still an individual, and if you are familiar with how one soul feels, you can search for that feeling."
"Umm," she nibbled on her lower lips as her brows furrowed in thought, "I think I understand."
"Come here," Karthus said as he held out his hand, "let us try something together. Experience will be a better teacher."
Achlys stepped forward and took his hand.
"If something does not feel right, let me know immediately," Karthus said as he lowered their hands into the Mist.
The hairs along Achlys's arm stood on end at the ice water chill of the magic, but she did not pull away. It was not the most pleasant of feelings, but it was one that she had become accustomed to during her life.
"It feels the same so far," she said.
"Concentrate on how my soul feels," Karthus instructed.
Achlys nodded and focused on all the things that made Karthus feel like Karthus to her; that deep familiarity that had been with her as long as she remembered. Green light pulsed across the mark on her chest as she focused, keeping time with her heartbeats.
"Do you sense my soul?"
"I do."
"Open your eyes."
She did and saw, to her surprise, that she was no longer holding her father's hand. At some point, he had let go and she had been so focused, and her fingers slightly numbed from the chill, that had had not even noticed the lost touch. Only Mist was entwined with her fingers now. Several paces away, it was also wrapped around his.
"It still feels like you are next to me," Achlys commented, her eyes still watching the dark curls around her hand.
"Through the Mist, we are still connected."
"Will it work if we are further away from each other?"
"It will, though the sensation will not be as strong."
"Can I do it with other wraiths?"
"You will be able to, though it may not be as easy. If you want, you may try it now. Gaspare is out on a patrol. Let us see if you can sense where he is."
Achlys turned her thoughts to the Noxian wraith and the feeling of his soul. It was cold and unflinching like the steel he carried, and tense like a taut bowstring. It was very much the soul of a warrior. But it was also the soul of a member of Karthus's choir, and Achlys could feel traces of her father upon his soul.
She searched for the feeling first and was immediately surprised by how many presences she felt in the mist. Each member of the choir flickered in her mind as though they were hundreds of candles surrounding her in a dark room. And as they moved about the cathedral, the lights in her mind swayed and turned in what would have been a dizzying effect had Achlys not been so comfortably accustomed with them.
As it was, her mind could pass over each soul one by one. Some were complete strangers to her, wraiths that recalled nothing about themselves, while others were defined individuals, beings she had helped recall who they were through the haze of undeath. Their lights were brighter, and among these bright lights she at last felt the soul of Gaspare. Of all the wraiths in the congregation, he was the strongest of will and had retained his memories the best after Achlys had helped him to recall who he was. His soul was like a torch among the candles.
Achlys focused her attention on him and, though she could not see the area where he was, she began to get a sense of where he was in relation to her.
"I found him, I think." she announced as she tilted her head in the direction of the wraith, "He's that way, near the forest. I'm going to guess that he is going to the garden?"
Despite the uncertainty in her voice, Karthus gave a nod of approval.
"Very good," he praised, "I had asked him to patrol the border of the forest today and return with beets from the garden on his way back."
The questioning look on her face shifted in an instant to one of excitement.
"Since I got the magic right, can I have something better than beets for dinner?"
"You still need to eat them. You know fresh food spoils quickly here, but, since you are doing so well, I believe it is fair that you be allowed to have some of the cookies Elise had brought for you. After dinner, of course."
"Yes!" Achlys cheered as she pumped her fist.
"But dinner is later," Karthus said, "for now, let us keep practicing. Here is what we will do next. I am going to travel through the Mist and you will search for me. When you find me, or after ten minutes pass that you are unable to find me, I will return. Are you ready?"
"I am!"
Even though she knew it was harmless, watching Karthus's form billow away into mist to join the rest of the dark stream filled Achlys with a sense of unease; that something as absolute as her father might someday be gone in an instant. But he was not gone. She knew this. He was a wraith, eternal and wonderful, and the ability to billow away was just one of the many boons of what he was. Achlys wondered if that was something she would be able to do with her magic or if she would need to become a wraith herself first.
She did not dwell on this thought for long though, as she had a more important test to focus on. Once more, Achlys reached her mind into the Mist. It did not take long her mind to be drawn towards Karthus's soul, but as she reached out towards it, she suddenly became aware of another, grander presence. Thousands of souls were in the Mist. Though the strength of presence for many was less than that of even the lowest choir member, making them more like embers than flickering candles, but before this multitude of them, Achlys may as well been standing before a beach of smoldering light, each grain of sand an ember. The vastness of the situation daunted her and she suddenly understood how a single soul could get lost in this feeling.
Achlys forced her attention back to her father. Keeping her thoughts only on him, the glowing beach faded into the background of her mind and steadily she began to sense where he had gone. Before she could say for sure though, she heard Karthus's voice beside her, speaking in a soothing tone.
"Open your eyes, Achlys."
She did, blinking them open to find him standing by her side again.
"Could you sense where I was?"
"A little," she answered with a shrug, "You were in that direction and I could feel lots and lots of other souls with you."
"Can you name a place in that direction where there might be many souls gathered?"
"Helia?"
"Correct. I was at the outskirts of Helia. I chose that location for a reason. I have no doubt that you could feel the presence of the souls in the city."
"Yeah."
"And their presence felt dim to you, I imagine. That is because you were already focusing on me when you began to sense them. If you had not been so focused, their presence would have felt much stronger."
His tone then shifted, becoming the stern tone of a parent imparting an important warning.
"Achlys, until you become more practiced with this magic, do not search through the Mist without a specific soul in mind. There are so many in the Mist and as a living person, they will be drawn to you. For some, it will be out of curiosity and nothing more, but others may be aggressive and may begin to hunt for you as though you were just another living invader. But even if you were not to attract the attention of any hunting wraiths, connecting with so many souls at once is difficult. I do not wish for you to become overwhelmed and hurt yourself, so please, promise me that you will not reach out into the Mist unless you know who you are looking for and can clearly visualize the feeling of the soul. Will you promise me this?"
"I will."
Though she promised in an instant, her tone betrayed slight disappointment at this new rule. It felt unfair that she was just taught this new magic and was immediately ordered to limit her use of it. Sensing her disappointment, Karthus spoke up.
"Why does your father set rules?"
"To keep me safe and healthy," she repeated the expected answer.
"That is correct. I want you to be safe. This magic took me years to master. It will take you time as well. Today we will keep practicing, but remember, there is no rush."
"Because we have eternity."
"Exactly."
Under Karthus's attentive supervision, Achlys continued to practice for the following hour. At times, Karthus would travel throughout the Isles, visiting places she would recognize and letting her search for him, while other times, he instructed her to seek out the souls of those he knew she could envision well, such as Katherine and the Chronicler. With some direct aid, she was even able to seek out the soul of the drakehoud that she had bonded to herself once.
Eventually though, Karthus noticed that Achlys was beginning to shiver. The mark Viego had given give had granted her more tolerance towards the chill of the Isles, but as she was still alive, she could never be completely immune to the cold. Like any mortal, she had her limits.
"I believe we should finish for the day," Karthus said.
Achlys agreed without hesitation.
"Yeah," she nodded as she vigorously rubbed her hands together to work warmth back into her fingers.
Together they went back inside. Karthus made Achlys a cup of hot tea so that she could warm herself more quickly as he set himself to prepare the beets Gaspare had collected for dinner.
The meal was inhaled by Achlys, the speed of which was due equally to her having worked up an appetite and wanting to shovel the beets down so she could get to the promised cookies at the end, and afterwards, the two sat down for quiet "read separately together" session. The time passed peacefully and eventually, Achlys went and prepared for bed.
Night gown on, face washed, and her father hugged "good-night," Achlys at last placed Acheron upon his perch, a piece of driftwood she had found on the beach and thought looked neat, and kissed him on his crystal forehead and climbed into her bed.
"Do you think we can use this magic to find her?" she asked with a yawn.
The skull made a chirping noise in response.
"Any of them, I guess. Huh, I am looking for a lot of 'hers,' aren't I? Well, I think the magic will help."
Acheron made no comment. Seeing as he had nothing further to add, Achlys rolled onto her side.
"Good-night, Acheron."
Her eyes then came to rest on Grimm, the little plush wraith she had had since infancy. She moved it with the most tender care to rest up beside her pillow and, as she did, a seam of blue thread shimmered gently in the dark room.
"I wonder," Achlys mumbled.
She ran her finger along the stiches, making them glow brighter. Suddenly, she sat up in bed and looked about her room. There in the corner of her room, curled like a viper, was a tendril of Black Mist. She went to it.
Achlys hadn't seen Gwen in a while and she wondered if with this new magic she could perhaps learn where her friend was. For a moment, she considered running off to find her father to help with this but stopped when she remembered that Gwen was always worried about how other wraiths behaved around her.
In the end, Achlys decided not to call Karthus, reasoning that not only was this the polite thing to do for Gwen, but that she was already deeply familiar enough with her the other girl's soul felt that she would be able to find it without difficulty. It had a warmth about it that no wraith possessed and was overstuffed with joy. Just thinking about it made Achlys's cheeks feel warm.
Achlys cleared her mind, visualizing that wonderful feeling being with Gwen gave her and cautiously lowered her fingers into the coil, searched, and found. .. nothing.
Nothing?
Nothing.
Achlys felt no traces of Gwen whatsoever in the Mist. Surprise sprung through her. She and Karthus had found the drakehound, a creature she was only passingly familiar with, but there was no trace of her dear friend. Achlys pondered this.
Perhaps it was because Gwen was not a wraith? Perhaps it was because she was still only beginning to practice this magic? Perhaps it was because she was very, very tired?
A large yawn escaped her mouth as she thought this and Achlys decided that it was the most likely answer and that she should rest for the night. She climbed back into bed and laid down once more. Minutes later, she was asleep.