Chapter 8 - The Soul's Journey
In the days that followed House Ardeo's sermon match, House Tenebri had been consumed with work acclimating its newly acquired slaves to their new roles. The fact that they were on the whole better educated than the average slave was taken well into account as Mistress Adelin made her decisions for the role each of them was to play in the House.
Evan was put to work under Master Sef. Given his apparent role as a protector of the former Unseen, the Mistress decided he would be a natural fit for learning to guard the estate. Being a clearly capable power user, he was also given a choice to take part in arena matches much like Veil, a choice that he readily agreed to.
Dom was not nearly as fortunate. Having no power and little more potential in a fight than being fairly strong, he was assigned to work on Kamal's farm. This did little to discourage him, however, as he apparently had a history as a farmhand back in Anduruna. Veil could only wonder how long his enthusiasm would last under her former master's brutal leadership.
Asma was nearly given to Kamal as well, to the end of taking up the role Nuha had left. She was only spared that fate once it was revealed that the style of grappling she used during the sermon match was something called Four Walls, a technique unique to Anduruna. Master Sef wasted no time laying a claim on Asma as soon as he found out, as the idea of teaching a foreign martial art style to his guards in training was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
Finally, that left Arc. He wasn't particularly strong like the other slaves, and he had little experience using his power in combat besides that. But Veil had insisted that he be allowed to stay on the estate, suggesting that he could still help her train to complete her Binding Offer. After some consideration, Mistress Adelin offered to place Arc under her husband's care, if only until a better option presented itself.
A few days of training had passed since then, with Arc only being able to help Veil recover in between rounds of sparring. But one day, as they were heading to the training grounds, Master Sef approached Veil and Arc as they were walking together.
"Slave Arc," he began, catching the former Unseen off guard. "Remind me again how your power works."
"O-oh! Of course, Master. I can use it to change myself and anyone touching me into wind for a little bit. It's not really that great… Um, why are you asking, though?"
"An idea occurred to me. I believe your power may be of some use to House Tenebri. In fact, I believe you could use it to help Tenebri Veil prepare for her eventual rematch with Walker Zahra."
Veil perked up at the mention of her name. "You thought of something, Master?"
"Indeed. I intend to have Arc fight you alongside myself, with both of us using our powers. It isn't exactly the same as a fight with Zahra, but the threat of you forgetting about one of us while fighting is the closest we can get to copying that experience."
"Hmm… Yeah, I think I get it! That could work! What do you think, Arc?"
Arc fidgeted. "Uh, I don't really know. I mean, I said I'd help you become a Servant however I could, but I never thought I'd end up having to fight you!"
"It's just sparring, not like either of us will be trying to hurt each other! You've seen me practicing with Master Sef plenty of times, and neither of us have ever gotten hurt!"
"But he's much more experienced, and… And besides that, what about your power? Isn't it supposed to be kind of deadly?"
"It seems you haven't been paying much attention to our training sessions, Slave Arc. Veil is more than capable of holding back when she needs to."
Veil nodded. "Yeah, most arena matches aren't to the death, so in a lot of fights I cancel my plasma balls out before they can do any real damage! I usually only leave my opponents with light burns at the worst!"
"And any damage dealt is easily remedied with healing powers. Or did you also forget that even your own comrades endured Veil's attacks, only to be fully healed a few days later?"
"I… That's-"
Veil grabbed Arc's hand, cutting him off.
"Arc, don't worry. You can trust me. And I trust that you can help me by doing this."
"Veil…" Arc lowered his head and shook it. "I… You're right. I said I'd help you, and can't let fear get in the way of that. Might as well give it a try, right?"
"Yeah, that's the spirit! Trust me, you'll get the hang of using your power in a fight pretty quickly!"
Veil smiled and gave Arc a nod. With the plan for the new training regimen agreed on, the group arrived at the training grounds shortly after.
As soon as everyone had arrived, Master Sef started organizing the training groups for the day. A portion of the guards would take turns practicing Tai-sa-tib under one of his Hands, a sturdily built young jackal man, while others would learn what they could of Four Walls from Asma. A third group was set to spar with Evan to help prepare him for his first arena match, and the groups would rotate as the day went on.
With everyone else set to their tasks for the day, the Master gestured to Veil and Arc, leading them to a separate part of the training grounds. As soon as the trio had assumed positions facing each other, each of them activated their powers, and Veil's newest training regimen began.
—
Weeks passed with Veil, Arc, and Master Sef continuing to practice together. After Evan won his first arena match, he was brought into the regimen as well. The sparring matches then became a storm of action: Evan would fling his ball and chain at Veil, just as the Master teleported into one of her blind spots for an attack, while at the same time Arc would emerge from his wind form to strike at her as well.
A creative use of Evan's power demanded that Veil keep her attention primed even more. On occasion, he would cancel his power out before it could hit Veil, only to follow up with a quick rushing attack. Sometimes, his bluffs would be even more intricate, with a series of moves that had Evan blinking his power on and off. When he got close enough to her, he would even use his weapon's chain to attempt to restrain Veil in close quarter combat.
But throughout her training's increasing difficulty, Veil persevered. Careful use of her own power allowed her to capably manage fighting her three powered opponents, and in time she grew confident that she could handle a rematch with Zahra.
Eventually, a day Zahra had scheduled to visit the estate arrived. Seizing the opportunity, Veil and Arc approached her and Mistress Adelin outside of the estate's manor house to talk about the rematch.
Zahra smiled as soon as she saw Veil approaching. "Veil, hey! I was just talking with Mistress Tenebri about you!"
"Indeed. It's been quite some time since you made your Binding Offer to me, and Walker Zahra was wondering if you would be interested in another shot at fulfilling it."
Veil smiled, and her frills perked up slightly. "That's why I'm here, Mistress! I've been putting everything into training, and I think I'm ready for a rematch!"
"Heh, hopefully not everything! Last thing either of us want is you passing out again!"
"Ah, not like that, I've been pacing myself. But my latest training regimen's been working out really well, and I think you'll be surprised when we fight again!"
Zahra looked Veil in the eyes and nodded. "In that case, I'll be looking forward to it!"
Arc stared at the two girls as they exchanged a handshake. Turning to Mistress Adelin, he cleared his throat for a moment and gave a short bow before speaking up.
"U-um, Mistress? I have a request for Veil's rematch with Miss Zahra."
The Mistress turned and gave Arc a look. "Oh? And what would that be, Slave Arc?"
"The other slaves who used to be Unseen, I, I want them to see the match. And not just us in House Tenebri, I want the others from House Ardeo to show up too."
"Hm… I can certainly make arrangements for that, but it is quite a lot for a slave to ask of his Mistress. Might I ask why you want this to happen?"
"It's… it's to give them some hope. I know Veil will be able to become a Servant, and I want them to see it happen. So they know there's a real way up from where they are right now."
"I see. And is this something that you want as well, Tenebri Veil?"
Veil nodded. "Yes, Mistress. It's the kind of thing we're supposed to do, right? Helping others see the path to their souls being purified?"
The Mistress tilted her head and stood for a moment in thought. After a little time passed, she nodded.
"Yes, you're absolutely right, Veil. The two of you have made good points. I will see to it that the slaves are there on the day of Veil's match with Zahra. And I must say, it is quite admirable of you two to try to give them some hope."
Arc smiled and bowed. "Thank you, Mistress. I'm happy to do anything I can to help them."
Zahra looked over at Arc with a smirk on her face. "So you're Arc, huh? Heard a bit about you. The ex-Unseen who got his friends to convert, and now you're trying to show them there really is a way up from slavery… I can respect that!"
"You're okay with it too, Zahra?"
"Of course, Veil! Just don't expect me to go any easier on you because of this! If you're gonna be a Servant and those slaves are gonna see it happen, you know you're gonna have to earn it!"
"Right! I wouldn't want it any other way!"
"Then it seems everything is settled. I will start arranging things on my end right away. Walker Zahra, I expect you will be telling this to your superiors in House Safak?"
Zahra nodded and gave the Mistress a quick bow. "Of course, Mistress Tenebri. I'll tell everyone who needs to know."
With a series of nods, bows, and handshakes exchanged between them all, the group went their separate ways to prepare for the upcoming rematch. Veil and Arc returned to the training grounds, Mistress Adelin headed into her manor house to start planning the match out, and Zahra headed off to alert her superiors of the group's plans.
—
Zahra meant every word of what she said at the Tenebri estate. To everyone else who was there, this simply meant that she would be returning to House Safak's estate to ask Mistress Safak about arranging a rematch for Veil.
With only a few words spared between herself and her House's Mistress, Zahra did exactly that upon returning home. The two of them had a good understanding of each other; Mistress Safak knew well enough that despite the difference in their castes, when Zahra wanted a fight, she got that fight.
Once that had been settled, Zahra activated her power and slipped away from the estate, headed for the capitol temple. She had to tell everyone who needed to know about the rematch, after all.
After making her presence known to the Praetorian standing guard at its entrance, Zahra made her way into the temple and eventually arrived in Mitra's chambers. Mitra glanced up from the latest scroll she had been writing in, and gave Zahra a warm smile.
"Welcome back, Zahra. Serapis has informed me you have some important news for me to hear?"
Zahra bowed. "Yes, Mistress Mitra. I'm going to be having a rematch with Tenebri Veil soon."
"The potential Obscured Star? Yes, I can see why this would be important to know. I of course cannot tell you which of you will be successful. In such events, prophecy yields to whoever earns Serapis's favor at that moment."
"Of course, Mistress. There's more to it, though. A while ago you told me to keep track of Reapers and Unseen. Well, it turns out Veil's gotten to know a former Unseen from Anduruna."
"A potential Eastern Wind, I take it?"
"To the letter! This slave, Arc, I heard he has a power that lets him turn into wind! A bit on the nose, but with as simple of a description as that…"
Mitra smiled. "Hm, perhaps. Some prophecies can be quite blunt at times. Though there is still a chance that there are more dreamkeepers who could fulfill the prophecy in less obvious ways."
"Right. On that note, Arc also has a few former Unseen friends, and they'll be watching the rematch so they can see Veil win and become a Servant. Sort of a way to raise their spirits since they recently gave their freedom up."
"I see. Supposing Tenebri Veil is successful, it would send them quite an effective message. A proper fight will express the need for Serapis's faithful to be strong to overcome the trials the world places before them. And for Tenebri Veil, if she is to eventually be an Obscured Star, she will need to be as capable as possible to fulfill that role."
Zahra simply nodded, prompting Mitra to continue.
"For your upcoming rematch, I expect you to give Tenebri Veil a true challenge, one worthy of promotion to being a Servant, and the sort of challenge you yourself would expect to face as an Obscured Star. And if you get the chance, I would like for you to examine the other former Unseen during the match, to see if perhaps any more of them could qualify as an Eastern Wind."
"Yes, Mistress. Serapis's will be done."
"Serapis's will be done. Now, since there's still plenty of time before you will be expected back at the Safak estate…"
Mitra rose from her desk and took a few steps towards one of the scroll shelves lining her chamber's walls. After taking one of the scrolls from a shelf that was well above Zahra's reach, she walked over to her, reached down, and handed it to her.
"I've transcribed more lesser prophecies I'd like you to look into. All in poetic verse of course, just as Serapis gave them to me. I know you think it to be a waste of time, my child, but I'm hoping someday you'll learn to find the same appreciation for the poetic arts as I have."
"O-of course, Mistress. Thank you for this lesson."
Zahra bowed to Mitra, then restrained herself from grimacing as she started looking through the scroll. The flowery language and tedious turns of phrase were at least well written, she had to admit. But as she navigated Mitra's latest literary labyrinth, her thoughts kept returning to her upcoming fight with Veil.
It'll be a fight worthy of both of us, Veil. Just you wait…
—
Fortunately for both Veil and Zahra, and thanks to timely correspondence between Houses Tenebri and Safak, neither of them had to wait for very long. After only a few days since the plan was made, the two of them found themselves facing each other in the arena once again.
Veil was much more aware than she had been the first time she saw Zahra in the arena, and she smiled as she noticed the crowd surrounding the two of them was a fair bit bigger than it had been on that day months ago. Behind her, she knew Arc and the other former Unseen slaves were watching her. She quickly clutched her prayer talisman and whispered a brief private prayer to Serapis to let her show them what they came to see.
"Veil! Looks like you actually got some sleep this time!" Zahra said with a chuckle, drawing Veil's attention from her prayer.
"Well, I didn't want to let you down after all!" She replied, giving Zahra a smile. "This time, I'm ready. I'll beat you for sure!"
"Believe me, Veil, nothing would make me happier! But it's easier to say it than to actually do it! Whichever one of us comes out on top, let's have a great match, for real this time!"
"Right!"
With a quick handshake between the two of them, Veil and Zahra returned to their spots in the arena as the mistress of ceremonies started addressing the crowd.
"Good people of Serapeum, welcome to today's special exhibition match! This one's a rematch a good couple of months in the making! For anyone who wasn't aware, this match is for a Binding Offer for a slave from House Tenebri!
"They started out from pretty much nowhere, but they've been getting some attention in some of the lesser arenas for a while now! And now, here for another shot at becoming a Servant, is House Tenebri's main fighter! Everyone, put your hands together for Slave Tenebri Veil!"
Veil looked around as the arena burst into cheering around her and smiled. The cheering still wasn't quite the loudest she'd heard, but it was much better than her first experience.
"And her opponent needs little introduction! She's a familiar face to pretty much every one of our regulars, the Obscured Star of House Safak! Everyone, give it up for Walker Zahra!"
Predictably, the crowd went wild. Zahra gave Veil the same shrug and smile from the last time they met in the arena, and Veil returned a smile of her own. Once the fanfare died down, the mistress of ceremonies resumed speaking.
"Well, I guess we know who the crowd's favorite is at least! But which of these girls will be Serapis's favorite? There's only one way to find out, so let's get right to it! Fighters, get ready… and…
"Begin!"
Veil immediately activated her power, only to be taken off guard as Zahra was nowhere to be seen. Not letting that discourage her, she quickly summoned a few plasma balls and set them to orbit herself.
A buckling sensation in her legs sent Veil falling face first to the ground. As she did, she had the plasma balls that had been orbiting her cluster around where she had been standing. At the same time, she stretched her arms out to keep herself from falling over completely, summoning more plasma balls to guard her back and sides as she did.
"Huh, looks like you planned ahead a little," Zahra said, reappearing in Veil's awareness just to her right.
"Couldn't just let you hit me wherever, could I?" Veil replied, commanding a few plasma balls to close in on Zahra as she rose from the ground.
For a brief moment, Veil was left wondering why she had attacked an empty space in the arena. Reasserting her awareness of how Zahra's power worked, she continued her attack on the space, spreading the plasma balls out quickly from the spot once they had reached it.
Zahra became noticeable again, letting out a grunt of pain as she did. Veil canceled out the plasma balls in the area around her opponent, smiling as she prepared more around herself.
"Oof, didn't quite dodge that last one… Gonna have to start pushing a little bit harder, now!"
With that said, Zahra vanished from Veil's awareness yet again, only to blink into it moments later. This became an irregular pattern, with Zahra popping in and out of Veil's ability to see her. With the constant changes in her perception, Veil found it harder and harder to focus until…
Zahra landed a punch straight in Veil's gut. As she doubled over, Veil noticed Zahra-
Actually, Zahra was nowhere to be-
Veil heard a footfall right behind-
Silence save for the crowd, who were just as-
"Hey, come on! I'm barely even-"
Before Veil could react, she felt another sensation out of nowhere knocking her to the ground again. Her brow furrowed as she finally worked up enough focus to summon some more plasma balls to protect herself further.
So this is what Zahra's like when she gets serious… I've got to figure something out, fast, or she'll end up breaking my mind before my body!
Veil closed her eyes, refusing to let her shifting state of awareness affect her. Ignoring the odd sensation of Zahra flickering in and out of her awareness, she summoned even more plasma balls and made them all orbit around herself with barely any gaps in between them, creating a shining shield around herself much like she had in their first fight.
Have to think this through… How did I end up dealing with this back when I was training?
With Zahra still appearing and disappearing due to her power, Veil focused her mind on the past as her power continued to protect her from any of Zahra's attacks.
—
A few weeks ago…
Veil reeled back as Evan's fist landed right in the center of her chest. Only moments ago he had been swinging his ball and chain around to strike her from the side, which she answered with plasma balls while dodging both Arc and Master Sef's attacks.
She hadn't expected the ball and chain to disappear mere moments from being destroyed by her attack, and she certainly hadn't expected the former Unseen turned arena fighter to move as quickly as he did before landing his punch.
"Heh, looks like I finally got a good hit in on ya!"
Veil let out a few panting breaths before responding. "Ugh, yeah. How'd you manage that, I thought I was paying attention to everything…"
"It's quite simple, actually," Master Sef said, reappearing at her side. "You were overwhelmed with what you already expected. It's easy enough to see attacks coming from multiple places, but when a plan you thought you saw suddenly changes, it's easy to be taken off guard by it."
"Probably helps that Evan's also been hiding it," Arc added. Once he figured that little trick out, he really wanted to get you with it before you had a chance to find out. Sorry by the way, he made me promise to keep it a secret…"
"Hey, c'mon Arc! Don't tell me that wasn't at least a little satisfying to see! And after that plasma ball she drove into my chest, fair's more than fair!"
"I said I was sorry about that…"
"Alright, everyone, focus. Tenebri Veil, are you able to continue?"
Veil nodded. "Yes, Master. I should be fine."
"Good. Then for this next exercise, I would have you focus less on our attacks, and more on reading our movements before we attack. Begin!"
Before any of the slaves had a chance to react, Master Sef activated his power and teleported out of sight. Veil quickly put some space between herself and her other two opponents, summoning plasma balls around herself for protection.
Arc activated his power and vanished, becoming one with the desert winds. Evan summoned his ball and chain again, and started swinging it as he waited for one of his allies to make a move.
Veil dodged a sudden attack from her Master purely by instinct. Moments later, she ducked and rolled to avoid Evan's ball and chain flying towards her. It was only as she noticed the sand stirring around her that she was able to react to Arc emerging from using his power with his talons pointed toward her face.
As Veil dodged Arc's slashing attack at the last second, he used his power to vanish into thin air yet again. Before having to dodge another of Master Sef's teleporting strikes, she noticed the sand stirring where Arc had been standing.
With a thought, Veil summoned a supply of plasma balls and sent them out along the dunes. Each one trailed along in the areas she could see the wind stirring up sand as she continued to dodge Master Sef and Evan's attacks.
In time, Arc reappeared a good distance away from Veil, but in the middle of a group of plasma balls. He was looking much worse for wear, panting as his halo faded away. Evan was quick to notice his friend, and canceled out his power, rushing over to him.
"Shit! Arc, you okay, man?"
Arc breathed heavily as Veil and Master Sef canceled their own powers out and headed over to check on him.
"Y-yeah, I think I'll be fine. My power hurts to use in high temperatures, makes me feel like I'm burning alive. And with all those plasma balls around me…"
"Oh! Sorry Arc, I didn't know! I was just trying to keep track of where you might be…"
"I-it's okay, Veil. I get it. You don't have to apologize."
"Hm, that gives me an idea though," Master Sef spoke up, getting everyone's attention, "Tenebri Veil, I think you could end up using that same strategy against Zahra."
"I can? What do you mean, Master?"
"Her power makes you forget where she is, does it not? If you ignore that and keep focusing on where you see movement…"
—
I can track Zahra, even if I don't know where she is!
Veil opened her eyes as her memory gave way to reality. As she had suspected, Zahra was nowhere to be seen, but that wouldn't be a problem soon enough.
With another thought, she started spreading out the plasma balls that had surrounded her all over the arena's floor. In time, they dotted the ground with just enough space between each to allow for careful movement.
Okay, now I just have to wait…
Veil focused on the arena floor, looking for any shifting motions in the sand that covered it. Far off to her left, the slightest hint of motion caused her to attack that spot with as many nearby plasma balls as she could.
Zahra canceled her power out, leaping out of the way of the approaching plasma balls as she did. Veil couldn't help but let a grin form on her face as her strategy bore fruit.
"How did you… Not important right now! Just have to keep you from-"
Zahra disappeared before she could even finish her sentence. Unbothered by that, Veil returned her plasma ball array to its neutral state, waiting for another hint of movement around the arena.
A sound that could have been mistaken for the sand settling made Veil attack a spot behind herself, and Zahra was once again noticeable, getting out of the way of the swarm of incoming plasma balls in the nick of time.
"Okay, Veil, if that's how-"
Zahra vanished, and Veil turned as she aimed her plasma balls at another sound that was closer to her.
"-To do this, then-"
The briefest bit of Zahra speaking was cut off, and Veil felt a surge of pain in her chest before gathering more plasma balls mere inches away from where she had felt it.
"-To get eve- Agh!"
Zahra appeared in front of Veil, and her left forearm appeared to be burned more severely than Veil would have liked to see.
"S-sorry! I can't tell when to cancel my power out when you're using yours!"
"Ugh, n-not a problem. Wouldn't be a proper fight if I didn't get hurt a little! But still-"
Zahra made another sudden disappearance. Veil summoned more plasma balls to surround herself, ready to react to whatever motion or strange sensation came next.
For a moment, nothing seemed to be happening. Then, Veil felt another surge of pain in her chest. She started to move plasma balls to the area she felt the pain, but-
Zahra reappeared, moving in with-
Veil felt pain in her right side, and started to-
A punch to her face left Veil reeling backward, and Zahra followed up-
The slightest movement of the sand in front of her caused Veil to send plasma balls-
Veil fell on her back, noticing Zahra had swept at her-
Okay, that does it!
Veil focused on her power and summoned dozens of plasma balls around herself. Zahra was continuing to flicker in and out of her awareness, no doubt waiting for another opportunity to get a barrage of attacks in.
Well, if that's what she's waiting for…
Veil moved the plasma balls to both sides of herself and waited. Soon enough, she felt a blow to her head, and at that moment she started bringing all of the plasma balls around herself again.
Following another sensation of pain that caused her vision to blur, Veil noticed Zahra canceling her power out right as the plasma balls started closing in on the two of them. She disappeared a mere moment later, but Veil kept drawing her attack closer, even as more phantom pain assaulted her head and almost… made her…
"A-AAGH!"
A scream shook Veil from her momentary daze. Only a second later, she felt a strange weight over her whole body, and her halo faded as she got her bearings again. With a quick look, she could see Zahra had collapsed onto her, and her halo had also faded.
Zahra was breathing heavily. Her back and arms were covered with a number of burns, much like the one Veil had left Kamal with when Serapis first blessed her with her power. It was only once Veil noticed Zahra's injuries that she noticed the stench of burning fur and flesh around her.
"H-heh," Zahra choked out a faint laugh that Veil could only hear because she was so close to her. "D-didn't think you'd go… all the way with that…"
Veil struggled to get a response out. "Zahra…"
"Thought I could t-take you out before… S-S'my loss… G-good fight, Veil…"
Zahra's eyes started to close, and she slumped onto Veil. For the longest moment, Veil couldn't manage to speak, let alone move.
"Z-Zahra?"
After what felt like ages, Veil forced herself to move, holding onto Zahra as she did. The irregular movement of her opponent's chest as she continued to let out labored breaths did little to comfort Veil as she sat up. After a moment of heavy breathing from the effort, Veil cried out to anyone who would listen.
"She's still breathing! Please, someone get her a healer, quick!"
What happened next overwhelmed Veil's senses to the point that she was only half sure any of it actually happened. She could see a somewhat familiar dreamkeeper with a green halo approaching. She could hear the mistress of ceremonies saying something, and she could hear the crowd making some kind of noise in response.
Finally, as her senses failed her and she gave in to her fatigue, she could have sworn that she heard Mistress Adelin's voice right behind her before passing out.
"…You both to a heal… …Done well…
"…Daughter of House… …Binding…
"…Servant Tenebri Veil…"