esp_dragon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
esp_dragon) wrote2011-11-19 10:24 pm
esp_dragon) wrote2011-11-19 10:24 pm
Chosen [Part 19]
Fandom: Original
Summary: Ras has just been chosen by the Gods to protect humans from geists, beings that prey on people's souls. Sent by Them to aid her is Aldran, a psyven; through the bond forged on their first meeting, Aldran can pass his magic to Ras for her to use against the geists. Only those bonded with psyvens can fight the geists, as a psyven's magic is the one magic that is truly effective against them.
But stories are told to children to placate fears and soothe nightmares. Ras has to learn that Aldran and living as a khertan are not what she expected and that the danger is very real.
While she adjusts to her new life, she and Aldran begin to discover all is not as it seems; however, realising and accepting the truth is not easy and ultimately, in the end, is it worth it?
Rating: R
Notes: Contains…I don't know. A geist talking about their eating likes? I really have no idea what to tag this with, but it's definitely this rating anyway! Definitely screwing with someone's mind too.
You can find my commentary on this part here.
Genre: Fantasy/Friendship
Word count: 2,632
Total word count: 48,039
Status: Work in progress
Ras' legs lifted of their own accord, no matter that she was trying her hardest to do the opposite. She followed the geist as they walked in the direction that it had pulled Aldran. He wasn't there, but she could see the drag marks going around the back of the house, and when they passed, Ras could just see Aldran lying there in a heap before they passed by completely, Ras unable to turn her head.
She followed the Godsdammed geist through the town, keeping to the shadows, doing every little order that the geist told her. Ras despaired, because no matter what she tried, nothing worked to break the geist's hold on her. Not that she could concentrate in any decent amount anyway, not with the fact that her body was acting against her will and Aldran was hurt, and she could feel every single step that took her further away from him. Her mind continually bounced between those two facts, never stilling enough so that she could do something. All she could do was glare at the geist's braided hair, but as that was all she could do, it was useless.
Ras was led to a house –who and where were the original occupants?- and she was told to sit on the bed, which Ras' body did immediately with no pause.
The geist stood in front of her, smirking, and used its fingers to tilt Ras' chin up so it could see her face clearly and kept its fingers there. Ras' skin tingled at its touch. "I can feel you struggling, you know," the geist breathed, its eyes half lidded. Its smirk widened. "It's like a butterfly that's been caught in a spider's web; maybe you can free yourself, but will you have enough time?"
Ras felt sick. She'd been too distraught at what had happened to Aldran and the situation she was in that she hadn't fully grasped what it meant.
"But all you're doing at the moment is telling me, 'Look at me! Look at me! Look at how tasty I am!'"
Ras' thoughts stilled. No, that couldn't be-
The geist chuckled. "Mm, I do love it when the realisations sink in."
It knew what she was thinking. Godsdammit, she wanted to get away from it, to get back to Aldran and then they could work something out together, they would be able to kill this geist.
"But I am rather curious," the geist said slowly, its finger sliding away, and Ras' head stayed in place, "about how this is the second time we've met. It must be the Gods' doing."
…What?
The geist's slitted eyes bored into her. "You can speak," it said, its voice sounding like it was echoing in her head.
"We can't have met before," Ras blurted out. "We've killed all the geists we saw!" Unless the geists came back, and ice chilled Ras' spine. No. No, it couldn't be that.
The geist chuckled again, its smirk turning lazy. "But you did see me," the geist said. "You saw me and talked with me."
Ras tried to shake her head but – but she had only been given permission to speak, nothing more. She wanted to try and push back at its magic, but if she was only making the geist more inclined to eat her… "I would have remembered you."
"Ah, so you don't remember the woman in Sous who brought your food to you, after you and the other khertan and psyven so valiantly fought and killed the pack of evil, dirty geists?" The geist shook its head, and looked sorrowfully at her.
Ras' thoughts froze and she stared up at the geist. That – no. It couldn't be. But the geist had a long braid, just like the woman had, and it was the same colour too. As they were so close to each other, Ras could see its slitted eyes past its hair, but…she hadn't been that close to see the woman's eyes clearly in Sous. And – and they had spoken with each other. Ras' mouth dried as she remembered what the woman had said.
"You…wanted to meet us again," she said weakly.
"You do remember me," the geist exclaimed, delighted.
No, something wasn't right. "I couldn't – we couldn't sense you!" Aldran wouldn't have let her in if he sensed anything off about her, and they both should have felt her coming far before she stepped into their room!
The geist's expression turned teasing. "Ah, but how long has it been since you two were chosen?" The word was said as if the geist was swearing, which one part of Ras inanely considered made sense. "Not very long if you had to be paired with someone."
Ras eyed the geist warily. It couldn't know how things were done. "We could have been called to fight a large group of geists."
The geist huffed, raising its eyebrows in mild scorn. "I saw the way you and your psyven fought – you let him be hurt."
What? "I did not!" Ras snapped.
"You weren't looking out for him," the geist continued, its smirk somehow going even more dangerous. "I wonder what he thinks of that."
Ras struggled again against the geist's hold it had on her body, but to no avail. "Shut up," she snarled, baring her teeth.
"So make me."
She would. She would as soon as she broke free of the geist's control! But there was something off, something in the geist's eyes that wasn't just mocking her.
There was anticipation. And hunger.
Ras' anger wilted under its gaze.
"Terror, fury - any strong emotion makes a soul taste so much better," the geist hissed, licking its lips. "It takes time, marinating the soul in those emotions until it's perfect."
"That, is sickening," Ras spat, trying to keep control over her emotions, but it was hard, especially with the geist talking about that.
The geist sneered at her. "Yet you humans do exactly the same to the flesh, and that's tasteful."
"Because that's-"
"Normal?" the geist finished for her, its eyebrow raised again.
Ras made a strangled sound. "Of course!"
"Because the Gods made it so?" Its mocking tone was back, and Ras snarled at the slight against Them. "Then tell me," the geist said, taking Ras' chin again to hold her full attention, leaning in close, "why. Are. We. Here?" The words were said in a dangerous whisper, yet Ras heard every single one of them.
Ras swallowed, feeling far too much like she was a mouse under a hawk's gaze. No, she was already trapped in its talons, and she was just waiting for the first strike that would kill her. "You're here," she said quietly, "because you were born from the darkness of people's souls."
The geist leaned back again, eyeing her in distaste. "Is that what your stories tell of us?"
Ras stared at the geist, shock churning in her. That was where she knew that, but Ras also knew most of it was wrong. Why hadn't – why hadn't she questioned that?
"There is so much you don't know," the geist said, letting go of her chin. "That much is obvious. Do you know what the title 'khertan' means?"
No, she didn't. And Ras could see that the geist knew that by the way it smirked.
"It means 'heart', from your little story. Sickeningly sweet and non-imaginative, but I suppose that's humans right there." It paused, tilting its head at Ras. "But there used to be an older term used instead of that – I don't think you'll have heard of it: couer." The geist snorted softly. "And that's just as literal as 'khertan' – do you want to know why?"
No, she didn't. She really didn't; Ras could feel the dread seeping into her, and she couldn't stop it.
"It means 'core'. The title was changed when people started to question why you were called that." The geist hummed, its smirk turning predatory. "You are the 'core' of this bond," the geist said softly. "It's because of you your precious psyven lives."
W-what? What did that mean? Ras' mind started to work furiously. Where had the other khertan's psyven gone when he died? Why did she feel pain when it was Aldran who had been attacked? No. No, what was she thinking? She couldn't trust what the geist was saying – it had just said that it would say anything to make her afraid or angry!
"You're lying," Ras growled, glaring at the geist. But that – dammit, she was getting angry again. She tried to calm herself down, taking deep breaths, but the geist started talking again.
"How old is your leader?" The geist sighed, looking away and tapping her chin. "Now, what were their names? Ah, Lesten and Yaran. How old are they?"
Ras froze, her thoughts halting. "H-how-?" she croaked. "How do you know their names?"
The geist gave her a wide smirk, filled with teeth. "It's interesting what little pieces of knowledge you can pick up, when you eat a person's soul. But we're straying from the point. The human, he's how old? Forties?" The geist hummed. "I am far older than that, and have seen far more than your little human life could ever see, even if you weren't a 'khertan'. And the knowledge that I hold?" The geist leaned forward again. "It comes from the khertans themselves – I saw it when I ate them, the slivers of memory showing themselves to me." It leaned back, and if its smile had been on anyone else, Ras could have thought that the person was truly cheerful. "I doubt you will give me anything I don't know, but the taste of you will be wonderful.
"Now then," the geist said softly, "let's continue."
No. No, she didn't want this to continue, she didn't want to hear this, but Ras' body was still as frozen as it had been at the start. She couldn't stop herself from listening, and she couldn't stop the spiral of despair at everything was happening.
"So, my last question, where did the geists come from."
Ras wanted to close her eyes, to block the geist from her sight, but she couldn't, all she could do was blink.
"What did your Gods do against us?"
Ras stared at the geist warily, not quite understanding its question. "They didn't do anything," Ras said slowly, and she saw the triumphant expression on its face. "They sent the psyvens!"
"Why?" the geist said shortly. "Why send down fighters when They could eliminate our existence with a mere thought?"
Ras…didn't have an answer for that.
"They find it amusing," the geist said, pacing up and down the length of the bed. It tilted its head back and saw the expression on Ras' face. "If I were to be smited by Them because of blaspheming, I should have died a long time ago. But then," the geist continued on cheerily, "I shouldn't exist because I'm an abomination for what I eat." The geist paused in its pacing.
"Of course you are!" Ras burst out. "Eating souls-" She couldn't finish what she wanted to say, and she was losing control of her emotions again.
"And what if it were reversed?" the geist asked, her eyes intent. "What if you ate the souls and we ate the flesh? Would it be the same then?"
Ras gritted her teeth, trying to push down on her anger. "It doesn't matter now! The Gods…" She trailed off, realising what she was about to say.
"The Gods made us this way," the geist finished for her softly. "We are here because They want us to be." There was an almost patient look on the geist's face, as if it wanted Ras to understand.
But of course it would. If Ras took its words for truth, if Ras believed it, she would be falling right into its hands, making her a better meal for it; and if she resisted, she was doing the same thing either way.
"But, you think I'm lying." The geist sighed, putting a hand on its hips. "Of course you do – we geists lie just to get our prey. We eat souls – of course you don't trust me." Every word it said, it's words became softer and softer.
When the geist lifted its hand, Ras tried to pull away, but the only thing Ras was able to do was blink and breathe faster. It placed its hand on Ras' cheek, making it tingle. "Have you had enough time to wonder why khertan and psyven can sense geists? Have you been thinking about why you couldn't sense me in Sous?"
She didn't have enough time to think about that, not with everything else the geist had been te – had been lying to her about!
"It's because of your soul," the geist murmured.
"I was chosen by the Gods," Ras said through gritted teeth. Apart from the fact that she couldn't get herself free so what use was that?
At her words, the geist smirked, and Ras wanted to close her eyes, to not hear what the geist would say next, because the dread was becoming a physical thing in her stomach and the more she heard, the more it sounded like what it was saying was true, and if that were true, then… Then…
"No," the geist said, its voice still soft. "It's because your soul isn't quite there anymore."
"What? My soul's still here!" It had to be! She wasn't like the people the geists had fed on! She still thought, she still moved around – apart from now, and Ras desperately hoped that she would be able to in the future.
"I said that your soul isn't quite there as it used to be," the geist repeated. "As I told you earlier, you are the 'core' of this bond – your psyven lives because your soul is what is giving him life."
That – no. "That is an utter lie!" Aldran was his own person – he didn't have the same soul as she did! It wasn't possible that what the geist was saying could be true!
"That is the reason why you can find each other, and why you can feel when the soul that a geist has just eaten is near."
Ras stared warily at the geist's choice of words. "We sense the geist's aura."
"Then why didn't you sense me in Sous?" the geist asked, mocking in its tone.
She stayed quiet, because she had no answer to that.
"If you still do not believe me," the geist said, "I suppose then that you have never taken this off?"
Ras' stared as the geist hooked a finger around the chain around her neck, bringing up her pendant for Ras to see. "I know that geists can sense us." That wasn't as big a shock as its other news, and Ras wondered if the geist was running out of things to say.
The geist's eyebrows rose in surprise. "So you do know something." It hummed, before it tilted its head. "Do you know why we can?"
"Because we were chosen by the Gods." That wasn't something that was –
The geist sighed, shaking its head. "All these lies your stories tell you."
But, that wasn't right. It had been Ceilha and Dracer that had told her that!
The geist tugged at the pendant. "You display your soul for all to see without this on, almost calling us geists straight to you, shouting how good a meal you are." It grinned at Ras, tugging again. "If I take this off, your soul will briefly disrupt my own magic, breaking my hold on you. Maybe." It peered down at Ras. "Do you want to try?"
And then that would make the geist want to eat her even more.
____________________________________________
*cough* See part 10. Didn't tag her because it would have pointed her out. And I don't think she's going to get a name so… 'character: geist'?
Summary: Ras has just been chosen by the Gods to protect humans from geists, beings that prey on people's souls. Sent by Them to aid her is Aldran, a psyven; through the bond forged on their first meeting, Aldran can pass his magic to Ras for her to use against the geists. Only those bonded with psyvens can fight the geists, as a psyven's magic is the one magic that is truly effective against them.
But stories are told to children to placate fears and soothe nightmares. Ras has to learn that Aldran and living as a khertan are not what she expected and that the danger is very real.
While she adjusts to her new life, she and Aldran begin to discover all is not as it seems; however, realising and accepting the truth is not easy and ultimately, in the end, is it worth it?
Rating: R
Notes: Contains…I don't know. A geist talking about their eating likes? I really have no idea what to tag this with, but it's definitely this rating anyway! Definitely screwing with someone's mind too.
You can find my commentary on this part here.
Genre: Fantasy/Friendship
Word count: 2,632
Total word count: 48,039
Status: Work in progress
Ras' legs lifted of their own accord, no matter that she was trying her hardest to do the opposite. She followed the geist as they walked in the direction that it had pulled Aldran. He wasn't there, but she could see the drag marks going around the back of the house, and when they passed, Ras could just see Aldran lying there in a heap before they passed by completely, Ras unable to turn her head.
She followed the Godsdammed geist through the town, keeping to the shadows, doing every little order that the geist told her. Ras despaired, because no matter what she tried, nothing worked to break the geist's hold on her. Not that she could concentrate in any decent amount anyway, not with the fact that her body was acting against her will and Aldran was hurt, and she could feel every single step that took her further away from him. Her mind continually bounced between those two facts, never stilling enough so that she could do something. All she could do was glare at the geist's braided hair, but as that was all she could do, it was useless.
Ras was led to a house –who and where were the original occupants?- and she was told to sit on the bed, which Ras' body did immediately with no pause.
The geist stood in front of her, smirking, and used its fingers to tilt Ras' chin up so it could see her face clearly and kept its fingers there. Ras' skin tingled at its touch. "I can feel you struggling, you know," the geist breathed, its eyes half lidded. Its smirk widened. "It's like a butterfly that's been caught in a spider's web; maybe you can free yourself, but will you have enough time?"
Ras felt sick. She'd been too distraught at what had happened to Aldran and the situation she was in that she hadn't fully grasped what it meant.
"But all you're doing at the moment is telling me, 'Look at me! Look at me! Look at how tasty I am!'"
Ras' thoughts stilled. No, that couldn't be-
The geist chuckled. "Mm, I do love it when the realisations sink in."
It knew what she was thinking. Godsdammit, she wanted to get away from it, to get back to Aldran and then they could work something out together, they would be able to kill this geist.
"But I am rather curious," the geist said slowly, its finger sliding away, and Ras' head stayed in place, "about how this is the second time we've met. It must be the Gods' doing."
…What?
The geist's slitted eyes bored into her. "You can speak," it said, its voice sounding like it was echoing in her head.
"We can't have met before," Ras blurted out. "We've killed all the geists we saw!" Unless the geists came back, and ice chilled Ras' spine. No. No, it couldn't be that.
The geist chuckled again, its smirk turning lazy. "But you did see me," the geist said. "You saw me and talked with me."
Ras tried to shake her head but – but she had only been given permission to speak, nothing more. She wanted to try and push back at its magic, but if she was only making the geist more inclined to eat her… "I would have remembered you."
"Ah, so you don't remember the woman in Sous who brought your food to you, after you and the other khertan and psyven so valiantly fought and killed the pack of evil, dirty geists?" The geist shook its head, and looked sorrowfully at her.
Ras' thoughts froze and she stared up at the geist. That – no. It couldn't be. But the geist had a long braid, just like the woman had, and it was the same colour too. As they were so close to each other, Ras could see its slitted eyes past its hair, but…she hadn't been that close to see the woman's eyes clearly in Sous. And – and they had spoken with each other. Ras' mouth dried as she remembered what the woman had said.
"You…wanted to meet us again," she said weakly.
"You do remember me," the geist exclaimed, delighted.
No, something wasn't right. "I couldn't – we couldn't sense you!" Aldran wouldn't have let her in if he sensed anything off about her, and they both should have felt her coming far before she stepped into their room!
The geist's expression turned teasing. "Ah, but how long has it been since you two were chosen?" The word was said as if the geist was swearing, which one part of Ras inanely considered made sense. "Not very long if you had to be paired with someone."
Ras eyed the geist warily. It couldn't know how things were done. "We could have been called to fight a large group of geists."
The geist huffed, raising its eyebrows in mild scorn. "I saw the way you and your psyven fought – you let him be hurt."
What? "I did not!" Ras snapped.
"You weren't looking out for him," the geist continued, its smirk somehow going even more dangerous. "I wonder what he thinks of that."
Ras struggled again against the geist's hold it had on her body, but to no avail. "Shut up," she snarled, baring her teeth.
"So make me."
She would. She would as soon as she broke free of the geist's control! But there was something off, something in the geist's eyes that wasn't just mocking her.
There was anticipation. And hunger.
Ras' anger wilted under its gaze.
"Terror, fury - any strong emotion makes a soul taste so much better," the geist hissed, licking its lips. "It takes time, marinating the soul in those emotions until it's perfect."
"That, is sickening," Ras spat, trying to keep control over her emotions, but it was hard, especially with the geist talking about that.
The geist sneered at her. "Yet you humans do exactly the same to the flesh, and that's tasteful."
"Because that's-"
"Normal?" the geist finished for her, its eyebrow raised again.
Ras made a strangled sound. "Of course!"
"Because the Gods made it so?" Its mocking tone was back, and Ras snarled at the slight against Them. "Then tell me," the geist said, taking Ras' chin again to hold her full attention, leaning in close, "why. Are. We. Here?" The words were said in a dangerous whisper, yet Ras heard every single one of them.
Ras swallowed, feeling far too much like she was a mouse under a hawk's gaze. No, she was already trapped in its talons, and she was just waiting for the first strike that would kill her. "You're here," she said quietly, "because you were born from the darkness of people's souls."
The geist leaned back again, eyeing her in distaste. "Is that what your stories tell of us?"
Ras stared at the geist, shock churning in her. That was where she knew that, but Ras also knew most of it was wrong. Why hadn't – why hadn't she questioned that?
"There is so much you don't know," the geist said, letting go of her chin. "That much is obvious. Do you know what the title 'khertan' means?"
No, she didn't. And Ras could see that the geist knew that by the way it smirked.
"It means 'heart', from your little story. Sickeningly sweet and non-imaginative, but I suppose that's humans right there." It paused, tilting its head at Ras. "But there used to be an older term used instead of that – I don't think you'll have heard of it: couer." The geist snorted softly. "And that's just as literal as 'khertan' – do you want to know why?"
No, she didn't. She really didn't; Ras could feel the dread seeping into her, and she couldn't stop it.
"It means 'core'. The title was changed when people started to question why you were called that." The geist hummed, its smirk turning predatory. "You are the 'core' of this bond," the geist said softly. "It's because of you your precious psyven lives."
W-what? What did that mean? Ras' mind started to work furiously. Where had the other khertan's psyven gone when he died? Why did she feel pain when it was Aldran who had been attacked? No. No, what was she thinking? She couldn't trust what the geist was saying – it had just said that it would say anything to make her afraid or angry!
"You're lying," Ras growled, glaring at the geist. But that – dammit, she was getting angry again. She tried to calm herself down, taking deep breaths, but the geist started talking again.
"How old is your leader?" The geist sighed, looking away and tapping her chin. "Now, what were their names? Ah, Lesten and Yaran. How old are they?"
Ras froze, her thoughts halting. "H-how-?" she croaked. "How do you know their names?"
The geist gave her a wide smirk, filled with teeth. "It's interesting what little pieces of knowledge you can pick up, when you eat a person's soul. But we're straying from the point. The human, he's how old? Forties?" The geist hummed. "I am far older than that, and have seen far more than your little human life could ever see, even if you weren't a 'khertan'. And the knowledge that I hold?" The geist leaned forward again. "It comes from the khertans themselves – I saw it when I ate them, the slivers of memory showing themselves to me." It leaned back, and if its smile had been on anyone else, Ras could have thought that the person was truly cheerful. "I doubt you will give me anything I don't know, but the taste of you will be wonderful.
"Now then," the geist said softly, "let's continue."
No. No, she didn't want this to continue, she didn't want to hear this, but Ras' body was still as frozen as it had been at the start. She couldn't stop herself from listening, and she couldn't stop the spiral of despair at everything was happening.
"So, my last question, where did the geists come from."
Ras wanted to close her eyes, to block the geist from her sight, but she couldn't, all she could do was blink.
"What did your Gods do against us?"
Ras stared at the geist warily, not quite understanding its question. "They didn't do anything," Ras said slowly, and she saw the triumphant expression on its face. "They sent the psyvens!"
"Why?" the geist said shortly. "Why send down fighters when They could eliminate our existence with a mere thought?"
Ras…didn't have an answer for that.
"They find it amusing," the geist said, pacing up and down the length of the bed. It tilted its head back and saw the expression on Ras' face. "If I were to be smited by Them because of blaspheming, I should have died a long time ago. But then," the geist continued on cheerily, "I shouldn't exist because I'm an abomination for what I eat." The geist paused in its pacing.
"Of course you are!" Ras burst out. "Eating souls-" She couldn't finish what she wanted to say, and she was losing control of her emotions again.
"And what if it were reversed?" the geist asked, her eyes intent. "What if you ate the souls and we ate the flesh? Would it be the same then?"
Ras gritted her teeth, trying to push down on her anger. "It doesn't matter now! The Gods…" She trailed off, realising what she was about to say.
"The Gods made us this way," the geist finished for her softly. "We are here because They want us to be." There was an almost patient look on the geist's face, as if it wanted Ras to understand.
But of course it would. If Ras took its words for truth, if Ras believed it, she would be falling right into its hands, making her a better meal for it; and if she resisted, she was doing the same thing either way.
"But, you think I'm lying." The geist sighed, putting a hand on its hips. "Of course you do – we geists lie just to get our prey. We eat souls – of course you don't trust me." Every word it said, it's words became softer and softer.
When the geist lifted its hand, Ras tried to pull away, but the only thing Ras was able to do was blink and breathe faster. It placed its hand on Ras' cheek, making it tingle. "Have you had enough time to wonder why khertan and psyven can sense geists? Have you been thinking about why you couldn't sense me in Sous?"
She didn't have enough time to think about that, not with everything else the geist had been te – had been lying to her about!
"It's because of your soul," the geist murmured.
"I was chosen by the Gods," Ras said through gritted teeth. Apart from the fact that she couldn't get herself free so what use was that?
At her words, the geist smirked, and Ras wanted to close her eyes, to not hear what the geist would say next, because the dread was becoming a physical thing in her stomach and the more she heard, the more it sounded like what it was saying was true, and if that were true, then… Then…
"No," the geist said, its voice still soft. "It's because your soul isn't quite there anymore."
"What? My soul's still here!" It had to be! She wasn't like the people the geists had fed on! She still thought, she still moved around – apart from now, and Ras desperately hoped that she would be able to in the future.
"I said that your soul isn't quite there as it used to be," the geist repeated. "As I told you earlier, you are the 'core' of this bond – your psyven lives because your soul is what is giving him life."
That – no. "That is an utter lie!" Aldran was his own person – he didn't have the same soul as she did! It wasn't possible that what the geist was saying could be true!
"That is the reason why you can find each other, and why you can feel when the soul that a geist has just eaten is near."
Ras stared warily at the geist's choice of words. "We sense the geist's aura."
"Then why didn't you sense me in Sous?" the geist asked, mocking in its tone.
She stayed quiet, because she had no answer to that.
"If you still do not believe me," the geist said, "I suppose then that you have never taken this off?"
Ras' stared as the geist hooked a finger around the chain around her neck, bringing up her pendant for Ras to see. "I know that geists can sense us." That wasn't as big a shock as its other news, and Ras wondered if the geist was running out of things to say.
The geist's eyebrows rose in surprise. "So you do know something." It hummed, before it tilted its head. "Do you know why we can?"
"Because we were chosen by the Gods." That wasn't something that was –
The geist sighed, shaking its head. "All these lies your stories tell you."
But, that wasn't right. It had been Ceilha and Dracer that had told her that!
The geist tugged at the pendant. "You display your soul for all to see without this on, almost calling us geists straight to you, shouting how good a meal you are." It grinned at Ras, tugging again. "If I take this off, your soul will briefly disrupt my own magic, breaking my hold on you. Maybe." It peered down at Ras. "Do you want to try?"
And then that would make the geist want to eat her even more.
*cough* See part 10. Didn't tag her because it would have pointed her out. And I don't think she's going to get a name so… 'character: geist'?