esp_dragon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
esp_dragon) wrote2011-11-21 09:24 pm
esp_dragon) wrote2011-11-21 09:24 pm
Chosen [Part 21]
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: G
Notes: You can find my commentary on this part here.
Genre: Fantasy/Friendship
Word count: 1,005
Total word count: 51,005
Status: Work in progress
"Soulmates?" Ras frowned, and she would have shrugged, if she hadn't seen the watchful expression on Aldran's face. Was the question that important to him? "We're…similar, yes," she said slowly, "but I don't know about us being matched together because of it." Only the Gods would know.
Aldran hummed, his gaze sliding away. He then shook his head and started reading again.
Taking that as a signal that he didn't want to talk anymore, Ras studied him briefly, making sure he wasn't attempting to hide himself again and when she was satisfied that he wasn't, she continued reading again.
The next pieces of information over the next few pages of what Ras was reading, she already knew – in more detail, in fact, with some of them. What gained her interest again was that the fairy tale that she had been told when she was younger, in more detail than she remembered. Most of it she did remember, like that the geists came first, it was because a warrior prayed to the Gods that they sent down the psyven, and that's how it had been ever since, but there were some details that Ras had forgotten, that the first khertan and psyven had some of their adventures written down (Ras wondered if they had really happened, or if the truth had been stretched to make it interesting again), but the most important bit of detail that Ras had forgotten was that it even said in front of her that 'khertan' was chosen as the title because it meant 'heart', as that had been the reason why the Gods had heard the warrior's plea for help: his pure heart.
So, the geist had been right about that. Worry gnawed at Ras' heart as she read through it; if the geist had been right about that, was it right about everything else it had said?
"Ras…" Aldran asked quietly, his tone puzzled. "What's a 'couer'?"
Ras' head snapped up at Aldran's question, gaping at him. That was - that was the word the geist had used as well. He saw her startled look and then his expression became worried. "What's wrong?"
"I-" Ras shook her head and went over to Aldran's side, reading the page over his shoulder. It was obvious, even from skimming the page, that 'couer' was being used in place of 'khertan' because there was no other person that would be paired with a geist.
But if that was true, if 'couer' truly meant 'core', then what the geist had said about a khertan and their soul…
"Ras?" Aldran said softly, putting a hand on her arm. "You've gone pale."
She took a deep breath. "It's…something the geist said," she murmured.
Aldran didn't press, merely waited to see if she could elaborate. Ras shook her head. She didn't want to worry him any more than he usually did, and the geist – all right, Ras had to admit that it didn't seem like it was lying all the time, but she didn't want to trust its words either. It had likely been talking in half-truths.
"It said that 'couer' was what khertan were originally called; I was surprised that it was right." And Aldran should know about what else the geist had said about a couer, but, ha, Ras didn't have the heart to tell him.
* * *
"I hear you two have been getting into more trouble than most khertan and psyven experience in a year," Ceilha teased, her voice light as they walked towards the teleportation room.
Dracer nodded beside her. "We're starting to wonder if you attract trouble."
Ras snorted, her lips twisting. "The Gods are testing us," she said dryly. Because They had to be, with what was continually happening.
"It does look like we'll be working together again," Ceilha observed. "I hope you haven't found the times by yourselves too stressful."
"We didn't," Aldran said, shaking his head. "Except for…" He trailed off, glancing at Ras.
Her lips quirked into a grin. "Farrick and Penran," she filled in, wondering if Ceilha and Dracer knew of them.
She had to laugh when she saw them both wince in sympathy.
* * *
The first time Ras and Aldran were called out with Ceilha and Dracer, it was a relief; Ras and Aldran could see what they were forgetting or didn't know (there were a few things that they learned, but it wasn't as much as the first time they had been called out) and they could ask Ceilha and Dracer any question that sprang to mind.
The second time Ras and Aldran were called out with Ceilha and Dracer, it was a reassurance that they knew what they were doing, and they could feel more confident in themselves.
The third time Ras and Aldran were called out with Ceilha and Dracer, they were beginning to chafe under the almost suffocating air. It wasn't that Ceilha and Dracer were being patronising, but it was just that Ras and Aldran knew what they were doing, and they no longer needed a minder, or someone to guide them along the path so much.
Ras wasn't sure if they could take the issue up with Ceilha and Dracer, not if it wasn't them who was arranging who they worked with. Maybe they should talk with the mages about it, she wondered as she and Aldran searched around the buildings, keeping an eye out for anything that didn't look like it belong, especially if it was person-shaped.
And she was being distracted again, Ras thought, shaking her head. There had worryingly been two empty vessels found this time, more than what Ras had heard before. It suggested that there was more than one geist – but then, she had thought all the other times she and Aldran had been called out were the work of a single geist as well.
So how many geists were in this town?
She hoped not many, but the Gods seemed more inclined to throw trials at her than ease her life.
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: G
Notes: You can find my commentary on this part here.
Genre: Fantasy/Friendship
Word count: 1,005
Total word count: 51,005
Status: Work in progress
"Soulmates?" Ras frowned, and she would have shrugged, if she hadn't seen the watchful expression on Aldran's face. Was the question that important to him? "We're…similar, yes," she said slowly, "but I don't know about us being matched together because of it." Only the Gods would know.
Aldran hummed, his gaze sliding away. He then shook his head and started reading again.
Taking that as a signal that he didn't want to talk anymore, Ras studied him briefly, making sure he wasn't attempting to hide himself again and when she was satisfied that he wasn't, she continued reading again.
The next pieces of information over the next few pages of what Ras was reading, she already knew – in more detail, in fact, with some of them. What gained her interest again was that the fairy tale that she had been told when she was younger, in more detail than she remembered. Most of it she did remember, like that the geists came first, it was because a warrior prayed to the Gods that they sent down the psyven, and that's how it had been ever since, but there were some details that Ras had forgotten, that the first khertan and psyven had some of their adventures written down (Ras wondered if they had really happened, or if the truth had been stretched to make it interesting again), but the most important bit of detail that Ras had forgotten was that it even said in front of her that 'khertan' was chosen as the title because it meant 'heart', as that had been the reason why the Gods had heard the warrior's plea for help: his pure heart.
So, the geist had been right about that. Worry gnawed at Ras' heart as she read through it; if the geist had been right about that, was it right about everything else it had said?
"Ras…" Aldran asked quietly, his tone puzzled. "What's a 'couer'?"
Ras' head snapped up at Aldran's question, gaping at him. That was - that was the word the geist had used as well. He saw her startled look and then his expression became worried. "What's wrong?"
"I-" Ras shook her head and went over to Aldran's side, reading the page over his shoulder. It was obvious, even from skimming the page, that 'couer' was being used in place of 'khertan' because there was no other person that would be paired with a geist.
But if that was true, if 'couer' truly meant 'core', then what the geist had said about a khertan and their soul…
"Ras?" Aldran said softly, putting a hand on her arm. "You've gone pale."
She took a deep breath. "It's…something the geist said," she murmured.
Aldran didn't press, merely waited to see if she could elaborate. Ras shook her head. She didn't want to worry him any more than he usually did, and the geist – all right, Ras had to admit that it didn't seem like it was lying all the time, but she didn't want to trust its words either. It had likely been talking in half-truths.
"It said that 'couer' was what khertan were originally called; I was surprised that it was right." And Aldran should know about what else the geist had said about a couer, but, ha, Ras didn't have the heart to tell him.
"I hear you two have been getting into more trouble than most khertan and psyven experience in a year," Ceilha teased, her voice light as they walked towards the teleportation room.
Dracer nodded beside her. "We're starting to wonder if you attract trouble."
Ras snorted, her lips twisting. "The Gods are testing us," she said dryly. Because They had to be, with what was continually happening.
"It does look like we'll be working together again," Ceilha observed. "I hope you haven't found the times by yourselves too stressful."
"We didn't," Aldran said, shaking his head. "Except for…" He trailed off, glancing at Ras.
Her lips quirked into a grin. "Farrick and Penran," she filled in, wondering if Ceilha and Dracer knew of them.
She had to laugh when she saw them both wince in sympathy.
The first time Ras and Aldran were called out with Ceilha and Dracer, it was a relief; Ras and Aldran could see what they were forgetting or didn't know (there were a few things that they learned, but it wasn't as much as the first time they had been called out) and they could ask Ceilha and Dracer any question that sprang to mind.
The second time Ras and Aldran were called out with Ceilha and Dracer, it was a reassurance that they knew what they were doing, and they could feel more confident in themselves.
The third time Ras and Aldran were called out with Ceilha and Dracer, they were beginning to chafe under the almost suffocating air. It wasn't that Ceilha and Dracer were being patronising, but it was just that Ras and Aldran knew what they were doing, and they no longer needed a minder, or someone to guide them along the path so much.
Ras wasn't sure if they could take the issue up with Ceilha and Dracer, not if it wasn't them who was arranging who they worked with. Maybe they should talk with the mages about it, she wondered as she and Aldran searched around the buildings, keeping an eye out for anything that didn't look like it belong, especially if it was person-shaped.
And she was being distracted again, Ras thought, shaking her head. There had worryingly been two empty vessels found this time, more than what Ras had heard before. It suggested that there was more than one geist – but then, she had thought all the other times she and Aldran had been called out were the work of a single geist as well.
So how many geists were in this town?
She hoped not many, but the Gods seemed more inclined to throw trials at her than ease her life.