A Quest for the Stars

The two women rode until dawn in search for Alistair down the road to Norwich. Albeit a little tired, Chestnut pressed forward, determined to see his master again. A feeling he and Lenoria shared, surprisingly enough. A spell cast by Solveig before departing had rejuvenated him, and he regained his stamina.

Right behind them was Solveig, who rode a flaming horse with a sturdier build than Chestnut. The horse had been magically conjured within a glyph of flames, and its flowing mane continuously burned just like the twilight sun that was starting to rise.

"I'm surprised they make horses that big," Lenoria commented.

"A blessing from the Lord of the Dead," Solveig answered. "Arcane magicians can conjure their own horses, but the divines bless their priests with a spell of their own."

Lenoria wasn't a believer, but her eyes had been opened ever since she started traveling with Alistair. The concept of divine magic gradually got easier for her to understand. They haven't been apart for long, yet she already missed the little things about him. She wasn't big on prayer, but she thought it was sweet how Alistair took a moment out of his day to pray for her safety and well-being. She desired to be on the same spiritual wavelength, even if it was all foreign to her.

"It may be a while before we find him. Which god have you devoted yourself to," Lenoria asked. "You said 'Lord of the Dead,' but a few come to mind."

The giant woman scoffed. "You want to jump into that rabbit hole? Don't complain if I put you to sleep."

They had some way to go before they reached Norwich. Lenoria grew anxious as time passed, and she could use a good distraction. "Go for it."

"Very well. You ever been to the Far West? There's an island to the southwest that follows its own mythos. The locals call it 'yeongwonhan bea seom' or 'The Isle of Eternal Rain.' I've never been there, but a traveler from that island brought his customs to my village. I didn't fancy the majority of it, but there was one thing that always fascinated me."

"And what was that?"

"Death," Solveig said without missing a beat. "My village was superstitious and gave foreign customs a wide berth, so the traveler couldn't stay there for long. But just like me, he had an interest in the great beyond. He told me if I was ever interested in following his doctrine, I should simply seek death in the battlefield. That was thirteen years ago, and not a thing happened until five years ago."

"That...coincides with the time Thule declared war on Mesarthim." Lenoria felt a little proud to have remembered a history lesson Alistair taught her in passing.

"Yup. Mesarthim galleons arrived and destroyed a lot of Thule ships that day. But once they made landfall, Mesarthim's forces were no match for the army of the damned. I arrived only after the carnage had ended, and there I saw them: Reapers."

Reapers? Like the one Lenoria met when she was slain almost a month ago?

"That's when my beliefs were confirmed," Solveig continued. "It doesn't matter what color you are, what doctrine you follow, or what you do with your life. Death claims everyone, and the Reapers rarely fail to collect. I had to ask them who they served so that I may learn more about the nature of death. All of them, at least over two dozen, replied with the same name."

King Yeomra the Great.

That name again. Lenoria remembered how scared she was of meeting him and feeling relieved when Pearl revived her. Yet this giant of a woman was not scared in the slightest, having a morbid curiosity that would frighten anyone who feared death.

"I didn't know it then, but that's when my life as a priestess started. Every day since then, I would wake up with the ability to create water or detect magic auras. The Reapers were kind enough to point me back to the traveler who visited my village, who was currently residing in a dwarven stronghold in the Ragnarok Mountains. That's when he told me of my new responsibility: 'If you wish to learn more about the cycle of life and death, follow the Great King's orders to the letter.' It sounds like a big job, but all I have to do is heal the sick, speak people's last rites, and occasionally hunt down a ghost or two."

"Ghosts?"

Solveig nodded. "Yep. They're real, and there's usually a reason for their existence. It's rare for a spirit to be harmless, you know; the agony one can feel from being bound to the mortal realm after dying is enough to drive even the purest soul insane. That's why hunting them and purging their existence from this world is an act of mercy."

Strands of hair lifted from Lenoria head, and she could the tiny hairs on her arms rise on their own as well.

"Look out," Pearl shouted telepathically.

A purple pillar of electricity erupted from the ground ahead of Lenoria, who pulled the reins in time to stop Chestnut before he collided with it. The horse swayed his head back and forth, and Lenoria guessed from his anxious neighing that he could not see the danger that was right in front of it. "Of course he can't see it. This must be her power..."

The young girl knew she'd been had.

"It's funny." Solveig stopped her horse right behind Lenoria. The giant was victoriously smug as if she was proud of what she had done. "Nothing gets past King Yeomra. Every death is reported to him thanks to the Reapers who serve him. And he appears to be interested in your quest, little raven."

"Pearl..."

"There's no point in hiding." Solveig's smugness did not budge when a pillar of feathers manifested between herself and Lenoria. The feathers disperse in the form of cawing crows to reveal Lenoria's partner in her quest, ready to meet the source of their new obstacle. As this happened, Poe landed on Lenoria's shoulder and nuzzled against her cheek. "It appears our friend the Messenger reported our little incident."

"Hey, don't shoot the Messenger," Solveig quipped. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm the only cleric of Yeomra who knows about your quest, and that's only because I have a stone of my own. To the Messenger's credit, he did promise not to tell if the spell used was a simple revival spell. But the context was far from normal, you know. Whoever heard of the dead resurrecting the dead?"

The dead resurrecting the dead? That would mean...

"Don't act surprised," Pearl warned Lenoria. "You remember our little talk about needing partners? The Star Dream claims us when we use too much power because in reality there's no limit on how much we can spend, technically speaking. My spells are still limited, but I've transcended my mortal limits."

"I know, but it never really hit me until Solveig said something." As a matter of fact, Lenoria had never bothered to ask Pearl anything about her past except once on the night after the school fire. And she still remembered her answer...

Most people won’t show their true colors right off the bat. Not even me; we’re working together in this mission, but I’m not obligated to divulge anything about myself more than necessary.

"You had a life before this." Lenoria then remembered something. "Solveig, you said you deal with ghosts! Was Pearl your target all along?"

"You're very bright, but that actually depends on how dangerous she is to the general population. Her arrival was foretold, and I was tasked to deal with it as I see fit. Normally, ghosts are spirits of the dead who have some business in the realm of the living. Maybe they have a score to settle with their murderer, or maybe their dream was never achieved." Solveig tapped her forehead twice. "What binds Pearl to the mortal coil? Is this quest of hers truly the only thing she must accomplish in order to pass on? Or is something else keeping her here?"

Lenoria gazed at her partner with an expression full of pity. Even now, in the face of an agent of a death god, Pearl remained silent. Solveig was more than capable of beating Lenoria in a contest of strength judging from size alone, and as a ghost hunter she must also have her methods of dealing with Pearl. The giant waited for an answer, which would determine her next course of action.

And when Pearl finally spoke, her words startled both women. "Are you done?"

Solveig leaned forward. "Are you sure you want to take that tone with me?"

"I don't care what you think, if I'm being honest with you. But I'm afraid to inform you that the power that binds me here...is unknown, even to me." Hearing no rebuttal from Solveig or Lenoria, just getting confused looks from them, Pearl took this as her sign to continue. "I remember my past life. I lived alone in the forest in the outskirts of a village. The villagers would call me the Old Crone of the Forest, but the children turned out to be kinder than them. I'd spend my days knitting things for them and baking cookies for them. But the one thing I can't seem to remember is the day of my death."

"I see. It's not unusual for spirits to forget why they died. I take it you won't rest until you find the cause of your own death?"

Pearl nodded. "Correct. Maybe my meeting with the Lord of the Dead is long overdue, and I plan to meet him eventually. Maybe I died with anger and hatred in my heart, and that's why I'm here." The woman in black stared at the ground before closing her eyes. "There's no room in this world for vengeful spirits; yet, the Smith has granted me another chance to do some good for the world. If my presence here is a crime and an affront to the gods, then at least allow me to do some good. If I still deserve punishment when my work is done, then I'll face my sentence with dignity."

The electric whirlwind did not show signs of vanishing. Solveig remained quietly attentive while Lenoria searched for a way out in case things got ugly for them.

"Allow me to complete the Smith's mission and find the cause of my death. Then I'll answer your lord's summons."

"You're pretty cocky, you know. Most people in this world would answer the summons of their king if the alternative were punishment for disobedience. And here you are, making demands instead of just submitting quietly."

To everyone else's surprise, the electric currents finally died down. Solveig irritably scratched her head.

"People like you are more trouble than they're worth. I was ready for a fight, but something tells me I wouldn't enjoy it." Solveig growled with frustration. "And I wanted to break some bones, too."

"She's a monster..." Relieved things have calmed down, Lenoria took this opportunity to get Solveig's attention. "You're not going to hunt Pearl, then?"

"Not unless she gives me a reason," Solveig warned. "I only know as much about your quest as what you told the Messenger. You hunt down these gemstones which have spirits inside of them, and each one has some magic power, right?"

Lenoria and Pearl nodded quietly.

"Right. Besides you and Ophiuchus, there'll be others. And it's only a matter of time before one of them starts causing problems."

The giant may not know, but Lenoria was unnerved by how right she was. Over the course of her trip, she's met at least two Soulstone users who have used their power for their own gain. She had Alistair's back when they both took down the cave giant patriarch, and Clara had Caesar when she took down Zep. And then there was Ser Loin, who used super speed to take down some rebels and killed a woman suspected of aiding them. Lenoria believed Eleanor wasn't his first victim. She didn't even want to think about Cassiopeia or Aquila.

Her mind then went to Caesar. If the wielder of the Hounds was defeated, did that mean Caesar also acquired that Soulstone? And how many others were in Demetrio's hands?

The young scientist was going to need help if she continued bumping into strong foes. "If the Soulstones are such a problem for you, why don't you join us?"

Solveig shook her head. "Excuse me?"

"I think our goals align even though we have different reasons. If we combine our powers, we can stop anyone who wants to use these powers for evil. What do you say?"

It was Pearl's turn to listen attentively. It didn't make much of a difference to her if Solveig was a friend or foe, as long as Ophiuchus ultimately ended up in her possession or ranks.

"And what makes you think I want to work with you," Solveig asked. "I've heard about the fire at the Artificers Guild. A lot of Reapers were busy that day. Are you going to deny how much destruction those stones can cause?"

Lenoria frowned. "No. I was there when it happened. Believe me, I know what they can do. But if we don't do something, there's a chance they could do more harm than good. That's why Pearl was sent here, to take care of damage control. That's why me and Clara are helping, too. And that's why," Lenoria paused with a faint blush, "t-that's why Al is helping, too. He and I agreed that power in itself is fine. The problems only start when someone misuses it."

"He said that?"

Lenoria nodded and realized Solveig was relaxing her posture more. The two of them found common ground before, and it didn't hurt to try again. "Al wasn't happy when he found out what I was doing. But the two of us talked things out and now he's willing to help me." Lenoria checked again to see if the electric whirlwind was truly gone, and once she confirmed there was no danger she continued. "You can ask him when we see him."

"Fine, fine." It appeared the giant heard enough. "From the looks of things, you're going to need a priestess to help you out. But I can't really travel the world until my sentence is over, so there's a limit to where I can go with you."

That was good enough for Lenoria, and there was no argument from Pearl. The sooner they could find Alistair, the sooner he could vouch for her and the sooner they can move on to the next stage of their quest. Both women hoped that, by the end of the next day, Solveig was fully on board with their mission.