the vain must swallow their pride

[seolearo.livejournal.com]

Who: Ray, Yen Sid
What: Ray is seeking advice from her teacher about a certain pirate and an idea of hers.
When: Sunday afternoon
Where: Yen Sid's Tower

Ray stepped off the magic train, watching as it disappeared once more into the distance. She sighed and turned to the Tower entrance, only to find herself facing some odd creature she'd never seen before. It charged as soon as she moved to go around it, and reflexively, she countered it with a Thunder. When it didn't falter, she growled and threw a Fire at it, too, wincing as it shrieked and withdrew. She circled around it cautiously, sliding in through the door. She wasn't here for a fight... it was probably better to avoid creatures when she didn't know their weaknesses anyway.

She looked up, still marveling at the number of stairs in the Tower. It never ceased to amaze her how tall it was. Nevertheless, she started the climb and finally found herself at his door. She knocked politely and entered the room with a small smile.

"Master Yen Sid, I hate to come unannounced like this, but I wanted to ask you if you could help us at all..."

Comments

[handsoffmyhat.livejournal.com]

YenSid was standing by the window, arms crossed behind his back as he stared up at the stars. He waited a moment or two after Ray's arrival before turning and acknowledging her.

"Your arrival is not unexpected. Please have a seat."

[seolearo.livejournal.com]

Somehow I'm not surprised, she thought, sitting like he'd asked. With a sigh, she looked up at him and asked, "You already know about this whole situation with Josiah, right? About Calum and his plans?"

[handsoffmyhat.livejournal.com]

YenSid moved to his desk calmly. "I am, but explain it to me in your words. Your insight may provide something I do not yet have."

[seolearo.livejournal.com]

"Well, Josiah was in Narnia for a while, and then Ancient Egypt... But by the time he came back to Radiant Garden, he'd forgotten pretty much everything about his time in Narnia. He and Song performed a dream dive to see if they could find out why he couldn't remember - that was their first encounter with Calum, and from what I heard it didn't go over too well, which was kind of confirmed by how Josiah woke up without any memories past the day Earth fell to darkness.

"I can't say I know how," Ray continued slowly," but somehow he got his memories back after that. The next time Song asked to talk with Calum, I volunteered to go, too. He told us... He told us that he wanted power, and something about freedom. He's a pirate, too, so I guess that would make sense, but he said he'd do anything to get it... That's what worries me about it, especially since he's using that black magic to do it..."

She flashed him a small, almost apologetic smile. "I was curious about that magic, so I asked him to explain it to me. Calum said it feeds off of dark emotions, like fear and anger. He seems to be using Josiah to fuel it, and it's taking its toll on him."

"But that's why I'm here," she declared finally. "When I was with Song and Calum, I remembered what we did for Cheryle, and suggested we maybe get Calum his own body to work in, separate from Josiah. That way, he can't hurt him so much, and we might have a better chance of stopping him, if it came to that. Is that... That's possible, right? Somehow?"

[handsoffmyhat.livejournal.com]

YenSid nodded thoughtfully, listing to Ray without interruption. His only reaction was to tense when she mentioned learning dark magic, but he still let her finish.

The ancient wizard mused quietly for a moment or two, before looking up and saying, "What you ask is not impossible, but as with all things there is a price to be paid. Your friends Soul, and the Soul of this pirate are now bound together. Separating one from the other will not be easy, and they will likely leave their mark upon each other should it succeed."

He rubbed his beard thoughtfully before continuing. "If either one resists this process, the potential for greater damage grows. Therefore, should you wish to pursue it, then you will have to get the agreement of both Souls. Finally, you will need to secure a host body capable of permanently housing a soul. I know where one can be found, but it is not easily obtained."

[seolearo.livejournal.com]

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath.

"I don't think anyone's going to be very receptive to something like that, especially if they're bound now. And I know Calum will probably put up one hell of a fight... I don't suppose there's another way to help Josiah, then?"

"...Wait," Ray said suddenly. "If they're bound by their souls, then... If Calum dies trying to reach his goal... what does that mean for Josiah? He won't die, too, will he?"

[handsoffmyhat.livejournal.com]

"Don't be so quick to judge. A man like Calum values his freedom before almost anything else. Who knows what chances he may take to get it."

Intertwining his fingers in front of his face, YenSid said, "There are other ways of course, but all have their own risks. One would require the use of necromancy. For another you would have to go on a quest to find a certain object and the individual who could use it."

YenSid tilted his head slightly down at her next question and said, "No, as the original host, Josiah would not die. However, unless Calum is removed carefully, his loss could leave serious scars on his soul. Furthermore, what happens to the host body will affect both souls."

[seolearo.livejournal.com]

"Well, yeah, but if it could hurt Josiah we might not want to try it. But that's up to him..."

She quirked an eyebrow at the last suggestion. "What sort of object...? Who might we be looking for if we were to choose that option? And..." here she hesitated, "what effects might something like that have on Josiah?"

"That's good, though; I mean, not dying and all. But I'm not sure if that's as good, with the damage it could entail."

[handsoffmyhat.livejournal.com]

YenSid lifted his hand in a smooth gesture, and thick tome appeared in his hand.

With another gesture, the book floated up and opened to a page of a cloaked figure wielding a ghostly looking knife. "There are stories told of a weapon that is designed to sever the bonds between souls themselves. If used by anyone other than someone with a true intimate understanding of souls, then this weapon can cause devastating harm, but in the hands of the right person, it could be the tool that saves your friend."

"The damage could leave his soul twisted and scarred. Wounds of the spirit are infinitely more damaging and are far harder to heal than wounds of the body. It could leave him a different man, or be so insidious that at first you would never realize anything was wrong."

[seolearo.livejournal.com]

"You can't mean the Subtle Knife," she murmured. Or maybe there was something similar somewhere...

"Seems like no matter what option we choose, it's going to take its toll on him. And if we leave him alone..." She trailed off before continuing a moment later. "Well, whatever we do is up to Josiah. I'll have to talk to him when I get back to Radiant Garden."

[handsoffmyhat.livejournal.com]

YenSid gave Ray a look and said, "Don't be silly. That's just a story."

"In this life, nothing is earned without effort, sacrifice, or both. Go to consult with your friend, and return to me when you have made a decision."

[seolearo.livejournal.com]

"That's what I thought," Ray snorted, standing to leave. "Either way, that's what I was planning on. I'll be back when I can."

[handsoffmyhat.livejournal.com]

"Very well. I will have my apprentice look into this more for you, when he next checks in."

[seolearo.livejournal.com]

She paused. "Brandon...? I thought he was still on Earth..." Her voice trailed off as she remembered that voice post on the community a few weeks ago. "...Oh jeez. What trouble is he getting himself into now?"

[handsoffmyhat.livejournal.com]

YenSid once again steepled his fingers. "My apprentice has been on Earth for some time, but more recently he has been acting as my eyes and ears on some of the more distant worlds currently reachable with Gummi Technology. He is following leads to investigate projects other than Oblivion the Organization may have been working on, and looking for signs of the next great threat. His communication technology has been having difficulty linking to us, but he'll be reporting back here very soon."