2 days later, deep within the forest. A pair of father and son slowly made their way through, weaving through the thick foliage, carefully approaching the hut in the distance.
beneath the veil of fog, the hut stood solemnly amongst the trees, seemingly separated from the world. Before they could knock, the door opened. Following the sound of the door creaking as lady Amberline, the mystic of the fog forest, one the most feared entity of the north lands, Steps out.
Standing at the door, still wearing the linen cloak. A veil covering her face, a set of dear horns crowning her head. Her piercing eyes remaining sharp and mystifying as ever, just as Flint remembers through these long years of contact. He would not like to remain so closely connected to such a strange woman, if it had not for Kaivan’s constant desire to visit this terrifying witch.
“It’s good to meet you again, Lady Amberline.” Greeted Flint, nodding his head as a sign of acknowledgment, the lady responded in kind.
“AUNTIE” screamed the boy as Kaivan rushed at the mystic, wrapping his hand around her hip in a big hug.
“It’s been so long, I missed you” whined the boy as he is picked up by Amberline holding him in her hands, smiling doting as she taps him on the nose.
“We were apart for barely a month, no need to be so sad.”
As the the two walked into the hut, leaving the lonely chieftain behind. Standing listlessly, sighing to himself before shortly following the auntie and nephew duo.
Within the witches hut the boy was hugging Amberline tightly, almost unable to separate from her. Causing Flint’s brow to frown slightly, seemingly deep in thoughts.
“So what do you want to learn today, My little genius?” asked the lady dotingly, pinching his nose as she does.
“I wanna learn how to control animals.” Answered Kaivan, his eyes glowing of curiosity, “like that time you sent that raven to return my tooth that I forgot about.” Pulling out the wyvern’s tooth from beneath his shirt.
“Hmm. That might be a bit too advanced for you right now, I need you to feel their consciousness first, Watch this” putting the boy down as she lifted her arm, gesturing at the window.
A small raven, perching on one of the branches outside, swiveled it’s head at Amberline. Not nearly a few seconds passed as her eyes met the bird, quickly it flew through the window and perched on her finger. Almost as if understanding her thoughts and gesture.
Reaching her left hand over the head of the raven, tapping her finger the head of the raven a few times. With a pinch, pulling out a blue string, as thin as a hair, seemingly phasing in and out of reality, it’s other side connected to the ravens head.
“Woooaaah,…” watching in awe, starry eyed he watched.
“Now , what I want you to do is to hold on to this string of consciousness, and feel the raven’s intention, it heart beat, it’s breath. Once you can feel it tell me, alright?” advised Amberline, making sure that Kaivan know when to quit.
“You must not go further than that, anything more then that and you must do everything you can to cut the connection. Understand?” the lady spoke much more sternly now, looking directly into Kaivan’s eyes.
Causing him to straighten his back, listening intently to her warnings, nodding profusely.
“Alright, now give me your hand.” Taking Kaivan’s hand, pinching on the blue string. With a ‘fzzt’ lady Amberline planted the string directly on his right hand, its blue glow seemingly infusing itself into his hand.
Looking at the string curiously Kaivan intuitively know what to do when connected with the raven, looking deep into it’s eyes. While he and the bird was in a mind melding session.
Flint and lady Amberline were in a different conversation.
“Lady Amber line,…” looking over her as he spoke, his eyes did not hide the worry in his heart.
“I know what you are about to ask, and no. He will not become what you think.” Responded the lady her eyes focused entirely on the boy, currently melding with the bird. Completely unaware of the world around him.
“How are you so sure? The boy is showing signs already, the dreams of giant cities made of metal, the tales 0f carriages moving on their own, he even says that he once rode inside a giant metal bird” a tirade of strange words spewed from Flint’s mouth, his eyes filled with worry.
“Your son will not go mad, that i can assure you. Most would have already gone mad years ago, yet he remains. Is that not enough prove?”
Raising a bone flute as she blows on it, singing out a melody that seem to soothe the very air itself. Calming down flint in the process, though the sense of dread has not dissipated.
“I am worried, the memories of past lives…I didn’t think it was possible.” Murmuring to himself, flint was in utter disbelief when he heard of such a thing happening to his son.
Such things were not as rare as one would think, but such event would usually mean death for the child inflicted. The mind of an infant is too underdeveloped for such an event, most would shut down and turn feral from the sudden awakening. Very rarely would one would awaken slowly like his son, but such thing could also end badly.
His mind could become fractured, forming multiple personalities. He could also lose it completely, unable to handle the sudden rush of information. becoming a walking, mindless corpse like living ‘thing’.
The only thing Flint can do now, is to wait, for when it comes to the matter of the soul.
Not even the gods can interfere.
