Of Ice, Death & Monsters-Chapter 63 : For A Story to Last

My head ached.
‘Best friend? That motherfucker?’
Baba Yaga cackled a little before nodding. “Yes, him. You murdered him, perhaps not in cold blood; it was heating up after all. But you murdered him, not by accident but by pure undiluted desire. He even asked you to-“
“Stop!” I covered my head, shaking as I stared down. I could still hear his voice. Maybe that was still him… What cruel fate would it be that I lost every voice except his…
I groaned silently and rubbed my temples. “S-Sorry… I-I just-“
Baba Yaga shook her head in a knowing disapproval. “Your emotions are valid. I do not need to look so deep to find the wound he dealt you. Your reaction, while wild, was reasonable for what was happening in the moment.”
I leaned against the wall, remembering my hand wrapped around his neck. “I-I thought we were going to die there. I just… If he needed to be punished, it should be me.”
Baba Yaga waved her hand as a piece of the wall curled up and patted my head. “And because it was you, the Ritual took place. The act of Unity and Separation, pushing and pulling. At the borders of two worlds. You triggered Ancient Magick and thus…” She dramatically poked me in the chest with her broom.
“Your power came to be.”
I winced a little as the flashes of fire came to my mind, and for some reason, I remember wielding it against Zmey as well as the strange morphing powers of Marian.
“But, the only Magick I had was literally telekinesis. How did I-“
Baba Yaga frowned at that, turning to stare at a pair of eyeballs floating in a jar that seemed to stare at me. “Dear boy, how do you think people discovered Magick in the old ages? Before they found ways to implant meager spells into themselves?”
I actually prepared myself for these kinds of questions, my memory rushing back so that I can become an insufferable smartass. “Well, the prevailing theory was that we were taught by intelligent monsters or beings equivalent to gods, such as Elohim, Divine Spirits, Jinn, Fomorians-“
The witch raised her hand as if to silence me. “Yes, that’s true, even back when I was a mortal, I needed help from those learned… But there are those who have achieved their power through their own status, their own desire, legends of their own right. I know you’ve heard of them yourself, for their legends even reached these accursed shores.”
She frantically raised her arms out, and I stood on guard. At least I knew where Koschei got his overdramatic nature from.
“Caine the First Murderer, born of dirt and rinsed with blood, with the power to make anything into a weapon." A rock on the shelf trembled before bleeding out.
"Tenebrous the Everlasting, immortal and undying, he shall always return." A dark mask in the corner of my eyes disappeared.
"Baldwin the Diseased, cursed yet beloved until his final moments." A small dagger in a jar of green liquid glowed.
"Khalid the Blade of Dawn, whose sword can cut through all he desires." And a silver sword on a shelf started to hum.
"These are but a few people from outside who have harnessed their power alone, or so the legends go.”
I guess she was right. It was very much strange how some people could just do Magick like that. It was out of this world, and we all believed that the best explanation was that they were like monsters, and were born with it innately.
Baba Yaga narrowed her eyes with an almost sinister intent. “Hah, born with it… Maybe some part of that is true. But we are all born with greatness, no matter what. What matters is to reach it. But alas, that was not the point.”
The Witch waved her hand as the wooden wall transmuted to a glass window which… Was completely unnecessary because she opened it anyway to reveal the outside world:
It was a forest, but unlike the dark and foreboding winter hellhole of the south, it was actually green. I could see the leaves, the branches, the fallen trunks. Not everything was covered in snow, and it appeared to be livable under the bright sun.
I could even see actual animals running around no,w which I couldn’t ever believe beforehand. I stared at them like a child in a candy store, full of wonder and amazement at the sight.
“The point was that Magick is not because some fancy machine imprinted a Name into you, Magick is the ability to bond with the forces of creation, the spirits through sacraments and rituals.”
She pointed a crooked finger at me again, and suddenly a small moth landed on the tip. “Think back, Child of Rock. Such sacrements are how you do Magick, whether waving your hand or saying an incantation. While yes, you would need a Name implanted in you, or rather in this land, a spirit bonded with you, in times of great power, when you enter the hazy mist of reality, then you merely need yourself to truly control the world.”
I felt like I kinda got it, but it was so cryptic that I just nodded along, wanting to know how it connected to what was going on now.
“Now then, because of all of these coincidences upon coincidences, you have been made into a semi-Chosen of sorts of the Original Spirit. Or rather, since it doesn’t exist, the vessel upon which they can return. The ability to bond to life after they have been divided. While yes, there was a chance of another like you occurring, they have most probably died out.”
Huh, well, at least me surviving counts for something so, go me… I guess.
“Yes, indeed, go you.” Baba Yaga smirked as I sighed in reluctance.
“Now, usually, someone like you, even with that promise and potential, nothing much will come of it. At most, you would become a strong monster, or maybe even a god like spirit… That would have been the case if not for what happened in the Nawia.”
The image of myself as a giant golem throwing lightning and fire at people emerged in my head. “I uh… Would have guessed that part honestly.”
Baba Yaga shook her head as she stared out the window. “Oh, it’s so much more than that…”
She stared up at the sky beyond the tree branches. I couldn’t see as well, but there seemed to be storm clouds brewing quite heavily.
“Do you remember what happened when Zmey finally broke you apart?”
The image of the bright flash happened again in my mind, and suddenly I felt like my soul was leaving my body, as if I was being forcefully yanked out of it by an invisible magnet. I stumbled for a bit as Baba Yaga caught me by the arm.
For a moment, I saw the entire forest. From up above, as if I were an eagle, to down below, as if I were an ant. I was the river streams flowing gently by the sides, and I was the rock silently watching as a monster devoured their prey.
“I was… Everywhere. I saw myself everywhere. I was sent from Nawia to this land, and then I flew up into the sky…”
That weird tree thing… Was this whole world a tree? The Heavens above were branches, and the roots below were the Nawia. Which means this was the trunk? Huh?
I racked my head a little before Baba Yaga snapped in front of me, bringing my mind back to reality. “Yes, you were everything, everywhere, all at once. When you were separated from the Echo, or rather when the souls were separated from you, the resulting blowback sent the souls across all of creation, even to the Prawia, where the gods resided. Where they saw you.”
Thunder crackled in the distance as I felt a shiver flow down my spine. I felt as if I were being seen right about now.
“They saw your power, or what power you could hold. Many were frightened, some were curious… And many were appalled.”
I awkwardly laughed a bit. “I can see why… If I could become the Original Spirit, or something close to it. They’re worried I’ll start consuming them, right? That I’ll start hunting them all down one by one?”
That wasn’t just a guess. It was an urge, a deep-seated urge inside of me that wanted to do the very thing. It was there ever since I fused with the rest of the souls, and I’m guessing it’s going to stick with me until I die… If I could die, that is, maybe I finally could? Or maybe my Magick was far too great for that kind of fate.
“Correct. A few would want that, whether that be for good or evil, that would be up to interpretation. But many do not wish to be consumed and return to the Original Spirit, where they would lose their identity and fade into you. I’m sure you know how that felt.”
I nodded along. I didn’t just know, I felt it over billions of times. Each time a soul connected to me, I felt them become me, like a strange fusion, or rather, a hivemind… Some kind of…
“Godhead… A Divine Unity. Yes, I know how that felt. I guess I can’t blame them if they want to end my life or something… But, doesn’t that mean they would support me leaving this place?
Baba Yaga chuckled, shaking her head softly. “If only it were so easy. Some gods would want that; they would say it’s the easier choice. However… Many would want to see you stay here under their eye, perhaps to die or maybe to be used to their advantage.”
I sighed internally and externally. I could suddenly feel as if there were many eyes watching me, waiting for my every moment. It was as if every animal, every plant, and even every bit of furniture was staring at my body.
“You can say I’m one of those interested beings. But that’s because of Ivan. He begged me to help you, even when I knew that the wrath of the gods could be incurred…” She cackled like a witch and stared up at the sky, raising her broomstick as if it were a sword.
“But I’m no stranger to their wrath at all. I’m quite curious what they shall send our way next. Many have tried in your sleep, a few nature spirits, some minor powers, but now that you’re awake, ahh..."
A malicious grin grew across her face. "The true war has begun.”
I raised my hand as if I were in class. “I don’t really want war, I just want to go back home and get some money and just… I guess.” I looked up at the trees, watching the ants crawl. I didn’t think it would be like this. I thought I would just get some cool abilities and fight monsters.
“You chose the wrong world to enter if that’s what you wanted, dearie.” Baba Yaga snapped me out of my stupor as I turned to her.
“I guess, but then… What now then? What should I do? I’m confused, I lost. I don’t really know what I could even do now.” I groaned and leaned against the windowsill.
‘I granted you your wish. You are now special.’
It felt like I could hear that accursed fox whisper into my ear. Was this really what I wanted? Was this really my wish come true?
“Now? Hah, if you don’t know what to do, then we are truly lost. Perhaps the Keepers can assist you in finding out what you could do before some form of divinity knocks on our doorstep.”
I stood up and stretched my arms. “They don’t seem to be that enthusiastic about me right now…”
“They’re not, especially since I’ve relegated them to serve and defend this house so that they would get to live here.”
I stared at her with a blank expression as she just grinned with delight. “You’re lucky that Ivan doted on you. Thanks to that, you and Godwin have been spared with such a fate, although I pity the fate he shall find himself in if he continues on his path.
Wait... Godwin? Oh, yes, he's still alive! My eyes lit up as I stood straight. If anyone should know what to do, it should be Godwin!