Hooves flash. A red spray erupts.
“Líkami, withdraw.”
“I can take him. Just need to add more deflection to my forward swing.”
“No, I mean it, get out of there.”
“Let him through and cower in the corner? I don't think so. He's got no bloody brain. Fighting stupid. Few more whacks with the nunchaku ought to…”
More redness, then silence.
…
“I can't feel my legs. Why is it so dark? Heilli? Hei …”
…
Everything everyone told you about dying was wrong, it seems. It's not nothing – but you're not floating away, nor white lights, nor demons eating your soul. It feels like you're being pulled … inward.
You are running through the woods again; you're 15, and just learning the way of the monk. Your day is spent learning strikes, pressure points, and climbing trees, jumping gulleys and trying to beat your mirror image. If just for a moment. So serious, Heilli … yet still, he would be drawn into any random contest, just to beat that image in the mirror. And you're chasing him through the woods outside of Stillsquall, and you may have lost him … which means he could be anywhere. As you scan the trees around and behind you, you stumble into a small clearing which you don't recall seeing before. In it are two stumps, and two large ravens. With gleaming eyes, they stare at you. And inside your head, you hear “Choose”.
You clasp the crude, clumsy raven figurine that Heilli found for you. Trying to think of how he would make this decision … because this is clearly Important. You know the basics. You are Body. Heilli is Mind. And the ravens are Thought and Memory. But these ravens were identical. Choosing either one was a coin toss. You feel yourself rising to the balls of your feet … this has become a fight. This is you versus Heilli. They respond to none of your questions. Just the word “Choose” repeating in your head. In your head. Right now.
“I choose Thought”
And the Raven on the left flies away. The remaining one stares at you, and you become lost in its black eyes.
“Líkami!”
“Heilli?”
“Too soon … we're not ready for this … just … let me get my head clear … Yosi needs me”
You try to open your eyes, but it's as if you're looking down a long tube … with each eye pointed a different direction. When you look through one, you see ceiling, and the horse that struck you down … and with the other, you see the raven-haired warrior, and realize you're running towards him, SoulBlade drawn and energized. As you concentrate, you realize you're not seeing through Heilli's eyes … it's lower than that. And you see a shimmering shield floating in front of you … of Heilli … suddenly, you know it's called Force Shield, and all you have to do is…
“Líkami … you're being incredibly distracting, and I'm in trouble here … oh, dammit”
And Yosi falls.
“Freyrik!!!”
From your other eye, you see Allie walk up to the horse that killed you, touch it, and watch it fall to dust. It takes most of your willpower to avoid criticizing Heilli's footwork … but that shield…
And the warrior falls to dust, with the horse following soon.
While Allie attempt to attend to you and Yosi…
“It's too soon, Líkami. OneMind needs OneBody … Perfection before Ascension … we're not there yet … I'll figure out a way to get you back … just … try to be quiet … it's very distracting to hear you in our head … my head”
There is considerable discussion of the cavern found soon … your second eye has become useless, as Ash carries you. After Ketamine scales the overhanging wall 150' tall, she calls up to see if anyone else want to join her.
While Allie and Freyrik discuss that they're poor climbers, you immediately head to the dangling rope and swing down.
“Líkami … my body…”
“Oh, right”
“If I die, we're done. I have to stay alive, to keep your spirit alive, to keep us tied. So … no making me do something stupid.”
“Right”
Nothing of interest is found in the cavern, and as Heilli moves away from it (something he calls an “Earth Node”), you fall in and out of existence. Time starts to lose meaning, and you only catch flashes of Heilli's thoughts.
The last clear things you remember are: “If there's only enough to bring back one, I have to convince them to bring back Líkami” and “I'll try to keep your bracers … I may have need for them”
Time becomes less meaningful … you still “see” from Heilli's raven, but you're being pulled away from it … from your body. Time is not on your side.
“Southbay”. You feel something almost like an emotion from Heilli for the first time.
Suddenly, your lungs fill. And you feel every hoof, every sword blow, every bruise. Standing over you with his eyes closed is a man you don't recognize, wearing a holy symbol much like Allie's. And Heilli stands over you, one hand on your raven, one on his.
And … silence.
“Heilli?” using our Speech, since your throat feels like you've gargled glass.
“Yes, Líkami. Back in our own bodies, our own minds. You're not put back together perfectly, but you'll heal.”
“Yosi?”
“Tomorrow. Now … sleep. Let the healers tend to you, and we'll talk later”
Yes. Sleep.
Darkness.
Silence. Almost.