With an elegant gesture of her slender hand, the woman appeared to cause a reaction from the pathway sprawled out beneath them. Cassian watched as its previously minimal pulsation grew brighter- centered around where they stood. The light seemed to be forming something.
[Will you take a seat, child? On my race's honor, I mean you no harm.]
He watched as the movement of the light formed two objects facing each-other. The translucent shimmers gradually hardened until they had formed an accurate imitation of two simple chairs. Not waiting for his answer, the woman sat down. Gazing up at him with tranquil eyes.
Still unable to vocalize his thoughts within the space, Cassian seated himself opposite her.
[I am truly it chose you. Especially someone so young]
The musical voice of the ethereal woman was soothing to listen to.
[Before we start, know this. Whatever I do not say to you, whatever questions I do not answer, you shouldn't know. Knowledge often wields the sharpest blade of all, if you are not ready- It can be more dangerous than any weapon.]
Noticing the confusion etched into Cassian's face, the elegant woman continued her obtuse monologue.
[Understand that we are all bound in chains, child. No life comes without sacrifice, no strength is gained without great cost. The only divergence separating us from our fellows is what master we are beholden to.]
With a graceful motion, she moved her hand in an intricate pattern. The light once again aided her, drawing a recognizable symbol that utilized the void as a medium.
[Let me first correct your misconceptions. This 'mark', as you have called it, isn't merely a source of power. It acts as a conduit- unlocking a potential that is already held within unique souls such as yours. It is the beginning of a long and lonely path. A battle fought on one's own merits alone.]
The woman made a sweeping gesture at the dark space surrounding them both.
[Tell me, what do you know of this void?]
Whatever force was previously blocking Cassian's thoughts from being voiced was lifted. His first instinct was to barrage the ethereal woman with all his unasked questions- and there were many, yet- he exercised restraint.
"I was assuming it's somehow connected to me? Like an internal world or something?"
He made a shot in the dark, feeling his thoughts once again reverberate around him. Upon hearing this, the woman laughed. A melodious laugh that seemed to cleanse his very soul.
[Not quite~ Although not a bad guess!]
[Right now, around us, is what I call the astral world. A null space that sits outside the laws governing the living realms, bridging one disjointed land to the next. All of reality runs through this disconnected void in one way or another.]
She reached out towards him and, in an almost motherly gesture, gently grasped his hands.
[but only a rare few can walk within it on their own two feet.]
[Two very special conditions have been met. Firstly, you bear a latent fragment of the great wanderer's soul- intertwined with your own. The sensation you felt when I called you here was your soul managing to cross the celestial firewall that should have rightly blocked your entry. But it would not dare resist the influence you carry within you.
And secondly, you bear the pilgrim's mark. A beacon required to traverse this abyss]
It was an overwhelming barrage of information to try take in. However, before he could internalize any of it as the truth, there was one question that had to be answered.
He glanced around at the void surrounding him. Removing his hand from the soft clasp of the female figure.
"I need to know one thing before I can trust your words. What are you- really?".
As much as he didn't trust the man, the final warning Dawn had left him with remained at the forefront of his mind. Do not trust it. It is powerful, but it is not benevolent.
The woman's gentle smile did not falter, the soft elegance of her face still radiating a calming azure glow.
[I am the remaining will of one who has long since been lost to time.]
Still leaning forward, her slender arm raised, pointing a single finger towards Cassian.
[The mark you now bear was once worn by me]
[However, If you are worried about experiencing what happened to that human, don't be]
As she spoke, the woman gracefully rose to her feet. Her svelte hands progressively shining with brighter intensity. With this action, the simple robe that covered the visage of her body faded into nothingness, revealing her bare form.
Cassian's shock at the sudden indecency quickly disappeared as his eyes registered what he was really looking at. From the neck down, the stability of her majestic figure began to break into a bedlam of raging multicoloured lights cascading in every direction. It seemed that the azure glow of her face and arms was slowly being eaten away by some otherworldly presence.
[This is the mark's original ego. Normally, a pilgrim would have to contend with it for eternity. Not even death providing relief.]
She breathed in deeply, summoning the robe again to cover her naked form.
[But your situation is different. Before my life came to an end, I found a way to transfer the mark across this astral plane. Bypassing the laws of time and space, and angering many. I was able to target a being who shared the wanderer's soul. Intending on utilizing my own will to take the place of the mark's original ego. Freeing the successor entirely of corruption.]
There was another lengthy pause as she looked down at herself.
[However, I underestimated #*!?~*. This will I sent across the astral realm to accompany the mark's successor became infected, slowly becoming consumed.]
As she spoke, reality itself appeared to fold over her words. Completely blocking his ability to understand aspects of the information. Cassian briefly wondered if this was part of the information he was not allowed to hear.
"So what am I expected to do?"
The woman turned towards the edge of the azure pathway, gazing into the distant void beyond it. Her face grew gravely sombre.
[Again, I am truly sorry to place this burden upon you.]
[Once my suppression of the mark has relinquished, it will stoke the flames of your soul with power both divine and profane. Completely changing your relationship with the laws of existence. Some worlds may tolerate you, but none will let you call them home.]
Cassian arose from the seat, approaching the side of the non-human woman. In another act akin to maternal affection she lay her illusory arm around his shoulder, drawing him towards her slightly.
He wasn't complaining, it felt… nice.
[You should prepare to bid farewell to the lands you know. The threads of providence that weave it will soon enough consider you a stranger.]
"How… long do I have?"
[Time doesn't pass here, so I cannot tell you that. But know that it is imminent.]
The woman gently pushed him away from her, turning her body to face him.
[This may be the last time I can speak to you for a very long time. So allow me to gift you with a small token on the chance it can assist on the lonely path to come.]
She opened her arms- pulling him into a full embrace. Cassian could feel a myriad of emotions through this simple action, but the most overwhelming one was sorrow. Feeling this, he wrapped his arms around the back of the illusory woman. It was an awkward action- especially as he was not used to doing it.
The calm visage of the woman briefly trembled. It was clear that deep, bottled-up emotions had just been firmly pushed down.
[How sweet of you~]
She laughed that same angelic laugh; however, the overtone of sadness found within it was hard to miss. The all too familiar azure light began to collect around them, forming an animated mist of color. Her embrace seemed to faintly tighten.
[I will see you again, successor. Some part of me will remain within the mark. Guarding you against its corruption.]
[...May fate remain kind on you]
With that, she began to chant in a mysterious dialect; her words seemingly stimulating the mist to revolve around them progressively faster. Building upwards from the ground until it covered them entirely.
[Nobilissimus. semper. amicus. draconum. Sit.]
[Descre, Auriel, Aisr, Bale]
The mist vanished in a flash of brilliant light, once again forcing him out of the astral world- away from the warm embrace. Cassian's perception underwent a now recognizable shift. Giving him back control of his actual body.
But something about it felt starkly different.
It was as if Cassian now had a line drawn between his body and soul. Far from the interconnected synchronicity of the past, he now felt like a detached spectator of his own life. His body acted like it had been sitting in the lotus position for hours, sending extreme aching pains radiating up his leg. But his soul? That had been somewhere else entirely.
Interrupting his much needed reflection on everything that had just occurred, a new figure entered Cassian's cell.