The Magical World Rialar - Reavaer Saga E-Book

Edgar Deschle

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 664

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

After Reavaer had to leave the world of Rialar to be trained as a real world guardian of the Exi, a dimension-jumping people, he returns after several years. However, he appears in a place unknown to him. Reavaer has to find his way around, find loyal allies with whom he has to assert himself against many an inhabitant, defeat rulers and investigate mysterious anomalies. To do so, he must use all the knowledge and experience he has gained on his travels. The world of Rialar is still as harsh and ruthless to its inhabitants as he had come to know it. But Reavaer knows that not all of his allies are what they seem. Nor will everyone agree with his vision as a Guardian.

Leseprobe

The ghostly storyteller

***

With around 500 inhabitants, the town of Oradi is one of the largest towns in the south. The sun is already halfway down when the twin brothers Erwin and Edwin enter the town. Outwardly, the brothers are almost indistinguishable; even at their advanced age of around 50, they still have identical faces, the same way of wearing their hair and identical physiques. Only their style of dress - Edwin's is typical of an elementalist and Erwin's of a soul reaper - makes it possible to tell them apart. They are very popular and receive many friendly glances and greetings from passing citizens as they walk through the streets built with shining stone.

Once they arrive in the center, they see the traders already closing their market stalls and preparing for the night. The twins, however, are more interested in the inns, which are mainly to be found in the city center. They quickly decide on a small inn called "Halt of the Restless" and enter through the front entrance.

Upon entering, the smell of fresh roast meat, spices and alcoholic drinks immediately wafts towards them. From the outside, the space seems small, which is confirmed inside. The taproom has a small bar and a handful of round tables with four chairs around them, a door leading to the kitchen at the back and a staircase leading upstairs to the bedrooms.

The brothers are lucky, because only one of the five tables is still unoccupied. There are four people at each of the three tables and a Mago with a Maga'a is sitting at a table near the empty one.

After ordering dinner from the innkeeper, the brothers listen to the other guests. While the people at the full tables simply eat, drink and swap stories, the conversation between the Mago and the Maga'a sounds interesting to the two of them.

"Don't get caught hanging around in the forest outside the city again, where the strong field of wrath is located..." They can't understand any more because the Magonar at the next table shout in between. "Sorry, we don't want to disturb you. But you are wearing the robes of elementalists and soul reapers. We wonder if you have any souls with you who have exciting stories to tell?" At first, the two old twins look at the Mago who has addressed and asked them. But then they realize that they are the center of attention in the inn and everyone inside is looking at them expectantly.

Erwin the Soul Reaper doesn't have to think twice and immediately nods to the crowd with a smile. "Indeed, I have someone whose experiences might interest you. His name is Jockaru. An explorer and adventurer from the Magrennar region."

A joyful roar goes through the taproom, followed by pleas from several directions to be allowed to hear his stories. "Very well, dear people, I will summon him for you. Remember to make a small donation if you like the stories," Erwin replies to the Maginar in the room.

Erwin then takes one of the riaberans from his belt. He holds it in his right hand and begins the incantation by pressing the index, middle and ring fingers of his left hand against it in a triangular formation. Slowly, the dark riaberan glows a bright blue from within. Ghostly smoke rises from the small glowing sphere. It becomes more and more smoke until a small cloud hovers above the table, forming into the bust of an old Mago.

Nothing more than the head and shoulders appear. The semi-transparent ghost head looks around the room and smiles contentedly.

"Not a very large audience, but I can see that it is a very interested one. My name is Jockaru, explorer of the Magrennar. It would be a pleasure to tell you about my discoveries and experiences."

The audience watches spellbound as the apparition begins to talk about her journey. Even the innkeeper listens attentively as he brings the brothers their supper. The twins now have a break - they have heard the story many times before - and turn to their meal while the ghostly Jockaru narrates.

"... with my veiling wind magic, I was able to move easily between the plants. You know that some plants, especially young trees, react to the slightest touch and fight back. But to get to the Magrennar, I had to squeeze between them from time to time or push one or two branches away. However, as I used the wind to push the branches and was surrounded by a whirlwind as I squeezed through, I was able to disguise my presence. The real challenge came when I found the Magrennar. It was a community of wolf magrennar in Grundellun Forest. I had to be careful, because the Magrennar's senses are excellent. If you're not careful, they can smell or hear you before you can even see them. Fortunately, I was able to conceal my presence as much as possible and observe the creatures."

Jockaru, the soul, tells his experiences like an adventure story, although it seems more like a school lesson. However, this does not bother the listeners in any way. They hang on his every word with curiosity. You can tell that he is regularly called upon to tell stories because he pauses to speak again and again, but not to take a breath. Logically, he doesn't need to take a breath, but the listeners need interruptions in order to visualize what he is saying and let the information sink in.

"My supplies were enough for three days at that point and I wanted to learn as much as I could about the Wolf-Magrennar. So as I studied them, I realized more and more that they basically behave more like us Maginar than like animals. They don't live in wild packs where they fight over prey and food and the strongest eats first, they behave more like families. The strongest go hunting, the weaker ones go gathering and the older ones look after the little ones. It is well known that the Magrennar have a territory and defend it against intruders. When you meet them, they are usually very aggressive and many encounters have ended in disaster for Maginar. I therefore prepared for this expedition for a very long time and in great detail. This more than paid off. I was able to observe their peaceful nature with my own eyes. The Magrennar playfully train their young for hunting and fighting. They even speak a kind of language, beyond barking and growling. I also observed them seasoning their meat with plants on several occasions. However, I could not determine whether the Magrennar developed these behaviors themselves or whether they copied them from us Maginar ..."

While Jockaru tells the story about the Wolf-Magrennar, the audience does not realize how late it has become. The ghost himself does not feel tired, but he sees signs of fatigue in his listeners and soon comes to an end. The ghostly narrator retires to his Riaberan. Before the crowd disperses, they leave a luxon or two for the reaper, who has conjured up the narrating spirit for them, and discuss what they have just heard on their way home. The brothers order rooms for the night and peace returns to the inn.

The work of the solvers

***

Edwin is the first to wake up the next morning. It's not really morning anymore, the sun is already halfway up the sky. Edwin and his brother are not really early risers. After getting up, the elementalist stretches and does morning exercises to get his circulation going. Next, he washes his face in the bowl of water in the room and then puts his robe back on.

Now he is dressed up enough to leave his room. Safe in the knowledge that his brother has not yet got up, he knocks on Erwin's bedroom door. This wakes him up and he begins the same morning ritual as his twin brother.

Edwin continues on his way to the dining room and meets the innkeeper there. He pays the innkeeper for the rooms and has a snack packed, stows it in his travel bag and says goodbye. On his way out, Erwin joins him in the dining room and they leave the inn together.

Outside, they head towards the city center. At this time of day, the streets are bustling with activity. As the two are new to the city, they take their time on the way into the center, inspecting the buildings and observing the residents as they go. Here in a larger city, everything seems more relaxed than in the small villages. The many shining stones in the streets and the city walls, which are also made of shining stone, as well as the guards who are employed solely to protect the city, allow the people here to lead a carefree life.

In the middle of the town, the brothers then discover the market square and the mayor's office building. The market stalls are set up in a circle around the fountain in the center and offer fresh food. Erwin even discovers a "healing and care house" on the edge of the market square. Erwin immediately points out the house to his brother and suggests: "Look, Edwin, shouldn't we have a bath before we go to the mayor? After all, we've been on the road for quite a while."

Edwin is delighted. "Good idea, it makes a better impression and shows that we are well prepared. Hopefully it won't be too expensive, we haven't had any solver work for a while. We only live off the donations we earn from the ghost stories." At the end, he sounds a little disgruntled about their financial situation.

So the two decide to take a bath at the Healing and Care House and have their clothes cleaned. The nurses take care of the twin brothers, who just want a quick wash. So the caretakers wash the two brothers and their clothes with the help of water shaping magic and then dry them in no time at all.

Refreshed and clean, Erwin and Edwin leave the healing and care house a short time later. But their wallets are now almost as bare. Apart from a few Luxon, they have nothing left. However, they are not worried about this. After all, this wouldn't be the first time they've been broke.

"I like the city. Why didn't we travel further south earlier?" Erwin asks his brother.

"We've actually always been busy in the north. Until now, we simply had no reason to travel to new climes. We had our friends and villages that we traveled to in the course of our fixed route, and we knew where the dangers were along the way," Edwin replies as they walk to and enter the mayor's office building.

The twins are immediately greeted by the mayor's servant.

"Welcome, dear Magonar. According to your clothing, you are solvers?" Edwin nods to the servant and answers.

"That's right, we've been traveling for a while and arrived last night. I'm Edwin, this is my brother Erwin. We'd like to ask if you have any work for us?" The servant claps his hands together in excitement.

"Excellent, my name is Rogu and the mayor has been waiting for your kind for a while. This way, please."

The brothers confidently follow the eager Rogu to the second floor in front of a simple wooden door.

Rogu knocks on the door and after a loud "Yes, please?" he opens it and goes in.

"Come right in with me!"

So Rogu goes ahead and the twins follow him. The servant takes a step to the side just after the door and stretches out his arm to let the brothers pass him in front.

While the two are still going to the mayor, the lean, somewhat nervous-looking servant introduces them.

"I'd like to introduce you: Edwin and Erwin, they are solver and arrived in Oradi yesterday."

The mayor, a well-fed Mago dressed in bright shades of yellow and green, gets up from his desk. He smiles immediately and greets the twin brothers in a friendly manner.

"Very well, I'm Mayor Hadien and I've been waiting for solver for a while. Are you both solver? Normally one is enough."

The mayor immediately recognizes the brothers' professions and is therefore curious.

"Right, normally only one of us is needed. But we are almost always traveling and need to get our work done quickly to earn a living and keep traveling. We are very adept at combining our skills and solving both souls and bodies quickly. Don't worry, you won't have to pay us twice." Mayor Hadien nods in agreement.

"It is urgently necessary for our city that you are here at the moment. We had a solver who lived here. Unfortunately, he was attacked while working outside the city and he was bound to unlife. Since word hasn't gotten around yet, we hardly get any visits from solvers, because there's usually no work for them here. Would you be interested in moving to Oradi permanently to work here as a solver in the long term?"

The mayor looks at the twin brothers expectantly, but they only glance at each other briefly and then back to the mayor.

"We're happy to take on the solution work that your previous solver was unable to do, and we can stay a little longer in case something happens again. But staying in one place permanently is not our nature," Erwin replies freely and then immediately changes the subject.

"So how long has your solver been in a state of unlife and how many cases has he been unable to handle?" Mayor Hadien sighs and replies in a melancholy voice.

"It's been a month since his accident and since then we've had 27 cases of unlife." The brothers' eyes widen.

"Please? 27 cases in one month ... is that normal in such a big city?" The mayor nods somberly.

"Unfortunately, this number is not uncommon. Life in Oradi, or in large cities in general, is safe with the whole Shining Stone and Maginar in charge of protection only. Therefore, many citizens forget about the danger and go out of the city alone and carelessly. Then, an animal that feels threatened comes along and carries them off to their doom. These are just the cases we know about and have been able to recover. There are also many Maginar who have disappeared and have never been seen again," explains the mayor, then he goes to his desk and pulls a map out of the drawer. He spreads it out on his desk.

"This is an overview of Oradi. I'll mark all the important places for you. Here is my office building, where we are right now. Take this path to get to the workplace of our former solver."

The mayor touches the places on the map with the tip of his finger, whereupon they start to light up. The path he traces with his finger between the mayor's office building and the solver's workplace also lights up.

"Yesterday at the inn, I heard something about a strong field of wrath near the town. Do you think we can take a look at this place?" asks Erwin the Soul Reaper. Mayor Hadien doesn't seem enthusiastic, but he answers anyway.

"I'd prefer it if you turned your attention to solving first. Once that's done, you can take on whatever interests you."

The brothers nod in agreement and the mayor marks out an approximate area in a wooded area in the north-east of the town.

"That goes without saying. Our profession is the solution. That's why we'll do it first. It will take us about two days and we charge 25 luxon per unlife. If you want us to stay even though there is no work for us, we would charge 15 luxon per day." Edwin names the conditions and the mayor does a quick mental calculation.

"That sounds fair. While you carry out the solutions, I will inform the families. You will be paid at the end of each day."

The twins and the mayor shake hands on the agreement. The brothers say goodbye, leave the mayor's office and follow the map to the solution court.

Once there, the first visit of the two solvers is to the solving court, where the colored earth is normally mixed. The area for solving is well marked and inside is an area surrounded by ankle-high stones.

Their path then leads them to the unliving watch, the building right next to the solution court. There they find the bodies wrapped in cloth that have not yet had a solution. While Erwin gathers the necessary Riaberans in the unliving watch, which are available there to temporarily absorb souls, Edwin selects the bodies that they are about to solve. The selection process is largely random, but there are pairs that lie together, and they serve them first because pairs usually want to enter the Arcane Network right away because they are happier if the solution is performed on them at the same time and they experience the entry together.

As soon as Erwin has placed enough Riaberane at the solution court, the two of them carry the first pair out and lay the bodies close together in the area surrounded by stones.

Back outside the marked area, Erwin begins to concentrate. He stretches out his left hand, breathes evenly and closes his eyes. Just a few moments later, a second ghostly hand emerges from Erwin's left hand. The ghostly hand smokes and glides towards the bodies, connected to Erwin's right hand. First, the ghostly hand grabs the maga's shoulder. The hand seems to pull and shake the body until the maga's soul pops out like a cork from a bottle. Erwin then does the same to the mago right next to it - it is shaken and pulled until the soul pops out.

Now the two souls float a good two steps in the air in the form of busts. As with all souls that have been pulled from their unlives shortly before, they are still confused and disoriented. The two souls need a moment to comprehend their ghostly appearance. Then they remember the situation that brought them to unlife, while the solvers wait patiently in front of them until the souls finally decide to return to the Arcane Network immediately. After the names of the two souls have been noted down by the solvers, Erwin's ghostly hand taps the souls with a pink glow. The souls slowly feel lighter and lighter and float higher and higher. The pink shimmer from Erwin's touch spreads through the souls and melts them. At a certain height, the souls dissolve into thin air, as if they were being swept away by a current. Finally they are gone and only the soulless bodies remain. The ghostly hand returns to Erwin's physical hand and no trace of the ghostly haunting remains.

Now it's Edwin's turn. He concentrates, breathes evenly and folds his hands in front of his mouth. He blows into his hands between his thumbs and takes his mouth away again. When he opens his hands, he holds a transparent ball in his hand that glows red from the inside. He repeats the process until he has four such balls, one red and fiery, one blue and watery, one white and stormy and one brown and earthy. He throws one ball after the other to the bodies in the area surrounded by stones. With a snap of Edwin's fingers, the outer protective shells of the spheres dissolve. The essences of the elements inside are released and seep into the ground. The respective elements dye the ground in their corresponding color and spread out. When two elements meet, a reaction begins. The essences spread out abruptly until all four elements meet, then the soil, soaked in the colors of the spheres, behaves like a liquid. The elements swirl as if in a vortex until they merge into one another and the floor glows in rainbow colors. The colorful earth that has now been created emits a soft humming sound. Slowly, the bodies sink into the rainbow-colored earth until there is nothing left of them. When the bodies have disappeared and there is nothing left in the colorful earth, the humming stops and the rainbow colors give way to the normal brown of the earth.

After the first solution has worked so smoothly, the brothers take a break and eat the snack from the inn.

Then they get back to work. They continue to devote themselves to the couples lying together in the unlife watch, bringing them out and into the solution court. The souls of the couples are always awakened at the same time by the solution. As you would expect, all the couples want to enter the Arcane Network straight away, as being together at the Solution is enough for them.

When the removal of all pairs is complete, the two individuals continue. The first soul is released from the body without any problems. Unfortunately, however, the soul refuses to accept that it has come to the end of its life and that its body is lost.

"NO! That can't be! I've been out of town many times and I've always been careful! Suddenly this animal jumps out and I had no chance to escape! That's not fair," the soul rages, whirling around in the air angrily.

"Please calm down. What has happened can't be changed." Erwin tries to calm him down with calm words and gestures.

"But it's not fair! I was just unlucky that an animal appeared at that exact moment and attacked me! It doesn't happen to others either!" The soul remains unconvinced and tries to negotiate with the solvers, but Erwin just shakes his head.

"We've been traveling for a long time and have seen many fates. What you're saying happens to the Magi every day, everywhere. Take your time and think about it. It usually gets easier then," Erwin continues to talk to the soul. He doesn't answer, but is still upset.

Erwin then takes one of the small riaberans he has prepared and touches it with his index, ring and middle fingers, whereupon the soul dissolves into smoke. The smoke is completely absorbed into the riaberan.

"Hopefully he will calm down and accept his unfortunate fate. If not, he could leave a field of anger or even worse, a field of despair." Edwin sounds worried and his brother just nods in agreement.

The twins continue their work, solving one unliving Maginar after another. However, they take their time with the souls that are not yet ready to enter the Arcane Network. These are temporarily placed in a Riaberan, as are souls who still want to say goodbye to family and friends. Regardless of this, all names are written on a parchment. As not all those trapped in the unlife have been served yet, they have to document who has already transferred to the Arcane Network, who is living in a Riaberan and how many are still waiting for a solution.

The solvers decide to call it a day when the sun is already low and about to set. They take the list of names with them, lock up the unliving watch and the solution court and make their way back to the mayor.

When they arrive at the mayor's office, they are quickly welcomed as expected.

"Good evening Magonar, I hope you had a productive day?" asks Mayor Hadien in high anticipation.

"That's right, we were able to carry out many solutions and the bodies have already been returned to nature. Here is a list of which Maginar have received the solution so far and have entered the Arcane Network and which are temporarily residing in Riaberans."

Edwin hands over the parchment with the names and the mayor looks at them immediately.

"Ah yes, Riaberane. They haven't been used too often so far. We had an elementalist. If a field of rage or the like was left behind, I personally invalidated it. I remember once having to invalidate a particularly stubborn field of longing. That drove us both to white heat, because he couldn't use the solution court for so long and it took me ages to get rid of it." He laughs hilariously. "We were already a good team. His loss pains me, but I know that when his soul is freed and enters the Arcane Network, he'll be better," says Mayor Hadien a little melancholy, then he looks at the list again.

"His name isn't on the list, looks like he hasn't had his solution yet. I'd like to attend his solution, if you don't mind." The brothers look at each other, shrug their shoulders and Erwin replies.

"That wouldn't be a problem, the best thing would be for you to come with us to the Unliving Watch in the morning and say goodbye to him when we release him and the rest of the Unliving." The mayor thinks for a moment and then smiles at the two of them.

"That gives me a good idea, I'll also bring along the Maginar families who are still in the Riaberans and want to say goodbye. If things go well, we can get everyone, or at least everyone from today, to join the Arcane Network. Oh, and before we forget the payment." The mayor counts the names on the list and fills the appropriate amount of Luxon into a pouch. He hands it to the solvers, who thank him.

Then the twins and the mayor say goodbye to each other. The brothers leave the mayor's office building and make their way back to the inn where they spent the first night.

On the way, they hear some explosions from the direction of the northern city gate, whereupon the people dismantling their stalls for the night whisper among themselves.

"Those cursed goats smell our supplies and keep trying to get at them. Look, the hunters are already out there, maybe we'll soon have more meat on offer again."

As they hear this, the brothers look in the direction from which the hunters have come running and jumping to weaken and loosen the attacking goats at the north gate and then slaughter the carcasses to sell them for consumption at the market. You can see that the hunters are equipped to fend off animals. They move through the streets as fast as the wind. They skillfully avoid obstacles in their path. This is possible because, unlike the normal population, they wear tight-fitting leather clothing.

"Hm, animal solvers. Good to see that the solvers who don't manage to solve Maginar still fill a valuable role for society," says Erwin somewhat disparagingly about the hunters, to which Edwin rebukes him:

"As the saying goes? Arrogance is the stumbling block to a pit you've dug yourself. What's more, too many maginar solvers aren't good for business." Erwin doesn't reply to this, as Edwin is absolutely right and there's nothing to discuss.

When the twin brothers arrive at the inn, the explosions have stopped. As they enter the pub, they see familiar faces from yesterday.

The brothers are greeted warmly again and of course the Maginar present want to hear another story.

Erwin does not disappoint the curious Maginar and summons Salmin, a light maga and leader of a pioneer group. This group has founded and built a new village. Salmin talks about the dangers and adversities they had to face, and the audience hangs on her every word. Meanwhile, Erwin and Edwin eat and drink again and enjoy the evening until it gets late and most of the audience have gone home. Then Salmin returns to their Riaberan and the brothers move into the same rooms as the night before.

A little insight

***

In the morning, the twins find it difficult to get up again. They literally have to peel themselves out of the covers. But once they have done this and washed their faces, they too are ready for the day. It is quiet in the tavern, as everyone is at work in the late morning, and the brothers have a free choice of seats. They order a hearty breakfast as they were paid yesterday and can now afford it. After breakfast, the landlord comes up to them and speaks to them while they are clearing up.

"One more thing, we're getting goat meat in today. Shall I put a portion back for you each?"

A happy grin forms on the twins' faces.

"I'd love to, it's been ages since we were able to enjoy a delicious roast", Edwin replies and Erwin adds:

"Those were the explosions yesterday, weren't they? Do animals like that attack often?" The innkeeper thinks nothing of it and seems calm.

"Yes, that happens very often here. The animals smell that we have supplies and want them for themselves. That plays into the hands of our hunters, of course, as they don't have to go out into the wild. The danger is not so great when goats or sheep make a racket. It only becomes dramatic when birds or jumping animals attack. They can get over the wall and get in. But luckily it's been a long time since that happened."

The brothers listen attentively and nod at the end when they have finished eating. Then they get up and before they leave the inn, the landlord gives them a snack to take with them.

The two go to the mayor's office again, but find only the servant Rogu there, who tells them that Mayor Hadien is not in the office and wants to come to the solution court later.

So they make their way to the solution court in a hurry. After all, they don't know how long the mayor has been waiting for them.

As the brothers enter the solution court through the entrance, they see some Maginar in front of the unliving watch. They are greeted and let in. The mayor is already inside.

"Ah, there you are. I have taken the liberty of gathering the families of souls whose resolution is not yet complete and who are still waiting to be resolved."

Mayor Hadien greets the solvers with his usual thunderous voice. The brothers go to the group of town maginars and briefly introduce themselves.

"Then let's not keep the unliving or the living waiting any longer." Erwin sounds full of zest for action, takes one Riaberan after the other and summons the souls one by one.

The families of the souls that are summoned recognize their loved ones immediately and groups form around the souls. Old times are talked about, memories are recalled, conflicts are resolved and instructions are given for the future. All in all, it is a peaceful last farewell. After a while, the first souls decide to enter the Arcane Network.

Erwin takes the respective Riaberan and places the three fingers on it again. The connection between the soul and the Riaberan is severed. The souls rise up until they are swept away as if by a river.

Finally, there is the soul that refused to accept its fate the day before. This soul has calmed down in the meantime, but is still unable to let go. It speaks directly to the two solvers.

"You know ... I still had a lot planned. I don't have a Maga or Magi'i, and I'm not very good at my job either. It feels like I've achieved nothing and will disappear without anyone remembering me." The soul tells the solvers its melancholy story, which also affects the mood of the Maginar present. Erwin answers the soul:

"We leave our mark on Rialar all our lives, whether we like it or not. I don't think you have to achieve certain goals to be remembered by your fellow Maginar. Look at all the Maginar who are still here to see you off. I think they're all glad to have known you."

All the Maganar and Magonar smile up at the soul and share their memories. After a while, the soul's world-weariness has dissipated and it is now ready for the Arcane Network. To say goodbye, all the Maginar clench their hands into fists and slowly open them with the words "Bereleased". Erwin thus releases the soul's connection to the Riaberan and it disappears.

Although there is not a soul left, the Maginar remain and turn to the solvers, but the mayor takes the floor.

"Dear Solvers, these nice Maginar would like to ask you if you could tell them a little about the state in unlife and as a soul. Our previous solver was an elementalist, he took care of the bodies and the souls had to go straight into the Arcane Network. So we didn't have the opportunity to learn more about it."

This question is obviously directed at Erwin the Soul Reaper, as Edwin is also an elementalist and therefore does not have much experience with souls of his own.

"Well, when I use my soul magic and my spiritual body leaves the living, I find it difficult to keep the spirit in shape. Something pulls and tugs at it. That's why it seems as if the ghostly souls are smoking, but that's just the rest of the spiritual body being pulled in all directions. The head is usually easy to recognize, as it is the seat of the mind and also the seat of the soul," Erwin instructs the crowd.

"But I don't want to fob you off with this meagre explanation. I have something to offer you. I have a soul with me who can tell you more. I already summoned her yesterday at the inn. Her name is Salmin, a light maga who has founded a settlement with some pioneers. But that's not all, the settlement served an expedition to explore the Arcane Network."

The Maginar present are excited. Everyone goes into the unliving watch and most of them have to sit on the floor, but no one seems to mind because of the anticipation of the story.

Erwin now summons the soul from the Riaberan with his three-finger touch. The soul rises and looks down at its audience. Erwin addresses them and tells them that the Maginar would like to know more about the Arcane Network.

The soul Salmin looks around the room in which it was summoned.

"An unliving watch, that's the room where I asked myself the same question you're asking now. Not in this exact room, of course, but in the unliving watch in our village. I had just witnessed the dissolution of my two siblings. When they disintegrated, it looked to me like throwing earth into a raging river. They were still there and the next moment they were gone. I asked myself ... do they still exist as the ones I knew? Are they really being whirled around like in a raging river? Or do they perhaps disappear into nothingness? These questions never left me. It was then that I decided to dedicate myself to light magic, as this form of magic deals with seeing and seeing through what is hidden.

After a long period of training, my magical senses were heightened to the point where I could literally feel the Arcane Network. I explored the streams and rivers of the Arcane Network in my home village as much as I could. But that wasn't enough for me after a while, because there was no point where all the rivers gathered. I wanted to go further out into the world, but it was too dangerous for me alone. After a while, I decided to lead an expedition into unknown territories. Unfortunately, no one wanted to accompany me to explore the Arcane Network. So I asked the people in the surrounding villages if they would like to explore new land. Fortunately, people were found and I was able to pursue my research, on the side of course, while we roamed the land.

So we set off, I had started the expedition and therefore I was also responsible for the leadership and navigation. I wanted to get close to a large gathering point of the Arcane Network and, if possible, set up the settlement there. My companions couldn't understand how I found my way. Of course, the others couldn't feel the streams of magic that I perceived. I never told them how I found my way. Maybe they knew, maybe they didn't, but they never complained about where I was leading them.

Now comes the exciting part. All of the Arcane Network's gathering points were in forests and even in particularly dangerous areas with lots of animals, Magrennar and the tallest trees I've ever seen.

In my opinion, there can only be one of two reasons for this. Either the gathering point was there first and has influenced nature so that the trees and animals at that point are particularly strongly supplied with magical power or it is the other way round, that the trees have grown well and many animals have gathered there. They have given off a lot of magic and so the gathering point has formed there. The big question is: which came first?"

The soul Salmin takes a dramatic pause while the Maginar present discuss among themselves what they have just learned. Then Salmin takes the floor again.

"Unfortunately, I can't answer that question either. I have found no way to determine the age of such Arcane Network gathering points. But I was able to look at them somewhat with my magic, and much more closely than any other magi. What I saw there is pretty amazing. I saw elemental magic there, but I also spied different emotions and different magi traits. I'm sure you're wondering what traits and feelings look like, but as a light magi, you see those sides to maginars. But in these collection points, these parts were not present as a whole, but in individual parts. As if a soul, as I am, were a wall and the same wall was present in the collection point, only not in one piece, but the stones were scattered. That's why I have the theory that when souls enter the Arcane Network, they are broken down into their component parts, such as anger, envy, willpower, perception and so on. Hence the emotion fields. If an emotion is too strongly bound to the place of transition, it gets stuck in the stream, so to speak. Then the feeling is only fed even more by the Arcane Network and influences everything in its surroundings.

But back to the components of the souls. In a collection point of the Arcane Network, the components of a great many Maginar are mixed together, depending on where they were driven after their solution. And when a new Magi'i is born, these components are attracted to the newborn random feelings and characteristics form a new soul. This could also apply to animals, their traits also come into these collection points and if Maginar components mix with those of animals, this could explain the existence of the Magrennar. Of course, this is all highly theoretical, but theory must come before proof, right?"

A loud murmur goes through the room. The Maginar have to process all this by continuing to discuss it with each other. Then a maga from the group speaks up.

"So that would be like our Magi'inar getting the abilities and feelings of the unliving released by resolution? For example, my grandparents?" Salmin answers the question straight away:

"Exactly, well what abilities and feelings the Magi'inar get is basically random, but it is possible. However, I couldn't find any personalities or memories in such gathering points. These probably become the Arcane Network itself. The theory is limited entirely to abilities, traits and feelings, all our instincts, so to speak." Again, the Maginar in the audience discuss what they have just learned.

"But that's all for now, the detailed report is available in various cities in the north. Just ask in the archives about my research," the soul Salmin says goodbye to the audience and retreats into her Riaberan, becoming smaller.

"If you enjoyed the story, dear Maganar and Magonar, please leave us a Luxon or two. We like to see these as appreciation for our work and the willingness of the souls to tell their stories."

As the audience disperses and continues to talk about what they have just heard, they give away some Luxon. It's not much, but dinner is assured.

At the end, when the solvers are alone with the mayor in the unliving watch, you can see Hadien's enthusiasm and he speaks to the brothers with rapture.

"This is impressive, not only have you enabled all these Maginar to say goodbye to their loved ones, you have also transformed their grief into knowledge and hope. That's amazing for two days of work. I almost feel guilty, but would you please solve the remaining unliving? Then come to me, I'll give you the rest of your wages and buy you all the booze you can drink at the inn." The twins don't make a big face, they just smile at all the enthusiasm and praise.

"Good, then we'll take care of the remaining unliving and when we're done, we'll come straight to you," the solvers say back and then turn to their work.

"Very well, I won't keep you from your work, I'll see you when you're finished."

Mayor Hadien leaves the unliving watch with a thoughtful expression on his face. It seems he too has something to think about that he has learned here about the Arcane Network.

The further solutions proceed without incident. One by one, the souls awaken from their bodies. None of the souls are happy about their situation, but they accept it. Without exception, all the souls want to go straight into the Arcane Network; they have no more business with the living. The brothers are happy about it, as it doesn't cause them any extra work, but they at least have to offer it to the souls.

So the work is done shortly after sunset. The brothers tidy up the Riaberans and sweep out the unliving watch. Then they are ready for the end of the day. They leave the unliving watch in the direction of the mayor's office building.

When they arrive at the office building, they are immediately greeted by Rogu and the mayor. The four of them make their way to the inn, where the brothers have already spent the night twice. Once there, they are greeted warmly again, with Mayor Hadien in particular wanting to greet each guest and the innkeeper individually and shake their hands. Rogu is familiar with this behavior from the mayor and, together with the twins, chooses a table for all four of them. After shaking hands with everyone without exception, Hadien joins the twins and Rogu. They eat and drink together and tell each other stories and anecdotes late into the night. Hadien and Rogu stagger home, thoroughly inebriated, while the brothers get their usual rooms to sleep in and fall exhausted into their beds.

A cage made of anger

***

The next morning starts even later than usual for the twin brothers. Thanks to the hangover, they both sleep until lunchtime. The high sun literally forces them out of bed and after the long sleep, the headache from yesterday's alcohol consumption is almost gone. When they arrive in the taproom, the brothers order water for their dry mouths and, as it's lunchtime anyway, they also order lunch.

Afterwards, they make their way back to the mayor's office. Unfortunately, neither Rogu nor the mayor had the chance to sleep in after a night of drinking. They had to get up early and are therefore slower at work than usual. Rogu lets the brothers through to the mayor and Hadien himself sits at his desk working on his scrolls.

"Greetings, dear solvers, I hope you are doing better than the good Rogu and me. We haven't had such a long night for a long time. We're probably not used to it anymore," he almost whispers, as the hangover must be getting to him.

"Yes, we have the advantage of being able to arrange our own working hours. Anyway, we wanted to say that we're staying in the city today. Normally we would move on, as we don't usually earn a lot of money at once. But since you might still need us for the unfortunate event of unlife, we'll stay as we agreed on the first day." Mayor Hadien is relieved by the solvers' willingness to stay a little longer.

"That's right, we hope not, but a case of unlife can always happen. If that happens and you have to carry out one or more solutions, you will receive the usual 25 luxon per solution. If nothing happens, you will receive 15 luxon per day for your readiness," the mayor repeats the agreement again.

"We will then take a look at the field of wrath in the south-east. Why hasn't it been invalidated yet if you're a light magus and you've done this before with your former solver?" At the question, Mayor Hadien leans back in his chair and sighs heavily.

"The thing is, I've tried. This wrath field is unusually strong. I can't get close enough to it to weaken it. All the other light magi who have been here so far have tried, but none of them have succeeded. I had hoped that at some point a light magi or some kind of feeling magi would come along who is experienced enough to invalidated this field of wrath. But so far I've had no luck." The mayor's expression remains sombre and serious as he explains.

"What you say makes us even more curious about it. We're not light magi and probably can't invalidated this wrath field, but we have Salmin with us, maybe she can find out if the wrath field hides special circumstances." After Erwin says this, Hadien becomes thoughtful.

"Hmm, I've never seen it like this before. Many magi have been devoured by the wrath of this field and found their lives lost. So far, only light magi have gone there to invalidated the field. Perhaps it will give us some insight into the field if solvers and Souls take a look." Hadien thinks about it and looks out of the window into the distance, then turns his attention back to the twins.

"But be careful. As I said, many have succumbed to this field of wrath. If you get too close or stay too close for too long, there's no coming back from the wrath."

The brothers nod affirmatively and leave the office and the building in a south-easterly direction.

As soon as they leave the city, they become more cautious. They have traveled around long enough to know how quickly animals can appear out of nowhere outside towns. The map with the markings of the light magician Hadien leads them into a forest.

Before the two enter the forest, they look for a path leading into it. When places are visited regularly, there are always paths to mark the safest route.

However, no one has gone into this forest for a long time. There is not even a trace of a path into the forest. So the brothers look for a suitable spot where the trees are not so close together to enter the forest. Edwin uses his earth magic to move the plants in front of him to the left and right in undulating movements. Without further ado, Edwin creates a path into the forest himself and Erwin follows step by step. This way, however, they can only get grasses and small flowers out of the way. They still have to avoid trees, bushes and the like. The twins' path winds its way through the forest, always wary of the nature around them.

The closer they get to their destination, the more they feel the anger that is usually emitted by an field of wrath. The brothers feel more and more aggression rising within them and their vision blurs somewhat. The anger is hard to bear when they can finally see something. The twins have to close their eyes for a while and breathe evenly so that they can stay there a little longer.

They see strangely shaped wooden spines in front of them, like trees without branches or leaves, sticking out of the ground like pointed fingers and all bent in a circle towards a center. They have never seen plants like this before. So as not to have gone all this way in vain, they decide to ask the soul Salmin for advice in order to find out at least a little about this field of wrath. So Salmin is summoned without further ado. However, Erwin only uses a little magical power at first so that the soul can only manifest itself slowly. At first, the soul wonders why it can only leave its Riaberan so slowly. But once it is halfway out, it realizes. The field of wrath even affects the souls of the unliving. Salmin feels the wrath trying to take her, but the distance to the wrath field is great enough to keep her sane.

"This is the strangest emotion field I've ever seen. Do you have any idea how it came about?" Erwin asks the soul as it looks in the direction of the source of the field of wrath.

"Yes, I think I have the beginnings of an inkling for this strange sight. I can feel a slight pulse emanating from the field of wrath. Do you see the ghostly mist surrounding my form? It's being pushed away from the wrath field at pulsing intervals. I have felt this before when two streams of the Arcane Network have crossed in opposite directions. It's as if two wild boars regularly collide. But there's more to the field of wrath. Do you see those finger-like trees growing there? They are actually normal trees, but their strength is being drained. They don't grow very tall and take on strange shapes when a strong current of the Arcane Network passes through them AND there is an unliving nearby. They don't look like trees, it's probably because of the field of wrath that they are shaped like this," the soul tells the solvers.

"Then the field of wrath is only so strong and far-reaching because at least two special circumstances have come together? Would it help if we tackled the circumstances one by one?" Erwin suggests after listening to Salmin's report and doing some thinking, which is not so easy to do in the vicinity of a field of wrath.

"I think this is the only way to remove this anger field. Well, unless you have such a powerful light magi who can remove a source of emotion between two streams from this distance. Believe me, this requires great magical power. If you could disengage the unliving nearby, it would be a lot easier."

Salmin sounds very enthusiastic.

"Then we know what to do, thank you." The soul proudly retreats to its Riaberan.

Edwin uses his earth magic again and lets a wave of earth glide towards the field of wrath to feel where the body of the unliving is. The body is not easy to find; the Unliving is half-submerged in the earth and surrounded by roots and vines, as if it were part of nature. Now that the two of them know where the body is, it is Erwin's turn to loosen it. He stretches out his left arm and his soul hand comes out of his physical hand. Now Erwin also feels the impulse-like jolts from the field of wrath, which push his ghostly hand back again and again. The soul hand winds forward like a snake towards the center of the field of wrath. The headwind makes it much more difficult for Erwin to reach the unliving. Again and again, the impulses push away some of the mist from the ghostly hand. But the hand can't just grab anything and rest, because the next soulful thing nearby is the unliving being at the center of the impulse wave. It takes Erwin quite a while and a lot of concentration to fight off the anger and move the soul hand towards the unliving. The effort and concentration weaken Erwin against the pulsating anger.

"Where is that bloody body! Is he hiding on purpose?" Erwin yells in frustration. Sweat is pouring down his forehead because he can't take a break and the mental stress is also making itself felt physically. He gets a headache, his muscles cramp up and his limbs start to ache. The field of wrath has an easy time with him and he forces himself further and further towards the center of the field of wrath with his soul hand.

"I'll find you and then I'll pull you out! You'll see!" he roars again and after some more exertion, the hand arrives at the body. Erwin's ghostly hand can then hold on to the sleeping soul in the body of the unliving Mago and is no longer so easily thrown back by the impulse. This allows Erwin to take a deep breath and relax until he can concentrate enough to pull the soul out of the body.

This does not turn out to be an easy task. Erwin pulls, tugs and leverages at the soul in the body with his ghostly hand in order to release it from the body. When the soul doesn't come out of the body straight away and Erwin concentrates on the solution, the field of wrath tugs at his nerves again. He becomes impatient and hasty and begins to pull jerkily at the soul.

"Come out now! Or do you like it here so much? Today I'm taking you with me!" he roars again and needs all the concentration and experience he has as a detacher to succeed, but the anger makes him more and more ruthless towards the soul from moment to moment. Finally, the soul is released from the body with a jerk. In the first moment, the soul floats around uncontrollably and also glides through the red orb, which is the center of the field of wrath. The brothers cannot see this from their position, as the hand passes through the finger-like trees. The Soul Reaper holds the soul firmly by the shoulder in his ghostly hand as he pulls it back towards him. It looks as if a rope is being pulled back onto the winch until the soul floats directly in front of him, still in his grip. There's something strange about the ghostly figure at first, but the brothers don't want to spend any more time near this field of wrath. Without further ado, the soul is packed into a Riaberan. The twins then walk back the way they came until they are once again in front of the forest and orient themselves back to the path. Only when they are back on the gravel do they lie down on their backs on the ground, close their eyes and let go of their rage-filled thoughts.

They suppress their anger with pleasant thoughts and memories of happy evenings, celebrations with friends and fun at festivals. Only when their hearts have calmed down again do they get up and make their way back to the town of Oradi.

The sky is orange and the sun is just setting when they get back to the town. The brothers want to go straight to Mayor Hadien to tell him about their experience. When they arrive at the town hall, the mayor comes to meet them.

"Forgive me, dear solvers, but I urgently need to go sightseeing. Please go to Rogu, he will give you the Luxon for the day," he tells the two of them curtly and then continues on his way. The twins go to the door and Rogu lets them in. He hands them the 15 luxon for the day on standby and asks them to visit the mayor again tomorrow.

That's fine with the brothers, but they have nothing to do for the rest of the day. So they still have plenty of time, which they don't know what to do with. Usually they are always busy and on the go. Instead of doing nothing now, the two decide to take care of the soul they picked up in the forest. The twins only know one place in the city where they can be alone and undisturbed. So they head straight for the unliving watch.

When they arrives at the empty unlife watch, it has become dark. Edwin creates a flame in the palm of his hand. His hand does not burn, as the fire draws its fuel from the magical power that he lets flow out of his palm. Now that the brothers have light, Erwin summons the soul from the forest out of the Riaberan. This soul does not emerge from the vessel in a steaming, ghostly mist, but wriggles out and grows bigger and bigger. Now the twins can also see what had seemed strange to them in the forest to begin with. Unlike other souls, this soul is complete, not just a bust. It is all there, head, torso, arms and legs. Like all other souls, the sex of the soul cannot be determined, as souls have no hair and no genitals. Erwin tries to talk to the ghostly figure in front of him.

"Greetings, what is your name?" Erwin asks loudly and clearly, but the ghostly figure only looks down at him.

"Do you understand me? Can you speak?" he continues to ask, but there is no response. The soul hovers and simply observes the two of them. The twins scratch their heads and don't quite know how to deal with the situation. So far, they have been able to talk to every soul that they have been able to solve.

While the brothers are still thinking about how they should communicate, they notice the soul looking around the room and looking at its own hands.

"Are you aware of your existence? Now you are a soul, you have been an unliving being in the middle of a field of wrath for a very long time," says Erwin when he realizes that the soul may not even be aware of its condition.

"This ... feeling ... is strange ... I don't remember ... anything. I feel ... something ... but I ... can't tell ... what it is," the soul suddenly answers. Unfortunately, the two solvers don't know what to do with the statement. But they are happy to be able to communicate with the soul.

"You were probably in that forest for a very long time and under an anger field that pulsed the whole time. That wouldn't leave anyone unaffected, it could have affected your mind. Your appearance and behavior are atypical, do you have an explanation for this? You may not be able to remember everything, but perhaps individual things?" asks the Soul Reaper frantically, who, now that he has a conversation with the soul, expects answers.

"I ... find it difficult to ... organize ... my thoughts. But ... I understand ... that it ... must be ... special circumstances," he replies with difficulty. His curiosity is not satisfied, but he is still pleased with the general progress.

"Well, let's take our time, rest a little longer and gather your thoughts. Maybe we can find someone who can help you," Erwin suggests and after the soul nods, the solver ends the incantation. The soul becomes smaller and disappears into the Riaberan.

The two brothers take a deep breath. They have rarely had such a queasy feeling during a summoning as in this case. The solvers have already had some unusual experiences on their travels, but so many strange occurrences overwhelm even the two experienced brothers.