26 June 2010

Vera Suis Background part 4

Title: Conversion
Author: SilverInk
Writing: Character Background Story
Word Count: 1152



I’m ashamed to say I don’t remember much about that day when once again my life was altered. The Cordelians had no reason to suspect a man with his niece--living peacefully in the forest and paying taxes to the Cordelian government in the form of potato, grain or other surplus material—as supporters of the Revelin. I know not to this day why they came after us.

They had a strong mind-reader with them; her name, as I later learned, was Jane Exina, and she had been a part of the Revelin before being captured.

It was nothing like the army assembled at the village five years before. This time, only a few people were there, a few fighters, and a familiar face or two, from the trading in the city. We were caught unawares at night—they arrested Nem swiftly and threatened his life if I should attack. A soldier caught me from behind and held a knife at my own throat. He was close, very close—I could feel his breath breathing down on my neck, and his arm holding me flush against him. One of my hands was close enough to his leg; if I could only get the other close as well, I could get into his body via the leg; from there it was a short trip up to the brain to paralyze him.

The only Soul that had come with them—there was always a Soul or a pair of Souls supervising the Cordelian missions—examined the two of us, as if deciding with body to take over. Nem had just recovered from a cold, and was still looking quite sickly; he turned towards me.

It felt like my body was suddenly too small—like being in clothes that were too tight—and the world had gotten smaller. I could physically feel the other Soul wrenching his way in, pushing my soul out; like trying to squish into an already occupied seat—or in my case, being squished out. He succeeded, of course—he was much more advanced than I was—and it felt like I popped free of my body. It was nothing like what I was accustomed to doing in soul-sending and more like being shoved out a door than the usual launching-into-the-sky sensation. But I was still in my body, and could still feel my limbs. I tried moving them, but they were not mine to command, only mine to feel.

The Soul was experimenting with my body, lifting my arms and legs and shaking them as if to rid himself of a cramp. I was trapped in my own body, suppressed into a the size of a erythrocyte. But if anything, this red-blood-cell that was now me had a lot of mental power, which was at the moment fueled by indignation and anger. He began prowling through my brain, searching for indications of my power. Frequently I speculate what would have happened if I were not a Soul myself and what would have happened if Jane had not chosen that moment to intrude—she, being a mind-reader –a slight derivative of a soul-sender—blasted her conscious into my mind as well, and shifted through my mind even as I hurtled nasty insults at them both with my mind—which still had some control over my brain.

At this point I realize that for anyone but me, this moment is very strange and confusing. There is no way I can express each distinct feeling as it happened and as I felt it because so many were simultaneously. To compensate, I will call it a blur of action.

After this blur, I found myself—in the next distinguishable feeling—back in my own body, as I had been prior to the Soul’s intrusion. There was a faint dizziness, and I could not feel myself, but essentially I was fine. The girl mage—Jane—was chastising the boy about something in hushed tones and he was glaring at her as if her were superior. I glanced diagonally behind me at Nem, who had been tranquilized and left on the doorstep of his hut.

The Soul left, leaving me with my escort and the girl mage. He had a bitter expression and muttered something about getting her killed.

“Vera Suis,” she greeted, extending a hand. I didn’t take it. “I apologize for my companion’s intrusion. He is a novitiate, and has yet to learn the proper procedure. Come with me. I will ensure you are well.”

I didn’t want to believe her, but she took my hand and a feeling of calm washed over me. Weary, I followed.
---

When I next awoke, I was in a small dormitory, with a tray of food on a desk next to the bed I was laying on. As I dressed in the uniform lying on the chair, I inspected the broth for poison. Determining there was none, I ate greedily. The taste of the food was different, but not unpleasant, as was the feel of the clothes and the look of the room. A knock sounded on the door briefly and I whirled as the girl mage from the day before stepped in. She introduced herself, and my new surroundings, which she called Shalenfear.

Jane Exina was a partial Soul. She did not have the ability to completely take over a creature, but she could “throw” herself into the mind of another and search through their memories like a Soul. She had the ability of telepathy, as well as mind-reading.

And she, like me, was a Revelin convert, which was, as she put, “partially why [she] had the other Soul spare [me]”.

Jane Exina introduced me to Shalenfear Academy, where she lived as well, and assured me I would have a home there. I requested to return to my uncle’s hut in the forest, claiming the place did not suit well with me, and for some reason she agreed. We left immediately, Jane hushing stares with her death-cold glare.

“Your uncle left after the attack,” she said as we neared, and indeed the place was abandoned by the time we got there. I searched through the hut to find nothing, not even my glass figurines in their pretty wood/metal case.
“You will have a home at Shalenfear, Vera…they took me in when my parents were killed.”

“Why would I work for them? Why would I help the people who eradicated my family?” I spun on her, tears at the brink of falling.

“You can leave now if you want. I won’t stop you,” she said and returned to the front. I was in the bedroom now, facing the back door.

I hunted around the place, for any sign of something left behind—nothing. I thought I had been abandoned, again.

I stood up and walked out the front. “You’ll have a home at Shalenfear. I promise.”


Artist's Note: Technically, I posted twice last last week, so there was no missed update. Either way, this post is twice as long as the usual 500. But it's horrible. I'm going to blame it on writer's block and laziness and other stuff. 

But this is part 4, which is super-confusing and just a bunch of fluff in my opinion. Hopefully the last part will be better. Maybe starting another character would help too :/

Anyways, sorry for the lousy update this time -.-
~SilverInk

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