Why does that spell even exist? (BE story)

[Chaos Echo]

Chapter ten. And, in a stunning twist, it's a chapter with no expansion.

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The sorceress stood in front of the door. Like it had been for centuries, it simply stood, connected to nothing but its frame, in the middle of nowhere along the seashore. Carline looked around, and no one was nearby. Civilization had given it a wide berth. It was probably because tales surrounded the door, tales of something otherworldly within. She knew that to be the case, of course; but they exaggerated it. Still, she was surprised that no one had ever tried to demolish it. Or perhaps they had, and it had denied them.


Something had been bugging Carline for months now, and she finally decided to act on it. She was sure that Bella had died by Aphira?s hand. In fact, Bella herself had conceded it. But there was blatantly something wrong with that, since dead people shouldn?t be conceding anything. Because they?re dead. And they can?t talk. So, she?d gone on a trip. She took no one with her, so that she could teleport for a vast majority of it. It was good that teleporting had been ironed out so well, taking little effort; its only flaw being that it only affected the user. She was glad that she was not one of those first sorceresses who had to figure out all the specifics and details of the more common spells.


Now, as she stood before the gateway of Aphira?s home, she hesitated. She?d been here once before, with Ghatteus, a long time ago, and the place creeped her the hell out. However, she couldn?t stop here. She needed answers. Somehow, a very dangerous person had returned to life, and though Bella had been defused, she wanted to know how and why she lived again. Carline opened the door. There was no horrible rush of evil, nor even any real change of temperature or anything. She walked in, and within, she stood in a small town. A few heads turned at her arrival, but they went back to their businesses. Carline closed the door behind her. Aside from there being no sun in here, it wasn?t too much different in atmosphere. The sky was still blue, the grass green, and light still came from somewhere. She had no idea how that worked. No, the main difference was the people in here.


She observed the surrounding area. She could see, aside from random walking, talking people, a gossiping group of women, a father playing catch with his son in a yard, and what looked to be old people on rocking chairs. They were all seemingly just living out a normal day. But living would not be the correct term to apply to them. They were all skeletons, the lot of them. All had died previously, and as far as Carline knew, the only living resident was Aphira. She shuddered. She knew that none of them meant any harm or anything; after all, they were still the same people they were when alive. But it still was incredibly unsettling. Why did the most powerful sorceress alive also have to be a necromancer?


Her thoughts were interrupted by others pushing themselves in. ?You look lost,? a deep, hollow voice rang through her head. She jumped, and looked into the not-eyes of the one speaking. He was wearing a feathered hat, and the rest of his apparel gave off a distinct impression of a musketeer. ?Oh, um, yes.? ?I apologize if I startled you. But, I assume you look for Aphira, young miss??? He offered a hand, thankfully gloved, and she took it and shook it. The glove caved in as expected, due to his lack of anything in his hand but bone. ?C-Carline.? ?Well, nice to meet you, Carline. I was called Elted.? Carline nodded, and they both let their hands drop. Elted motioned her to walk alongside him, and both began on their journey to Aphira?s home.


?Do not worry, it?s not far. She lives near the entrance here; only the living go in and out, and most are only here for her.? ?Okay then.? She looked around at the people in the town, marveling at how little being dead, or undead, or whatever they were, seemed to inhibit them. ?So? um? how does it work, exactly? Being? y?know? uh?? ?A product of Aphira?s operations? Or rather, undead?? ?Yeah.? ?Most of the time, we?re not really made to think about all the time passing. It?s kind of a? smooth existence, for lack of a better term.? ?And you all still wear clothes?? ?Well, yes, of course we do. It was a lifelong habit. Why would we stop?? ?I guess that makes sense.? The two walked in silence for a while, until Carline had a sudden curiosity. ?So? a random thought. If you don?t mind my asking, what was your life like?? Elted laughed. ?Me? It was nothing spectacular. In short, a love story; what happens when a man falls in love with a sorceress, and an attempt to join her world results in his murder by the hand of another.? ?Oh?? ?But that was centuries ago. It doesn?t pain me in the least to speak about it.? ?Oh,? she repeated. ?But now we?re here,? Elted said, gesturing toward the front door of a rather unspectacular house. ?Thank you very much, Elted.? ?Not a problem. It varies the day.?


He waved a goodbye and left. Carline knocked on the door. After a bit, she heard a woman?s voice telling her to come in. She opened the door and went in, and the house was as normal inside as out. ?I?m in here, whoever you are.? Carline walked down the hall to where the voice was coming from, and she saw Aphira reclining on a couch, watching television. ?No, Stacy, you damn fool. Can?t you tell that?s his evil robot twin clone? Planted by aliens? Aliens working for the government?? She flapped her hand at the TV indifferently, turning it off. ?I tell you, soap operas. The things they do nowadays. They don?t entertain like they used to. You know who did good entertainment? The Bard. His plays were great. Someone should really bring him back.? She paused. ?No, wait. I already have.? She laughed. ?Oh, but he hasn?t written anything great in decades.?


She cleared her throat. ?But anyway? pardon my informal wear. I hadn?t expected any visitors.? Carline looked over her and her ?informal wear?. She had on a purple sweater, and with it a black skirt. Black pantyhose covered her legs. As for Aphira herself, her dark purple hair lay strewn across the couch behind her, possessing both much length and volume. Her eyes were a similar shade of purple, as were her lips. Her skin was an odd shade of light, pale brown. ?So? what brings you here, Marzelaei??


Carline swallowed. ?Please, call me Carline.? ?Ok, sure.? ?Well? I have a question for you.? ?Oh?? ?Yes. About what happened with Bella.? ?I see.? Aphira paused in thought a moment. ?Tell you what, give me a bit to pretty up, and we?ll take a stroll as we talk. Give me a chance to stretch my legs.? She floated up off the couch, and into the room across the hall. ?I?ll only be a minute.? Carline took the chance to look at the place. It was nice, sure, but not what she?d expect the world?s most powerful sorceress to be living in. In the room she was in, the couch was only mildly fancy, and the television wasn?t even very big. She saw, above the television, a portrait on the wall, a painted one, consisting of Aphira, and a small child with the brightest blue hair.


True to her word, Aphira was shortly back out. Now she was wearing, while similar to her old ones, rather more elaborate clothes. The top was the same color, but was of a thinner material, and extended to go over her hands. The skirt hit the floor, and had a strange design on the front in a bold red. Her eyes now had eyeshadow, in that same purple as her hair, eyes and lips. She had a tight necklace, a red metal object hanging off the front of it, and a red tiara in her hair, embedded with purple gemstones. She looked more the part of who she was, but still somewhat underwhelming.


Aphira, for whatever reason, seemed to be in good cheer. ?Shall we go, then?? She crossed in front of Carline, and the latter noted the slight sway of her hips as she walked. She opened the door, and waited for Carline to go through before leaving herself. The two women walked a short bit before talking. Carline noticed, as they went, that Aphira?s hair was indeed longer than she was tall, and the few feet of excess hovered slightly above the ground instead of dragging on it, like a bride?s train held up by a child. She also snuck a peak at her chest, and her breasts were well-sized, but not overly large. They seemed roughly comparable to Tuicia?s.


?It?s been a while since your only visit. Almost fifteen years, by now. How have you been?? ?Oh, me? Er? not so well, with the whole ?Redlich Massacre?. ?Hm? Oh, yes. That. My condolences. That must?ve been life-shattering.? ??it was. And since then, I did some pretty douche things. But lately, I?ve been trying to turn it all around.? ?Hm.? The two continued to wherever they were going in awkward silence. Carline began looking at the people again, when something occurred to her. ?Aphira? why did you take up necromancy?? ?Just a whim, some centuries ago. Nothing terribly exciting; I just desired to see how truly great my power was.? ?And when I was in your house, I couldn?t help but notice? that portrait of you, with the blue haired girl?? ?Nosy!? Aphira said jokingly. ?She?s my daughter, Ectri. That portrait of us is probably half a millennia old now.?


?So, to business. What was it you wished to speak about, regarding Bella?? ?It?s about how she died. You did kill her, right?? ?Absolutely. She was becoming a threat to sorcery itself. No one else could take her down. She had items blessed by otherworldly forces.? ?She what now?? ?Nothing the common man knows about, and something I intend to keep that way.? ?Well? she?s back.? ?She? what? She cannot be back, bird sorceress. I clearly remember that day. I stripped the very flesh from her bones. She is very much dead.? ?She?s very much not. I had a run-in with her just this winter.? ?And how did that turn out? Impressive if you did, since you?re still alive.? There was clear doubt in Aphira?s voice. ?I had help. Praeli showed up.? ?Ah, Praeli. Such raw power, but she refuses to be taught by anyone.? ?Yes. And I?ve ended Bella as a threat. There?s no way she?ll ever wear that armor again.? ?Then if you truly have defused her, what is the issue??


Carline stopped walking and gaped at her. ?What is the? She?s alive, and you killed her like thirteen years ago! That?s the issue!? Aphira looked mildly annoyed. ?So? The problem?s solved itself, hasn?t it? I might look into it later if you really want, but?? Carline huffed and moved in front of her, appalled by her apathy. ?She almost KILLED someone dear to me! She DID kill my mother!? ?Many people die, Carline. It happens. Death is a part of life.? ?Not when it?s completely preventable murder, it?s not!? ?So what, you want me to just take out every murderer and wrongdoer who lives? Would that make you happy?? ?No, I just want to know what the wait was for with Bella. You knew about her. Everyone did! Why did you do nothing?? ?Everyone needs to solve their own problems. There are other things I?m needed for, things much bigger. So watch your tone. You don?t know what you speak of.?


?No, no!? Carline was getting riled up. The memories of what she?d lost, and what she?d almost lost to Bella were coming back, driving her onwards to places she should not go. ?I really want to know. Why did you wait so long to kill Bella, huh? Dozens of sorceresses died from her. She was active for almost twenty years! After? after even the first five, you?d think you?d do something, but no! You sat on your ass! What the hell were you doing that was more important than that? Why did you stand by and let them all die, you uncaring bitch!?? Aphira?s eyes burned with rage from the accusations. ?Don?t you talk like that to me, child! You have no idea what I have to do, how often I have to modify my own mind, just to keep myself caring about all you insignificant individuals! My age is millennia, and my perception of time and even lives is far beyond yours. But no, oh no, it?s all about you, Carline. You and your loved ones. It?s always been about you and your tragedies. Tell me, if you really care, what are the names of those who died before her, hmm? Fefean? How about her? Do you have any idea who she is? Or what about Cealei? Ring a bell? I knew damn near all of them. And even so, do you forget that Bella took out many malignant sorceresses along with the good ones??


?But it goes further than that; you have your little pity party. Oh no, you had a meltdown and killed 200 people.? ?Two hundred seventeen.? ?What?? ?T-two hundred seventeen. That?s how many died.? ?Oh, big whoop, you know how many there were. You know what? That?s more than Bella ever killed. Tell me, do you think you are the only sorceress in history that that happened to? Do you think you are the worst? Let me tell you, neither is true. Remember a little something called the Black Death? Do you think that was natural? A normal sickness? Do you think it was fun, watching people you love be overtaken by something you can?t figure out how to stop??


?And so what if you murdered your husband in that group. At least he died quickly and painlessly.? Carline gasped in shock. ?You? don?t you even bring up Ghatteus! He-? ?Shut up! Again with your self-centered attitude! You don?t even know! Try having your love slowly and maliciously tortured in front of you! Try watching the woman mutilate him in front of you, while you are helpless to do anything but watch him die! That is something far worse!?


?But no, if I just went on about me, I?d be no better than you! No, do you know what I need to do? Not only do I need to listen to your trivial, temporary complaints; I need to keep the remnants of that world from returning! All those creatures of myth, all the old magic, I gathered them up long ago and shut them away. They stunted humanity?s potential. And to this day, some are still sour about it. I plead with them to stay in the world I set up for them. I bargain with them. Sometimes I even threaten them if I must. But sometimes, something slips through the cracks. Things get back. Things like Bella?s equipment happen. I need to hunt down these things and stop them. For the good of our species. Perhaps even for our survival.?


?But none of that matters to your selfish little ass!? She punctuated the last three words by jabbing her in the head. ?All that matters to you is that Bella killed your mother, that she killed your brother, that your father contracted a terrible illness not two years after, that your husband was part of your mass slaughter, that your reputation was fucked because of it, that you can never go back to society, that your loved ones were threatened by the supposed Bella. You sicken me.?Carline was close to breaking down, both from being so venomously reprimanded, and from the brutal runthrough of her life. ?My? my brother? I didn?t have a brother?? ?Yes you did! Or you would have! Your mother was pregnant when Bella took her life.? Carline froze from that bit of information. She?d never even heard about that before. ?But do you know what the worst part of it all is? You, who can?t even handle her own past, her own life, had the gall to tell me that I was handling it wrong. You, who can?t even handle Ghatteus?s name brought up in conversation, not without your unnecessary angst pervading everything. He is dead. You killed him, and he?s dead. Accept that fact and move on, you hopeless, sniveling-?


She ceased her rant, and inhaled deeply, and then was suddenly calm. ?And you?ve made me lose my temper.? She turned away from Carline. ?Don?t you ever say I don?t care. You don?t even know. Your short thirty years are nothing compared to what I?ve seen, compared to what I?ve been through, compared to what I need to handle to even keep this world in one piece.? She began to walk away, her long hair billowing out behind her like a purple cape. ?Get out. I don?t want to come back and see you still here.? Carline just stared at the pavement despondently, far too wretched to even cry.

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I think I may have made both get angry too fast, but...

Anyway, this should end up having about twenty five chapters. That's how many I have planned, at least; I have vague ideas for stuff after that, but I'll see if I still want to write this/you people still want this to be written once I get that far.