Sacred Ground
Three of the heads became transparent, their forms unraveling into wisps of hazy gray fog. The mist churned and elongated, until three distinct shapes coalesced—spirit beings of immense and terrifying power.
The serpent was first. So black it seemed made of shadow rather than flesh, its scales rippled with iridescent flashes of red, green, and blue whenever it shifted. Its hood flared like a cobra's, wide and menacing, and it rose tall on a thick, muscular tail that coiled like a wide, living, spring. Its eyes, darker than midnight, fixed on Rebecca. Drool dripped from fangs longer than daggers, each bead thick with a venom that attacked not only the body, but the soul and the mind. Yet its aura wasn't chaotic—it radiated calm, but vicious calm, the kind that promised merciless strikes the moment patience ran thin.
The beetle spirit emerged next. A massive, thickly armored creature with the head of a dung beetle and a body encased in purple-and-yellow chitin. It towered on two legs covered in dense bristles, and six hairy arms flexed and clicked against one another. Its bulbous eyes, unblinking, seemed to look directly past flesh and into one's soul. Rebecca shuddered—if it stared too long, it could strip away a person's will to live, unraveling them thread by thread until they slipped away from the very fabric of fate itself.
Finally came the canine-feline hybrid. A body divided perfectly down the middle, half tiger and half wolf, its dual face a strange harmony of elongated canines and floppy ears. Its massive chest and limbs rippled with muscle, a walking testament to raw physical cultivation. Soul energy whirled constantly around it, miniature tornadoes twisting into existence and then collapsing again. Of the three, this one radiated the greatest danger—not through menace or aura, but sheer overwhelming presence.
The spirits lingered before Rebecca, scrutinizing her, then abruptly streaked forward. Black, purple-yellow, and silver light shot into her forehead, piercing her being.
Rebecca froze. Her eyes glimmered as the torrent of power crashed inside her. She inhaled sharply, her thoughts racing.
'No sign of corruption. Rachel actually purified them as she separated them. Impossible… or maybe not, if it's Rachel. But still—this is ridiculous.'
She steadied her mind and began cataloging.
The serpent. It can slip into a soul and plant desires, thoughts, compulsions. A whisper in the mind that becomes a lifelong obsession—or a fleeting suggestion, depending on willpower. It can build mental labyrinths out of its victim's own consciousness, turning them into prisoners of their own fears. It can paralyze with a thought. Strike terror that rots resolve. And its venom… Her lips pressed thin. No antidote. None.
The beetle. Control with a thought. Soul illusions that manifest as trials of memory, personalized nightmares a target must claw their way through—or fail, and break apart entirely. Its direct soul strikes are precise, like a scalpel, tearing at specific portions until resistance collapses. Ruthless. Efficient.
Her breath hitched when she reached the hybrid. This one… terrifying. Its body is impervious. Perfected by cultivation beyond comprehension, as if its sole goal in life was strength. And soul magic too—real, high-level sorcery, woven like breath. This isn't a spirit being. This is an army wrapped into one body.
Rebecca's pulse quickened with the realization. 'Rachel really handed me monsters. What kind of friend does that?'
Meanwhile, Rachel had moved forward, her expression calm but focused. Streaks of light danced across her skin, threading into her chest, arms, legs. The Milana held spirit beings differently than others. Where most practitioners stored them in isolated pockets of soul wells, the Milana maintained vast forests within their soul wells—living ecosystems for spirits to thrive in. Each forest connected to a different part of the body.
Heads rose, became smoke, and vanished into Rachel, each being settling into its rightful place. A serpent might slither into a forest tied to Rachel's hands, enabling it to strike forth through her fingers. A beetle might dig into a forest tied to her chest, ready to burst outward when called. It was seamless, natural.
Rachel exhaled and nodded. Satisfied. This was a good acquisition.
But she still had unfinished business.
Her grandmother.
Rachel closed her eyes and reached inward. Her awareness sank into the depths of the Milana soul. It didn't take long—her grandmother had surfaced quicker than expected. Their eyes met across the sea of spirit light.
Lanncey smiled faintly, but the weariness in her gaze was impossible to miss. Tired, almost broken, desperate for rest.
'You've done well, little one', her voice whispered through the bond. 'Stronger than I ever dared hope. Look at you, carrying so much of the rainbow. Finally, Trannisa has her Milana.'
Rachel swallowed hard, but didn't look away.
'Be wary, Lanncey continued. Trannisa's ambitions have always been… beyond us. Beyond even me. I thought perhaps Trinn would rise, surpass you, shoulder the burden. But seeing you now… perhaps it was always meant to be you. Still, remember this: the rainbow is more than color. Learn the ancient language, fully, learn the soul of it. Let it embrace you, and embrace it back. You may be the only one who can do what must be done.'
Her grandmother's smile softened. Rachel felt the farewell before the words came.
'I will try, Grandmother. I'll do my best to embrace it all.'
Lanncey's smile tilted bittersweet. She wanted to believe it would be that simple. But nothing in this existence was ever simple. Nothing came without cost.
Her form shimmered, fading away. What remained of her spirit body dissolved into the Milana soul, her memories scattering into the greater whole. Rachel stood still for a long moment, feeling the ache of the parting.
Rebecca's voice finally broke the silence. "How did you purify them so quickly? I mean, I knew you were stronger, but…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "That was… beyond me."
Rachel turned slowly. "It isn't really me. Trannisa purifies them instantly through me. I'm only the conduit."
Rebecca muttered something under her breath, probably about how unfair that sounded, but Rachel was already moving.
"Come. We need to regroup with the others and plan. I'll have to return to the Ambruce Realm soon, and time is thin."
Rachel reached out, and Rebecca clasped her wrist. Together, they stepped forward, and in an instant, they vanished.
The silence they left behind didn't last. Fine vines erupted from cracks in the building, curling upward. Flowers bloomed in rainbow hues, bursting forth, massive and vibrant, entwining walls and windows. The foundation trembled as the vines dug deeper, fusing spirit and stone into one.
Stabilizing what was once crumbling
The building shifted, flickering between realms, then solidified again. It wasn't just a building anymore. It was sanctified.
On the streets below, witnesses clutched their chests, tracing an eight-point star in reverence to the God of the Cosmos.
The building had become sacred ground.
Sibba had begun to shine even more within the realm.