A few villagers gently helped the old woman back to her feet, glaring at the Inspector. One of the men cursed under his breath, dusting off the woman's clothes and extending the cane to her.
"Well, don't be shy now," Saespir said, beckoning the man with an underhand curl of her index finger. "I much prefer addressing problems early."
The man's head vanished into his hood, grumbling as he ducked back into the rows of people. Prae clenched her teeth, but willed both feet to remain rooted in place.
A figure clad in the temple's green and gold robes waded through the sea of people to the very front. A familiar blonde half-ponytail freed itself from beneath the hood and a set of defiant crimson eyes shot the lady a fierce look.
Tess, no! Prae glanced at Allaver as worry creeped across her face. Returning the same look, the boy shook his head.
Saespir smirked, sizing up Tesserta from head to toe. "A priestess? I don't recall sending out a summons recently."
"Inspector or not, that's no way to treat the Decaying," Tesserta stepped in front of the old woman. "They're the next generation selected by Mother Nature herself!"
Gladrim clicked his tongue, stepping in between the two. "Stand down, Tesserta. This is unbecoming of a priestess, especially as the future Village Chief."
Tesserta opened her mouth in protest, but begrudgingly nodded once she saw Prae desperately pleading with her eyes.
With a flick of her wrist, the Inspector motioned to her guards.
"Shall we? I haven't got all day." She raised both hands slightly above her head and clapped twice. "Two lines. Single-file. You all know the drill."
Amongst the whispering and grumbling, the crowd morphed into two long lines, one in front of each tent. The guards stood at attention and occasionally barked out names off a scroll of parchment. Every so often, cries of anguish would erupt deep within the confines of the tent. After what seemed like an eternity…
"Next! Prae Eagalerie!"
Prae inhaled deeply and clutched her long sleeves, arms wrapping around her waist. She sunk into the folds of her robes, lifting up the cloth blocking the tent's entryway and ducked underneath it. This is j-just the same as usual. I'm going to be…fine. Nothing to be scared of or anything.
It was the same sight she would see every thirty days or so.
A white cloth ceiling, flapping in the breeze, was propped up by four metal poles. Light scratching of parchment and muffled sounds of the desert wind. An oil lantern on the desk was a sun, its splendor nearly consuming all shadow inside. Prae squinted, blocking the harsh rays with one hand as she made out the figure of the sitting Inspector.
"...no other signs…" Saespir muttered to herself as she scribbled away at the desk, fully focused on her work. Her sabre leaned against its corner, rattling slightly with the movements of the quill. Without stopping, she uttered a single word.
"Strip."
Prae hesitated for a moment, then removed her robe and undergarments, awkwardly shifting her weight back and forth between both legs. Her hairs stood on end as her bare skin was exposed to the desert heat.
The Inspector sat down her quill, and cradled a small stack of parchment in her left. Clomping across the ground, the metal segments of her sabatons scraped against themselves as she walked towards Prae. Her gloved fingers glided across the girl's body, like insects swarming over a piece of fruit. Prae winced, held her breath and mentally counted the sounds of the rippling white tent walls. She only got to eight before the fingers explored up the nape of her neck..
Saespir brushed aside the girl's hair with a gloved finger. "Huh. Would you look at that…I used to think that checking the children was a waste of time, too."
She flicked the decaying earlobe with her thumb and middle finger. Pain shot through the left side of Prae's skull. The girl yelped, clutching her head as she staggered backwards a few steps.
"Stage 1, at this age," the Inspector said, nonchalantly jotting down notes on the parchment. She slid a blue bracelet over Prae's wrist.
Panting, Prae cleared her throat, but the stinging from her head hampered her ability to think straight. "If we're done–"
"Not yet, Prae Eagalerie, daughter of Irysstia Eagalerie"–Saespir leaned in close, her sideswept bangs tickling Prae's cheeks–"I've been looking for you."
Dread.
It flooded her entire being in an instant. The girl's instincts screamed at her. To run. Get as far away as she could from the smiling lady in front of her. Prae spun on her heel, lunging for the cloth curtain at the entryway.
An arm whipped around her neck, a noose that yanked her further inside the white walls. The icy cold metal of the breastplate pressed against her back as it dug uncomfortably into her shoulder blades. A raspy whisper breathed into her ear. "Won't you stay a bit longer?"
Like a doll, Saespir flung Prae against the ground. The girl coughed, gasping for air as she rubbed her neck.
This was no longer the inspection she once knew.
What…what can I even do? I have to get out of here! On all fours, Prae groaned, her back to the Inspector. She pulled her arm in close, concealing the orange glow radiating from her palm with her body. A tingly, warm feeling arrived at her fingertips.
Now!
She locked eyes with the smiling figure before her. Thin tendrils of light fired out from her outstretched hand in a spiral pattern. They rocketed through the air, converging around the armored lady-
And shattered. As if they touched an invisible barrier, a hundred pieces of light dissipated mid-air, fading into nothingness.
In her entire life practicing Mirusol, Prae had never seen such a sight.
"Sedaqui? How cute"–Saespir waggled her finger, then tapped the cylindrical object dangling from a maroon red cord at her waist no larger than a small stack of coins–"You, of all people should know better."
Stunned, Prae swept her gaze across the foreign object, taking note of the string of numbers and letters stamped into its bronze casing: 4A73687A7A676C7976.
Seeing no change in the girl's expression, the Inspector chuckled. "You poor thing. Left you in the dark, did she? This automatically breaks down all Mirusol targeting me. One of the first prototypes of the 'anti-Mirusol' charm, made personally by Irysstia Eagalerie."
Anti-Mirusol!? Why would my mother make such a device?
The lady laid down the parchment on the table, closing in on the girl.
"S-stay away!" Prae crawled backwards, retreating to the corner of the tent.
"It's hard to believe the daughter of Irysstia Eagalerie is such a pathetic piece of livestock…" –Saespir reduced her voice to a whisper–"...almost reminds me of how I was back then."
"Just your luck. Decay at your age? Ha! You might as well be pronounced dead to your friends and family! Maybe you'll last half a year or so. That is, if you aren't sent to a host family before then."
She tossed a piece of parchment at Prae's feet.
"Which is why I'm here to make you a deal. You see, there happens to be quite the enticing finder's reward for your mother's research notes right now…whoever hands them over to Topulenn officials will get a chance to use their tech to do 'anything they want.'" Saespir emphasized the last few words, dramatically waving one gloved hand through the air.
Topulenn. It was nicknamed 'City of the Future' because of its incredibly advanced technology that almost seemed like witchcraft and sorcery to even the more advanced cities. The very same capital that her mother visited for business every thirty days.
"But why would they want Mom's research–"
"Who knows? If you live long enough, maybe you'll find out."
Is this related to what Mom's been doing on her business trips to the city? She would always dodge the subject, saying it was "for the good of D'vuspei". Plus, she never allowed Prae in the laboratory at home either. At some point Prae stopped asking questions, but not once did it ever leave her mind.
"All I care about is that reward," Saespir continued. "So while you are livestock…you may still have some value. Her lovely daughter might know something about these research notes. Write the location down, and not only will I take that bracelet off, but I'll also wipe your name from the Decaying registry. You'll be a free soul. Isn't that great? You get to take your life-well, what's left of it, back."
Postal number: IE39084217445754783291047-A3K45L. The long alphanumeric string surfaced from the depths of Prae's consciousness. It was written on a certain rectangular-shaped package wrapped in hide and tightly bound with cord. While she was strictly forbidden to read its contents, she had seen her mother carry around a similar worn, leather-bound tome around the laboratory almost two palms thick. The exact dimensions of the package. Her mother's research notes.
The last time she saw it was on the day Dad changed. The day of Mom's death. A day that was supposed to be celebrated. She'd been excitedly waiting to become a big sister, after all.
That very day was scorching hot, almost three summers ago. When her baby brother came into the world. It was then that their Soul Family had vanished, without a trace.
Two loyal guardsmen had been standing watch outside the room. Her mom was on the bed, her clothes drenched with sweat. The news of the missing Soul Family spread. Entire families lined up outside the clinic, going in one by one to give their prayers.
One of the four large farming families had knelt down on the ornate rug before her mother. "Chief, may the Goddess bless your child with a soul, just as you have blessed us with your leadership."
Her mother nodded weakly. "Thank you, you may leave now. Laarmes Pausitah."
"Laarmes Pau–"
"Enough! Enough of this, already!" Her father rushed forward, grabbing the family head by the collar. "My wife's going to give birth to a monster if we don't do anything about it!"
The family head looked back at Gladrim. "That's why we're lending our strength in prayer–"
"Prayers aren't going to do anything! We don't even know if the Goddess can change things now!"
"Gladrim, I understand, but all we can do is wait for the Goddess to appoint one of us in the village. We must let Nature take its course. Until then, I offer my deepest thoughts in prayer–"
"How about you offer your own sou–" His free hand flew to the hilt of his blade. The guardsmen burst into the room, each restraining one of her father's arms.
But he loosened his grip, huffing heavily. "Unhand me at once!"
"Fools, fools…fools! The lot of you! If nobody will do anything…" Her misty-eyed father shook off the guards, grabbed her mother's hands. "Irysstia, I swear upon the Eagalerie name that I'll find the bastard and bring him back! Just hold on for a bit longer!"
"Gladrim, don't–"
He stormed out the doorway, shoving the family outside with him, longsword in hand. She sighed, and turned her head to the shocked girl on her bedside, placing her hand over the child's. "Prae. Have you been practicing the ceremony like I taught?"
"Y-yes, mother."
"Good. You'll be doing it for the first time now. Use my soul."
"But, then you'll–"
"I can tell. There's not much time left." Her mother gently dabbed the corners of the girl's eyes with a cloth, kissing her forehead.
"Be a good girl, like you always have. It'll be fine," her mother reassured, wiping sweat from her brow. "Now, repeat after me. To end their dying anguish…"
Prae paused for a moment, and pulled out the Needle, extending it to its full length. "T-to end their dying ang-anguish…"
The azure light burst forth from the tip of the needle, illuminating the contours of her mother's weak smile. "And so they will be reborn anew…"
"And so they will be re-reborn anew…" The girl looked back into her mother's eyes, as if searching for affirmation, threading the Needle's ethereal tip dexterously through the two souls.
She nodded, stroking Prae's soft, ashen hair. "This vessel is yours to wield…"
"This vessel is yours to w-wait, mom, are you really sure you–"
"Shh, it's going to be all right, I promise. Now keep going."
The girl stared at her mother in disbelief, but once she got to the final verse, her mother stopped her. "Prae. The package on top of my drawer. Give it to the courier after. Listen. Nobody can be allowed to read it, but…if someone must read it, it should be you when you're older."
Prae briefly glanced at the drawer in confusion, but continued. "O Great Nature, I give myself to you." Her hands pulled the invisible thread taut as the two bodies became intertwined with each other.
The blue light engulfed the entirety of the room as Prae's vision faded, her consciousness slipping. But something wasn't right. Her mother's smile looked strained, and tears dripped from the bottom of her chin, soaking into the bedsheets.
Pulling the girl into a deep embrace, she cried. "I'm so, so proud of you…a-and I'm really, really sorry, my child. Promise me you'll get the package delivered. And take care of your brother for me, okay?"
The world faded into darkness.
When she awoke, her father howled, cradling the lifeless body of her mother in his hands, and on top, the baby. The midwife placed a hand on his back, but he swatted it away.
Prae desperately fought back tears, biting her lip as she snatched the package and dashed to the postal tower with all her might.
A year later, out of curiosity, she had once tried looking for the package by spending numerous sleepless nights studying the Arsuteli postal routes. It was then she hit a wall once the Arsuteli told her it was an invalid postal number that would not ship properly.
To this day, Prae had long given up the search, thinking it had been lost somewhere in the mail. But Saespir's new information complicated things, as if her mother had foreseen this outcome. The research notes she had desperately mailed out that day were out there, somewhere. Her mother's final words echoed in her mind, reigniting a fire she long thought to have been extinguished. I swear, I won't let them fall in anyone else's hands, mom!
Prae slowly inhaled, her pupils now a focused gaze reflected in the whites of the Inspector's eyes. I can't let her know I have information about the research notes.
Had it been anyone else, they might have taken the offer. It pained her, but most people would probably not think twice. But Prae's faith would not be swayed.
"I…don't know what you're talking abo–"
The Inspector drove the metal tip of her right sabaton into Prae's stomach with a swift kick. The girl curled up, gasping for air, grimacing from the stabbing pain.
The lady's wide smile faded. A shadow cast upon her face as she stared into Prae's eyes.
"Don't test me, girl. Honest rule-followers like you can't even lie to save their own skin." She knelt down and sandwiched the girl's chin between her gloved fingers. "Now, write."
"I'd rather fulfill my duty to Mother Natur–"
A gloved fist plunged into the depths of Prae's solar plexus.
Her body crumpled. She felt her insides contort and squirm, curling around Saespir's arm as shock and agony passed over her face. Don't know how much longer…I can…last…
Like laundry drying in the morning sun, Prae hung helplessly from Saespir's iron fist, forcing quick, shallow breaths through her windpipe.
"Write." The patience eroded away from the lady's words.
A voice came from beyond the cloth curtains. "Pardon the interruption, Inspector Saespir, but is something the matter? The people, especially the farmhands, would like to return to the fields. We value our time just as much as you do yours."
Dad! Hope filled Prae's eyes as she felt her strength return.
Cursing, Saespir removed her arm and pushed the girl towards the entrance. "Very well. You'll know the horrors of being a Decaying. I'll see to it myself."
Never had Prae gotten dressed so fast in her life. The next second she had collapsed in her own bed. A nightmare. That's what it had to be. A lullaby of aches and pains later, she retreated to her dreamscape, nursing her stomach under the covers.
The next morning, a swift knocking at the door reverberated throughout the dwelling, rousing her from her slumber.
Behind the front door, a gruff voice cleared his throat. "Is there a 'Prae Eagalerie' living here?"
"Yes, coming!" Prae clomped down the stairs and headed towards the door.
"Congratulations! You have been chosen as a Soul Family. An express sandslider has been prepared. Make haste! Your host family is not fond of waiting."