Whispers Between Worlds

Chapter Three: Pick Up Your Weapon (And Face it)

Rule #3 of traveling to another dimension: Try not to turn into a demon.

Vittoria's stern voice brought her back to reality.

Lysandra instinctively dropped the staff as if it were venomous. It clattered on the ice, yet the unusual connection lingered—the sensation of being tethered to something beyond herself, like a stone sensing the water parting around it. "Apologies, but I truly don't understand—"

"A mage," Vittoria asserted sharply. "Have you been deceiving me all along? Is this some kind of trick the Mage deviants are playing on the assembly? When we're at our weakest.

"What, no– I don't even know what half of that sentence means. I had to defend myself, If I didn't grab that stick," she gestured to the curved staff laying haphazardly across the cracked ice. "I would have died. That–that demon thing would have eaten me."

Vittoria stayed silent for a few beats, a cold sweat formed on the back of Lysandra's neck. She was telling the truth, but it felt like the warrior would cut her down any minute.

"Why would someone unfamiliar with magic grab a mage's staff?" Vittoria finally said, lowering her sword just a tad bit.

"What?" the black-haired woman glared at her. "I don't know," she said hastily trying to explain herself, lest Vittoria's patience run thin. "It was just sitting there and I heard it call out to me. It was weird. Once I touched it, everything... changed. I felt different, complete even. I'm probably not making any sense."

"That's not how magic operates." Vittoria pressed her lips together. "Magic usually manifests in childhood, requiring years of training to avoid setting things ablaze or succumbing to demonic possession. Your level of control suggests a level of expertise that takes years of training in the towers or under a Mastria."

Lysandra had no idea what a "tower or a "Mastria" was, but from what Vittoria was saying she probably shouldn't have grabbed that staff so willingly. 

"Wait," Lysandra said, blinking in confusion "Demons can possess people? Like from the exorcist? "

Vittoria stared at her in mild disgust, something she seemed to do quite often. "I have no idea what you are talking about, but yes they can. They can turn mere mortals into anathemas." she glanced at Lysandra. "In case, you don;t know what that is, it's when a demon and human merge creating a monstrous creature not quite humane but not quite demon."

The new-found mage blinked in horror. "Does that happen often?"

The warrior shrugged. "We try to avoid it if possible, but mages are quite susceptible to becoming anathema. Such is life."

Lysandra wanted to yell that no, such was not life. This was not normal and maybe she shouldn't be acting like humans becoming some kind of demon-hybrid was normal, but Vittoria appeared ready to end the conversation.

Lysandra met Vittoria's gaze steadfastly. "I'm speaking the truth, Vittoria."

Vittoria shook her head. "That's a matter for the remaining assembly members to ascertain. At present, you need to defend yourself, and it seems you can. Keep the staff. For now."

For a moment, they regarded the staff lying on the ice at Vittoria's feet—just a stick in the snow. Vittoria bent down with a grunt, picked it up, and, wearing an expression of utter distrust, handed it to Lysandra.

Lysandra hesitated, tentatively reaching for the staff. The once-potent connection had weakened, but a sense of permeability remained—something flowing through and around her. It was as if she could perceive more, glimpsing things that existed yet didn't, hearing whispers, words, and melodies meant only for her. It felt both enchanting and unnerving.