Tribal

23

Ghost and Acacia had been sitting at the edge of the lake for almost an hour when Ghost began to stand. "It's about time we got moving," he said. He began to take his cloak off, and Acacia was forced out of her drowsiness. She quickly turned and covered her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I don't want my cloak getting wet, so I'm going to dematerialize it until we get to the other side," he said.

"You're going to what?" She had no idea what he had said.

"I can take objects and teleport them to a sort of personal pocket dimension. It's where I store everything," Ghost said, his cloak disappearing into thin air as he did so. "Come, we need to get going." Ghost jumped into the lake and began to swim.

"Wait!" Acacia called.

"What?" Ghost turned to face her.

"I... I can't swim." Acacia turned her head down in embarrassment.

"Wait, seriously?" Ghost asked, a small grin on his mouth.

"I was never taught!" Acacia tried to defend herself, with red covering her face. Ghost laughed.

"Here, I have an idea." He swam up to the shoreline. "Wrap your arms around me, and I'll carry you across." He turned his back to face her. She grumbled, but she wrapped her arms around him. He began swimming across the lake. It was slow, and the water was cold, but it wasn't awful. Acacia looked around as Ghost swam. She could see down to the lake's floor; it was mostly stone, but there was underwater vegetation down there too. She looked up to the cave's ceiling and saw all the stalactites hanging from above. She looked around and could only see water, unless she looked forward; then she could see the shore off in the distance, or behind her, she could see the shore they had just left. She had to double-check, but she could swear she saw a familiar shadow on the sand. When she looked back, there was nothing.

"I think we're being watched," she said.

"We are always being watched. Wherever I am, Shade will be there too," Ghost said.

"If they are here with us, then do they know what we're doing?" Acacia asked.

"Most likely. They have a habit of listening to my thoughts. They likely know what we are trying to do," Ghost answered.

"Then why don't they try to stop us?" she questioned.

"They aren't here physically. They can only make us think that they are here. Their powers revolve around illusion and manipulation. They have no power if we don't give them any," Ghost said.

"Then how did they kill the Radiance?" Acacia wondered.

"Their true physical body has form, and yes, it is very powerful. But it dissipates quickly outside the void or without a vessel. Last I checked, they have no vessel to leave the void, so they are stuck inside the Abyss for now," Ghost answered.

"Can they not use you as a vessel?" Acacia said, with a tinge of fear in her voice.

"Their vessel needs to be a being not made of void. Think of trying to store water inside a lake. The water that you tried to store will get lost, and you can't transport the lake, so nothing moves; you just lose the water you tried to store," Ghost said.

"That implies that they can absorb you and you'll be lost forever," Acacia said.

"If I was truly empty, then yes, that is a possibility. But because I have my own mind outside of their will, I will always have my own separate being. My younger siblings, who have yet to create their own souls, have fallen to Shade's will and are lost. I grieve their loss, but there is nothing I can do unless Shade is killed. If Shade were to try and absorb me, I'd be able to escape because I am my own person separate from them," Ghost said.

"So why try to separate yourself from them? You already have free will, and there is nothing they can do to you," Acacia puzzled.

"I hate having their voice in my mind all the time. I have no privacy in my own head, and they are always in my peripheral vision, taunting me. I wish to be rid of their presence for good," Ghost said. He looked forward to the shore that was getting close to them.

"I understand," Acacia said.

"Once I'm free from them, I can help free my siblings. I won't leave them in that darkness," Ghost said.

"How noble. You surely care for them," Acacia responded. She laid her head on one of Ghost's shoulders and let the cool waters flow past her. She felt herself drifting asleep again and soon passed out. When she woke up, Ghost's cloak covered her nude body, and Ghost was using his magic to try to start a fire to dry her cloak. She held his cloak up to her face; his scent was imprinted on the cloak, and she felt comforted by it. She stood and wrapped the cloak around herself, then walked over to Ghost and wrapped the cloak around the two of them.

"You didn't have to dry that for me," she said.

"Would you have preferred a wet cloak?" he asked.

"That is fair. Thank you," she said. She moved around and sat in between his legs; he placed his head on top of hers, and they looked out to the other side of the lake. "I..." Acacia wanted to say something, but she felt a lump in her throat and couldn't find the words to speak.

"Shh, let's just sit here together," Ghost said. Acacia felt his arms wrap around her waist, and he fell asleep on her shoulder. She laid back and nuzzled up to him, wrapping her arms around him, and she fell asleep there.

Ogrim looked across the lake and realized why Ghost was doing what he was doing. "Oh, Ghost, you foolish boy. I can't help but understand." He turned and walked out of the cavern.

"Find anything, sir?" one of the guards asked. Ogrim paused.

"I... No, nothing. They must have gone upwards to Dirtmouth. We must hurry." Ogrim and his soldiers left for Dirtmouth, and he thought to himself, 'I hope your story ends better than mine, old friend.'