Tales of Undeath: The Von Virtus Chronicles

LXXXVI. The Lake

Setting Rotavitea down softly against one of the sturdy, old trees that surrounded the lake, Zephyr walks towards the water.

Zephyr: "Be strong. Be true. Be the best man you can be. Become what I was too weak to become... And don't ever forget the tale I used to tell you, for it is so much more palpable than you can know."

As he hears Zephyr utter these words, Virno's eyes widen as he recalls the one who wrote them.

Zephyr: Do you remember the tale he used to tell you...? The one in which the sword was enveloped in chains and thrown into the deepest lake in the country, to never be found again... Yet, like all tales, this one isn't wholly accurate. It is not mere chains that keeps the sword out of reach...

Looking over the water's edge, Zephyr stares at the reflection in the water. As he sees Virno's face, the young man's hold over his body returns. Now back to the real world, he removes the blindfold from his eyes and looks around to find the area oddly familiar.

Virno: This lake... Those woods... I have seen them all before. You showed them to me in dreams.

Virno begins treading across the water.

Zephyr: Your footsteps follow his. This is the place that marked the first of your father's last days... The turning point after which everything began to crumble.

As he moves closer to the lake's center, he starts sinking lower and lower.

Virno: No. This isn't how he did it, is it...?

Zephyr: Not quite. Look inside your pockets...

Searching his pockets, Virno finds countless fragments of scrap that Zephyr had salvaged previously. Still, he was unsure of what their purpose was.

Zephyr: Your father was an impressive researcher. More than just an explorer, he sought out any writings, any knowledge from times of old he could obtain. While most of the sword's potential wielders stumble upon it by mere happenstance... Charles found it because he knew exactly where to look. 

Virno: But he never told me where to look...

Then, Virno felt a warmth near his eyes. Sigils had begun to inscribe themselves upon his skin once more.

Zephyr: Not to worry... You don't need to know. You already have access to something that will reveal all -- put the blindfold back on, Virno.

Taking the blindfold that was hanging from his neck and placing it over his eyes, he could see nothing but a black void. It seemed just like any ordinary blindfold.

Zephyr: Though the blindfold itself isn't the answer... It will lead you to it. Take one of the pieces of metal in your pocket, and hold it up to your eyes.

Virno does as Zephyr instructed, though he could see nothing still.

Zephyr: Now, command the power... But don't let your body channel it for long. Instead, make it flow into the object you hold. Direct its current from where it rests and straight into it.

Drawing deep focus, Virno concentrates on the area around his eyes, where the glowing sigils had appeared. He imagines a line that traces a path down his neck, across his arm and through his hand, all the way to the piece of scrap he held. As he does, the sigils begin mimicking the movement he envisioned, using his skin as a mere conduit to reach their final destination. When they make their way closer to his hand entering his field of vision, Virno is able to see their movement magical sigils, despite having his eyes completely covered.