Spiritless Life

Spiritualist Life

The room Edelen walked them to was large and spacious. It had a queen sized bed and couches in a circle closer to the door. It was simple, which Karam had found was normal. Colors in this world were limited.

"That reminds me, I don't think I've ever seen blue." As Karam thought about it, she realized that many colors seemed to be missing from this world. White, brown and green were colors she had seen often. She had noticed someone wearing red once in the palace, too. But other than that there wasn't much variety. Is it because the people here value 'bodies' over 'things?

"This is the room that has been reserved for you. Through that door is a space for your workers. If you have any problems, let me know." Edelen bowed kindly and her and the other two workers, who were panting, left us.

"So... Is there like an entrance ceremony or something?"

Dolph looked at her, "A ceremony for entering? Of course not, that would be silly. Ceremonies are reserved for things like choosing a king and raising one's title."

"Title? Like noble?" This might seem a strange question as it seemed obvious, but here they didn't have things like 'lord' or 'duke'.

"Like Mou... Oh right, we have been calling them levels. The correct word is 'title' because it changes one's position in the world."

"Is there a badge or something as one gains a new title so that one can tell the titled apart from those not titled?"

"Of course. Though some don't use it. Also, it's different for each person so there is no sure way to know." Dolph set down Karam on a couch as he brought in the cases and began working with Bracken to unpack them. "When one receives a title, they are allowed to mark their skin."

"Mark their skin? How?"

"Like I said, it is different from person to person. You will gain a greater understanding as you begin to interact with other students. Their guards will all have something different. Anyway, I want to hear more about these different ways of fighting?"

Karam rolled her eyes. Of course a Former would think about something like that. "Actually, I don't know much about it. Though I would imagine that they use different attacks to aim for different points. Like... One for protection might use a block while another type might dodge and use their agility to attack."

"You won't win by just blocking though? If it goes like that than the battle would rely on stamina and luck. The one who blocks would be the loser. Not all attacks will be blocked and eventually-'

"Sure. Okay, hold on. Do you intend to kill all of your opponents?"

"Well, yes. Unless it is training." Dolph said this as if it were obvious.

"In my world, killing another person got the killer into trouble. They would be locked up to repent about their mistake. Because killing another person was not allowed."

"Not allowed?"

"Yes. Because each live is precious. If one were to end that, it would be a sin."

Dolph had stopped putting her clothes in the drawer by now. He sat with a few of her folded shirts in his hand, watching her speak from over the back of the couch. "Huh."

"That's why it was better to simply 'stop' someone than to 'kill' someone. Also, I'm pretty sure restraining someone and blocking go together so..." Karam turned back around and plopped back onto the couch.

Bracken and Dolph looked at each other.

"I actually think that it's rather strange you guys spend your days' fighting."

"Well, spiritualists spend their days obtaining knowledge."

Karam jumped up and turned around, "What really?"

Dolph was confused as to why she looked so excited, "Yes..."

"Can't I be a Spiritualist instead?"

Dolph and Bracken were shocked.

"Actually, I've never been good at sports or anything. Studying had always been kinder to me. So is there a Spiritualist school- what's wrong? You guys look like you've seen a ghost? Wow, I've never understood that saying until now."

Bracken and Dolph looked at each other.

"Princess, it is not that simple." Bracken turned towards her and looked at her sadly, "A Spiritualist is born a Spiritualist. They are different from us."

Right now, Dolph had gone into his own little world. I have never heard of a Former wanting to be a Spiritualist. Aren't they inferior? Does she know something we don't? No, she's always preferred reading over training. I had thought something was off. I thought she might just grow out of it but if you think about it she said she was older in her last life and if she's retained all of her memories than doesn't that make her mind older than her body? Does that mean she will never 'grow out' of anything? Will she be like this all her life? No, that's not the point. SHE WANTS TO BE A SPIRITUALIST? "Uh... Kara, you understand what your saying, don't you? You would never be able to obtain your own food and fend for yourself. You would never be able to live on your own- you would always depend on someone else. You would be bound!"

Karam looked at Dolph, "In my last life everyone lived like that. In my last life there were those who would raise animals for food, those who would ready the raised animals, those who would cook it and than it would be given to those who were willing to pay a price for it. That price would than be used by those who had made the food to get their own food and make more food so that they could keep on living. Of course, food that was already cooked and ready was a lot pricier than food that was simply cut away from the animal." Karam smiled.

Bracken and Dolph looked at each other again to make sure what they were hearing was the same. "So they would raise beasts?"

"They would use that price to do it again?"

"They would pay others for food?"

"They would give away their food?"

"Uh..." karam watched their back and forth. "Maybe I should explain a little more in depth... You see someone would raise thousands of chickens, let's call him a farmer. He would raise the chickens for not only himself but also for others. Some of the eggs would-"

"Wait, what are chickens?"

"Uh... well they are an animal."

"Animal? What is an animal? Is it tasty?"

Well..."