#t:irrlicht

[delicatevalentine]

Irrlicht

shadoll​:

when someone dies their soul does not leave this world all at once. long ago the kia staff taught sara that fragments of people filter back into the world and linger if they are dissatisfied with their fate. she has seen ghosts before of as many temperaments as the living. some tend toward mischief to pass what little time they have left - sara knows she aspires to this - while others wallow in their own loss, mourn the regrets that follow them to the grave evermore.

there’s a strong presence in these ruins that swells like a tide. each step further brings her closer to an emotional outpouring of desperation. every spirit was once a person with desires, lives defined by the triumphs and successes all encounter simply existing. she never tires of listening to the voices of those willing to share so candidly with her however muddled the sound may be. it is rare that people understand themselves and sara claims no deeper understanding of the powerful feelings she hears as vividly as most see.

in spite of registering the call after her, sara does not wait for nino. she presses on forward to the brightest stars for they are also the most fragile, the ones under threat of being snuffed out.

“tell us how we can help you.”

Even with Sara's dismissal of her question, Hilda couldn't shake the feeling that something awful had happened here. And Blank’s growing distress as they struggled to recall the details of the war that they had mentioned hadn’t escaped her notice. Though it was clear that they suffered from some kind of amnesia, they didn't often appear too distraught about the fact, so the shift in energy only served to trouble her more.

Blank’s next words didn’t provide much comfort either. As they spoke, the wisps appeared to be growing restless, their wordless buzz increasing in volume and urgency. The quality of the light filtering through made Hilda’s imagination run wild — she almost thought some of the larger ones were taking on a humanoid shape.

The only sound for a few moments was the indistinct chattering of the wisps and the gentle murmuring of Marianne’s prayers. Hilda wondered if she should join her friend. Divinity had never done much for her. That wasn’t to say she didn’t believe; she thought there might be something bigger out there somewhere, and if there was, it was probably too busy to care what she was up to. But if there was a possibility that prayers might help these poor souls, there could be no harm in trying. Before she could make a decision, Sara’s voice broke through the quiet, sympathetic but firm.

And then, the wisps swarmed.

— end.