Interconnected: Spliced Souls

When we arrived at my intended location, Jony answered the door and kept his surprise to a mere murmur. He didn’t press for additional info when I said I needed to speak with Lord Flynn. The butler left us in the dining room and went to tell Harold, who was ready to receive us after a few minutes. We followed Jony to a room, and he opened the door for us.    

“The ever-impressive Fisher Jin and Servi. I never expected to entertain you two in the middle of the night,” said Harold, who sat behind an impressive desk in his study while wearing a robe that cost more than farmers made in a decade. I knew he would be here because he said he wanted to welcome back his daughter after she returned. “What is this about?”  

I smacked Fisher on the head, and he told Harold what he told me. About his acknowledgment of the underground slave market and his work to leak information to the ones who carried out the attacks. And then there was his past—his time as a reaper who killed as many wildkin he could find. The bastard was probably responsible for over a thousand unsolved murders.   

Harold listened intensely with his hands folded across his desk. His gaze was unwavering—as stern as he was rich. “So… You were aware of it? And you kept your mouth shut? And you even lost your arm to prevent the truth from emerging?”  

“That’s correct.” Fisher’s voice was devoid of emotion. His eyes had abandoned any light or hope of life.   

“The lives that were lost can be traced to you. And let us not forget that the woman who escorted you here was a prisoner of that market.” Fisher finally showed an ounce of emotion. He turned my way and cried before losing the willpower to stand.   

He deserved to rot on his knees.    

“But your other crimes… They’re heinous. Servi, I don’t know how or why you discovered this information, but I must thank you. One of the incident’s mysteries has been solved.”  

“What do we do with him?”  

“What do you think?” Harold turned the question to me.   

I summoned a trident I had gotten from the Merfolk instead of my scythe and rested the tips against Fisher’s neck.   

“Are you sure? He is a husband and father. And with Arnold’s death, killing Fisher would leave Canary without its strongest asset. For all his flaws… Fighting is not one of them.”  

“Sounds to me like that’s a fatal flaw. Couldn’t you ask the duchess to do something? Or the king? Fisher doesn’t deserve to live. He deserves to die. No, I want him to suffer his days in prison as the turncoat he is. Let the Kingdom of Lando know of his cowardice.”  

“Ah, but think about his family.”  

“And? What are you getting at?”  

“Spreading the truth… Is it such a good idea? All it would take is a few loyalists to take matters into their own hands. They would see Mari, Meri, and Marissa as willing accomplices in his dark crimes.”  

“No… No! I cannot let them suffer in my stead! Please! Let me protect them! Let me act as a proper husband and father until the end! I’ll pay for my sins with my life! You can torture me all you want, just please… Let…them think I died a hero… I don’t want…their last memories of me to be—"  

I kicked Fisher in the head to shut him up. Some teeth popped out of his mouth after he coughed up blood.    

“His words make sense. Why risk his family’s life?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I asked if he was serious about this, and Harold said it was the only way. I rolled my eyes…and applied pressure.   

Just like that…  

Fisher Jin died. The trident cleaved through his neck. I didn’t even want to absorb his goddamn soul. Yes, he was powerful, but I couldn’t use the skills etched into it.  

What a goddamn waste it was…  

“After killing two men in my presence, I feel like it’ll be a waste if I didn't extend any invitation to join me as my executioner." 

“You kill that many people?”  

“In my line of work… You make decisions. Most end in death. It’s the sin I must pay to keep the Kingdom of Lando safe. I have just as much blood on my hands as you.”  

“Do you really? You aren’t even going to ask why I was with him?”  

“Is there a need?” Harold’s answer surprised me. “Relationships are built on trust. Without it, what do we have? You aren’t an ordinary woman. You’re something who manages to entangle themselves in all manners of things. And one with a knack for killing. Oh? And you can store corpses in that ring of yours? Consider me doubly impressed.”  

“Be impressed if you want.” Actually, that was good. If he was enticed by my capabilities, perhaps I could leverage them for Srassa? That is, if he was going to use her debut to further acquire more political power. I hope he wouldn’t. 

“By the by, did Fisher have a sword with him?”  

“He had this. It’s coated with unrefined nadrium, right? That’s how it gets the runes and leaves behind the small blue particles? And the azure glow?” I retrieved his weapon and held it out.   

“Indeed, that’s the one. Nadrium is a rare material—scarcer than even gold. It cannot be artificially made, so it must be mined from meteorites that land upon our fair planet.” He said it took 100 times the amount of money, energy, and time to process unrefined nadrium into refined nadrium. They were solid black ingots. Both were amongst the most durable and sharpest materials in the world. However, the average man could only sustain channeling skill energy into unrefined nadrium for a few moments before becoming exhausted. Only the worthy were given armaments coated in the stuff.  

Refined nadrium was much easier in that regard. Even a child could channel their skill energy for hours because it was so efficient.    

But only the outrageously wealthy and powerful could even hope to have a helmet or shield made from the stuff, let alone a complete set of equipment. I Guess Harold wanted the sword back to sell. Or maybe to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.   

Maybe it was a mistake to return it. I could’ve lied, I guess, but I was tired of lying…  

I really was…  

I wanted an excuse to stop…  

Before I left, he told me how the next few days would go. “Oh, and I’ll trust you to keep this a secret, yes? Momo and my daughter are not to know you were here.”  

I nodded and left his study. Jony was there to escort me to the front door, and I had much to think about during the walk home.   

---

“I suppose you can’t tell me…about why you left.”  

“Sorry, but I can’t.”  

“Even after you shared your secret?”  

Nimyra and I were in her bed, holding hands. She felt matronly warm, but this was the most we could do because I had told her about an incident I had shared with Momo on the trip.   

I wanted her opinion on Srassa, and I trusted her to keep it a secret—especially after she knew I couldn’t die—but… Srassa needed to stay between Momo and me.   

And while the relationship didn’t exactly turn sexual, Nimyra said she wanted to call off our mutual agreement of making the other feel good.   

And I accepted that. But Ni-Ni still said she’d warm my bed and hold me if I was sad or had nightmares. I could find comfort in her embrace.    

I suppose the relationship turned a dash more maternal. And if I really wanted to have sex, there was Itarr.   

We already fucked on a regular basis.    

“It could put you in danger. I’m sorry.”  

Nimyra sighed, but she squeezed my hands. “I understand. I trust you, Servi. And I’ll talk about it whenever you’re ready.”  

“Thanks… Umm… Are you…okay with me? About my secret? I…”  

“It was alarming, yes. After you left, I still didn’t believe what I saw with my eyes. You said Dineria knows about it?” I nodded and told the Drow Elf what I did in Waveret—about burning down the warehouse of monotonia before swimming out to take care of the incoming delivery.   

“Thanks for doing that. I hate those damned pills… But are you okay?”  

“I am. I can’t die—”  

“No, I mean mentally. I’ve lived for a long time. And there were times I nearly lost myself because two decades can pass in the blink of an eye. It feels much longer for a human. I can’t imagine how it is for you.”  

“I’ve only been this way since the night we met. And I don’t consider it a curse. It’s a helpful tool—no, it’s a divine blessing. Without it, a lot of innocent people would’ve died.”  

Nimyra remained in thought. I focused on her eyes—they were shimmering, bright, and full of color. She pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back.   

And…  

I started to cry.  

I didn’t know why, but I shed more tears than I had ever done before. The water never stopped flowing from my eyes, and when morning came…  

The saltiness was still dripping…  

Maybe I wasn't okay.  

Maybe I held some deep problems…  

Itarr kept talking to me while I was being held. Her words were like anchors that helped me remain together, and I especially loved her so, so, so much. I couldn’t imagine a life without my goddess. Even if I had somehow survived my first death, I’d die at Arnold’s hands a thousand times over if it meant Itarr and I would meet.    

---

The service for Fisher and Arnold happened a week later. Days prior, the duchess made a rousing speech and said Fisher and Arnold had passed away during a secret mission to the Lucoa Mines. A horde of nasty bandits had taken refuge inside it and was using it to plot a second infiltration into Canary, and the two sacrificed it all to bring an end to that plot before it could happen.   

A goddamn lie was what it was.   

I was at the funeral with Momo and Srassa, and we wore black. A pair of empty and decorated coffins were paraded through the city. It was a state funeral—filled with all the amenities one needed. At the end, when the graveyard and the surrounding streets were filled with people, we watched as people close to Fisher and Arnold talked about them. Siora and Tim—the Wing Elf and koena I met after climbing the city’s walls—were there.  

I still need to speak to them… Better keep out of their sight. Come on, Servi. Stop being a coward… 

They found it hard to keep composed, but they had a lot of respect for Fisher. Dineria was there to speak on his behalf. She couldn’t fault him with a sword, but she said he was a loving husband and father. She looked at his family, who were obviously in attendance.   

Mari and Meri looked… terribly upset. And their mother wasn’t fairing any better. Her eyes were red, and her nose was runny. She hugged her daughters close and tried to help them. They were young... Too young... 

“NO! DON’T PUT DADDY DOWN THERE!” One of the girls jumped away from Marissa when the caskets were being lowered. She was about to hop on top of the one ‘containing’ her father before her mother snagged her arm and pulled her back. “DADDY, WAKE UP! Wake up, daddy! I need you! You said you were our hero! Daddy!!!”  

“He’s gone, baby,” I had no idea how I heard Marissa’s soft voice over Momo’s and Srassa’s crying. “Daddy’s… Daddy won’t be coming back. He’s not just our hero, sweetie. He’s everyone’s hero… He saved us…”  

“Daddy!!!” The other daughter cried for her father. They both wanted to see him one last time-- to hear one more bedtime story—to be tucked…into bed one last time. 

The audience in attendance couldn’t remain composed at the tear-jerking scene. It was like something from a movie.    

I was probably the sole exception. I hated Fisher more than I felt sorry for his family.    

But why was that?  

Why?  

Why did horrible things come to me so easily?  

I was afraid of the answer--scared to know the truth.   

A military band from the capital had arrived yesterday, and they played the Kingdom of Lando’s national anthem as the caskets were buried by Fisher’s and Arnold’s closest comrades. I was told the band only performed during special moments. Whatever Harold did to really play up Fisher’s role as a hero was impressive. Even I had to admit the power wealth could bring you.   

But the funeral ended with just two attendees knowing the truth behind this farce.   

I walked out with Momo and Srassa. Nimyra was here. She had arrived slightly late, but we met her in the nearby park. She wore a mourning gown. She never spoke with Fisher much, but when she did, it was about his daughters. She said they were the jewel of his life—a reminder that it had meaning.   

She said she felt sorry for Marissa. Living as a widow was always hard, but it was more difficult when you had two young children who couldn’t understand death. She soon excused herself and walked over to the grieving mother when she left. She held Mari and Meri’s hands and tried to be strong for her daughters’ sake.    

“Hey, what do we do now?” Momo asked a few seconds later.    

“Should we say something? Mrs. Jin’s over there.”  

“I’ve never met her,” I said.   

“Neither have I. I’d only met Mr. Jin a few times before, but always at a distance. The trip home was the first time I talked with him for longer than a few minutes.”  

“It can’t hurt to say we’re sorry, right? Isn’t that what you say? I’m sorry for your loss?” I nodded at Momo. I mean... His family was innocent. I’d be a monster if I directed my anger towards them.   

And I didn’t want to become one.   

As we walked over, I saw Nimyra take Mari and Meri by the hands and lead them away. She sat on a bench and spoke with them. Marissa looked relieved. This was a hard time for a widow, but for one with two children?  

The road ahead was going to be tough.   

“I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Jin. Mr. Jin… I didn’t know him well, but he taught us a lot.”  

“Thank you, sweetie. But us? Are you from Waveret?”  

Momo nodded. “We were assigned to Dineria but met Fisher and Arnold in Waveret. He was a strong man. I speak for the three of us when we say we learned a lot from him. He’ll certainly be missed.”  

Marissa just broke down. She said she was glad her husband passed on his knowledge.   

“He always wanted to teach. He said he wanted to use his knowledge and skills to train those who wanted to protect what they loved. Please… Honor my husband… Find what’s important in your lives, and fight to protect it.”  

“We will, Mrs. Jin,” I said. I didn’t know what to do, so I just hugged her. It probably shocked her, but she wrapped her arms around my back and cried. Momo and Srassa joined the hug.   

We broke off a minute later, and Marissa seemed a little better. Not especially much, but it was something. The duchess approached with her guard, that dryad, and that kobold. We didn’t want to intrude, so we said goodbye and found Harold.   

He was speaking with Jony and a few other nobles I didn’t know. Srassa informed him we were about to leave. He told Jony, who fetched the carriage and enjoyed a somewhat tense trip home. I grabbed my friends’ hands and held them in my own.    

“Death… I never like to talk about it. Or think of it,” Momo admitted. “I knew we all die, but it’s a scary subject.”  

“It shouldn’t be taboo, but it is,” Srassa replied. She used a handkerchief to wipe her glistening eyes. “Ms. Momo?”  

“Hmm?”  

“Have you…ever thought about…what it would be like to not die?”  

“Sometimes. I think it might be kinda cool to live for a super long time. You’d get to see a whole bunch, but it also means that after a certain point, you’d be the only one to know what happened in the past.”  

“I get what you mean,” I said. “If a war or something happens, and you live through it… You’re the only one who’ll know the truth after a few hundred years.”  

“Yeah, just like that. But my grampy told me something when I was little. Grampy said we only truly die when we’re thought about for the last time. I’ll never forget my grampy, and I like to talk about him to everyone because of that. Long after I’m gone, I can hope people will still think of me and him, and that means we’ve done something we can be proud of with our lives.”  

“Something to be proud of, huh?” I questioned Momo’s words.   

“I’ll never forget you or your grandfather, Ms. Momo!” Srassa suddenly blurted out.   

Momo charmingly smiled. “Then I’ll never forget you. And then Servy won’t forget us, and we’ll never forget her. If we keep telling people about us, wouldn’t that make us immortal?”  

“That’s the kind of logic only you’d come up with, captain.”  

“And I’ll take that as the best compliment in the world, Servy!”  

“Umm… Should… Is there something we can do for Mrs. Jin?”  

“Like what?” I asked.    

“Oh, what if we bring her some cookies? Or we can head over and play with her kids. It’s… probably going to be hard for a while.” Momo’s ears folded against her head. She squeezed my hand a little bit. “I dunno what I would do if my spouse died.”  

“Are you thinking about getting married, captain?”  

“Not any time soon. I dunno if I ever will, if I’m being honest.” Momo glanced my way and blushed. She suddenly changed the subject to Marissa.   

Maybe she’s right. I killed her husband. I killed her children’s father. Maybe… I need to protect them in Fisher’s stead? 

“Okay, yeah. Let’s do it. We can spend tonight talking about it. Srassa, it’ll be okay if I stay over, right?” 

“Yes! It’s always okay, Servy! I can have a messenger send a note to Ms. Nimyra." Srassa squeezed my hand from her eagerness.