Unending Curse

Mm, that was so good! My mouth's all happy, and so is the rest of me!

Haha, another satisfied customer.

I remember you really enjoying yourself last time we ate here, too. Do you like the food here that much?

Yeah, I sure do! All food is delicious, but there's something extra-special about the food here in Zarbo. My guess is it's 'cause it reminds me of my hometown...

What?! It's back again?!

What's going on over there?

Yeah. They say it showed up near the flowing sands, same as where I saw the damn thing.

It's a curse for sure. The ruins' curse...

If you're going to blame me for waking up the ruins' ghosts, at least be brave enough to say it straight!

Oh, stop it! That's not what I meant.

Hey folks, couldn't help but hear all the shouting going on over here. Is everything alright? Anything we can help with, maybe?

Oh, I'm sorry for the noise. We didn't mean to disturb anyone.

No, no, that's okay! It's just, I heard you mentioning ghosts and curses and stuff like that. It kind of got me interested.

If you don't mind, we'd like to hear more about what's going on.

Me and my daughter here are scholars. Archaeologists, more like. We're studying the ruins here in the desert. A little while ago, we found what looks like part of an ancient village. But just when we were starting our investigations, a ghost wearing Eastern clothes started appearing...

All the villagers say it's our fault for excavating without properly appeasing the spirits of the dead. They say we've made them angry.

I see. But wait a moment. Why would there be a ghost in Eastern clothes here in Rucyana?

A long time ago, an expedition set out from the East to find the truth about the World Tree. They settled here in Rucyana Sands. With that in mind, it's not hard to imagine one or two of them ending up as a ghost here.

You know your stuff. Are you interested in ancient history too?

Oh, no, I don't have the head for that kind of thing. I only know about it 'cause that's where I grew up, that's all.

Uh, is that meant to be a joke?

We're talking about a village that sank into the sand in a giant earthquake a millennium ago.

There's no way a human could live that long.

Well, you're right there...

Living souls come from the earth, and to the earth they return. At least, that's how it's meant to work.

Someone from home still hanging around in this day and age would be really unusual for sure. Hmm...

Flamme?

'Stead of sitting around on our charming backsides... Why don't we just go out there and see what's going on for ourselves!

Where'd you say you saw this ghost popping up at, again? Somewhere out in the desert by flowing sand? Not that I was eavesdropping, but, you know. Shouting and all.

The place is to the west, but... You mean to go and intentionally run into a ghost?

Oh, right, sorry! Forgot to introduce myself. The name's Flammelapis. I'm a traveling priestess of sorts. Is it still "traveling" if you don't have a destination in mind, or is that just "wandering" then?

Anyway, if there's a ghost here with lingering regrets holding them down, I can't leave them to suffer.

You mean you'll exorcise it?

Yeah! It's my duty to help all lost souls back to the cradle of the mother goddess.

Oh, uh, are you okay with that too? I kind of decided without asking you.

Of course. Ghosts are people too, and I can't ignore someone in need of help.

Let's get going, then! We've got a lost little ghost to return back to where they belong!

This is about where the scholars said they saw the ghost, I think.

......

Hmph. A familiar, tiresome location.

Familiar? Oh, right. You said something about your hometown earlier, I remember.

Is this the place?

That's right. This is where I was born. Of course, there was a whole lot less sand everywhere when I was growing up, so that's different.

Then, the ghost...

They could be someone from the old village, or they might not be. Either way...

Souls return to the earth. So the people of my village are resting here, whether one of 'em's up or not.

So that's why you accepted the job.

It's part of it, I guess? But it's more important to me to help folks who need help I can offer. I wouldn't be fit to call myself the High Priestess's disciple if I ran off without even trying!

The High Priestess was the one who made the sheath to seal Ogre Rancorem, right?

Any restless spirits around here are sure to be in good hands with her disciple on the job.

Well, I sure hope so... But something feels not quite right.

Say, Oggy. Does anything smell super tasty around here? Are you feeling hungry at all?

If there were any grudges sufficient to slake my thirst here, this sheath would already be shed.

Okay, so not a grudge, got it. Not even any regular ghosts either, though? That's kind of weird.

Hmmm...might just be imagining things. But I'll give it a dance, just to be sure.

Huh? A dance?

Yeah! There's a special dance that helps shepherd lost souls back to the mother goddess. Hang on, I swear I have this somewhere... where did I... Aha! Got it!

Whoa, I wasn't expecting that.

That's a really fancy outfit. Are you going to dance in that?

Yeah, that's right! Isn't it just adorable? This is a traditional titan outfit! My dad left it for me.

A titan outfit...

When I'm wearing this, I get this warm, fuzzy feeling. It feels like my dad and all my ancestors are watching over me.

And hey, it's a matching set with Garam the hero's outfit, too! I don't know how I could NOT feel invincible wearing something with this much power packed in!

Matching...hey, you're right. Those hem patterns look a lot like the ones on Garam's clothes.

Though he always said those were meant to symbolize battle and victory, not dancing, as far as I know.

Huh, really? Dad said the titans danced to appease the dead all the time. That's what he taught me, at least.

To appease the dead...

Huh, I wonder...

Hm? Figure something out?

Oh, no, I just thought... Even if the exact form's different, it sounds like the intention got passed down through the ages.

Yup. The spirit carries on. Dad's spirit, Mom's spirit, the spirits of their dads and their moms, and all the ancestors, all the way back. It carries on all the way down across the years to us. Isn't that amazing?

You really like Garam, huh?

I only grew up on bedtime stories about all his heroic deeds, that's all.

Dad told me all about him! The titan hero who traveled the whole world, saving people in trouble and showing we're not scary as all that.

That sure sounds like him.

I always loved hearing about all the amazing things he did for folks. Like the village he saved by blowing a magma flow off-course with just his breath! Or that time he stopped a typhoon with a single strike of his spear... Ooh, and that one about the time he pulled a cloud down out of the sky and used it as a bed!

Huh...?

But my favorite one has to be the time he pulled the World Tree up by its roots and used it as a javelin! And he was even kind enough to put it right back when he was done. That's the mark of a real hero!

(I feel like Flamme's dad may have stretched a few truths to entertain her at bedtime...)

Okay, I'm all done charging up! Thanks, ancestors! Thanks, Garam! Time to get this dance danced!

...So beautiful.

Hmph. Hardly. This is a dance dedicated to the mother goddess. Ritualistic flailing that fills the very air with loathsome pure energy. Ah...and here they come, as predictable as insects flocking around a flame.

W-what's all this?!

The wretched shades of the dead, too far gone to even realize that their time has long since passed.

Flamme said this was a dance meant to help lost souls find their way. Are they coming to her looking for her help, maybe?

Ordinarily, it would be so...

Huh? Something's weird.

Hmm. I get the feeling they didn't like that dance much.

No being that detests the light would find that terrible dance appealing.

That's just you, Ogre Rancorem. I think those were just regular monsters, weren't they?

They could have liked my dance, but it wasn't really a monster dance, so I dunno about that. Maybe they were after something else they saw around here?

We won't know unless we look! Let's follow after them, c'mon!

Wh...Flamme!

I guess we'd better follow her.

Hmm. Where did those ghosts get to?

Heeeey! Ghosts! Are you here? I just wanna talk to you! I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise!

This place brims over with a foul, unpleasant energy...

Yeah, I guess it is a little warm. But it's the desert, you know? That's just how it is here.

You cannot feel it, then? This curse threatens to tear souls from their fleshly vessels. In all likelihood, this place...

Hey, there you are!

I have some questions I'd like to ask, if that's okay.

...Huh? Wait, that's...

Girl! Take me and leave this place. If you do not flee immediately...

Hold a while, demon sword. Is this not a reunion to be celebrated?

High...Priestess...?

Wait, this is the High Priestess? But from what you said, didn't she pass away a long time ago?

'Tis true. My body returned to the earth's bosom long ago.

But I could not go to my final rest in good conscience with this evil blade still haunting this land... And so I anchored my soul here, awaiting my chance to seal it away in perpetuity.

Your soul? Is that even possible?

Souls separated from their bodies return to the earth... To the mother goddess. A soul left on its own, just wandering, wouldn't be able to hold out for a millennium, no way. But if you stored your consciousness in something else, the way Oggy's made, then just maybe...

Well done, Flammelapis. I am pleased to see that you recall my teachings so clearly.

But...there is much I do not grasp. I heard the demon blade speak. Why have you permitted the thing to exercise such freedom?

Oggy, um, I mean, Ogre Rancorem is my friend, High Priestess. I owe him my life, a whole bunch of times over!

Your friend? I knew your family was bizarre, but to declare that a demon sword is your friend...

I mean, yeah, Oggy's not exactly a charmer for sure. He's proud, he's grouchy, he can be VERY rude... He never calls me by name, he likes to jump out of his sheath when he knows he shouldn't... And don't even get me started on all the picky eating.

But he's so much fun to be around, and I'm really glad to know him!

You have allowed your heart to be invaded by the darkness, child. You are no disciple of mine.

I had intended to teach you the final binding rite, but it seems you can no longer be trusted. I will settle matters myself.

Wait, please! Siodglase, a titan sage we talked to said that someday, Ogre Rancorem wouldn't need the sheath anymore. He hasn't done anything wrong, I mean, nothing evil. I'm keeping my eye on him, just to be safe. So, please...isn't that enough?

Not in the least. Even if you could keep the blade from bringing harm to the world... What will become of it when you die? Long-lived though you are, you are not immortal, child.

Well...

However, I have a fine idea. Though I am but a shade of myself, I will persist in perpetuity like this. I will watch over the cursed blade.

Demon, come with me. I will place upon you the seals I have spent these thousand years weaving.

...! Oggy!

He's gone?! But where?

...Ogre Rancorem?

......

Hey, come on! Answer me! This is you we're talking about!

Huh, that sticky dark feeling is practically gone from your Oggy too now, Aldo. Maybe he got caught up by whatever's happening to his past self?

Ugh, I hate this. I'm sorry, Oggy...!

But how? We have no way to know where she went.

Don't worry! That's what this is for.

What's that paper?

It's a special ritual tool used by Eastern magicians. I guess you'd call them invoked spirits? Anyway, the High Priestess was always skilled at controlling familiars. I'm sure her ghost form is similiar...

Nope, we can think about that later. This talisman should be able to track her and Oggy no problem. It's technically finding a lost object if you think about it, right?

I found them! They're... Under the ground, somehow!

Under? Maybe there's a cave. There's a lot of stuff buried in Rucyana, after all.

I think you're right. Okay! Let's get looking for a way down.

O great goddess, mother to us all... Your supplicant humbly begs thy purifying gaze to fall upon...

High Priestess!

So you followed me... But sadly, you are too late.

Where's Ogre Rancorem?

There, at your feet. I have sealed it away within binds I spent these many, many long years of solitude weaving. It is a binding woven from pure souls. No matter how strong, the hatred of the Ogres will not break it.

Woven from souls...

The High Priestess would never have performed any rites that required sacrificing souls. You know what I think? I think you're not the real High Priestess at all!

Huh? She's not? Then who is she?

You're one of the Priestess's invoked spirits, aren't you? Why would you do something as awful as all this?

As I said, I was to teach you the final binding rite.

My Mistress sought to relieve you of the burden of warding the cursed blade for all of your life.

At the moment of her death, she wove her own soul into this binding. In order to strengthen it, forever.

I have watched over her seal since then. All this time...

You must have been here for... Almost a thousand years, right?

Yes. My Mistress's final wish was to free her beloved disciple from the heavy yoke of her duty. And you trample on her last wish, you spit upon her grave, calling that accursed thing your friend!

You've been alone all this time, ever since the village fell, huh... You must've been so lonely.

To a spirit such as myself, a millennium is the blink of an eye.

Like the cursed blade, I am an object. To feel sympathy for the likes of us is the act of a fool, Flammelapis.

You're not an object. And neither is Oggy. You have feelings, and hopes. You want to fulfill the Priestess's last wish, because you loved her.

You're more than an object. You're a living being, A precious, individual life!

Why did my Mistress choose such a fool as her successor, I wonder...

Whatever you say, I will not return the demon blade. It will rest here until its filth is fully purified.

If you would prevent this, you must destroy me and reclaim the blade. I will not allow it otherwise.

Well, if you're gonna ask for it, I'm afraid I have to give it to you.

You would fight to prevent the purification of this thing... You truly are a disappointment.

It's not just for Oggy's benefit. That rite you're so keen on teaching me uses souls as its fuel, right? You're binding souls that belong back with the mother goddess to stay in this world forever. As the High Priestess's disciple, and as a titan and child of the mother goddess, I will stop you.

I see. Then as my Mistress's tool, I will fulfill her wish and spare you of your burdened existence. Your bones will rest here forever, foolish friend of the unclean.

Ah...the seal breaks... Mistress... I failed you...

I'm sorry. You held onto her wish for so long, but in the end, I just can't grant it for you...

......

Hey, Flamme. How do we get this seal off of him?

Just now, I could definitely feel Ogre Rancorem weakening. If we don't get that seal off soon...

You're right. Let's get that done.

......

Nngh, I can't quite get it... It's like if you had a spool of thread and spent a thousand years finding new ways to twine it all together. It's so dense I don't even know where to start picking it apart. I'm not even sure I could if I knew.

Then, you mean he's...

So you sit tight, Aldo! I'll be back in a little bit.

Huh?

I'm just gonna pop my soul into the seal and bring Oggy back that way!

Uh, pop your soul in? Is that safe?

Heck if I know. I'm not really cut out for this kind of delicate work.

And if I take too long, my body miiiight up and die without my soul. Which would also be not very good.

Are you crazy? I can't just let you do something that dangerous all by yourself! At least use my soul instead. That way, if anything goes wrong, you can rescue me.

You know, sometimes you say the wildest things, Aldo.

Yeah, it's dangerous, but that's exactly why I can't let you do it. I know you think of me as a dear friend and you want to keep me safe, but that's exactly how I feel about you!

Flamme...

Just believe in me, and wait. I promise I'll be back. And I'll have Oggy with me too, you'll see!

Okay...okay! Here goes! See you soon, Aldo!!

Please be safe...

This place... A spirit-based binding, I see. They intend to leave me in here for eternity and let the sands of time wear down my hatred, is that it? Truly, only a human could think of such a small-minded and pathetic trick. ...... ...It certainly is quiet here. ...... ...... At least that tiresome girl is...mm. ......

Oggy? Oggy! I'm here to rescue you!

That voice...

Foolish girl. Do you have any conception of the nature of this space?

Yeah. Sorry I kept you waiting.

What was it, about a hundred years or so? Yeah... I'm sorry. I did the best I could.

Oh, though it's probably only been a few minutes on the outside.

Foolish child... Mortals' lifespans are measured both for their bodies and for their souls. Death comes once either is exhausted. You already sacrificed much of your lifespan in the Demon's Den. And even knowing that, you came all this way merely for my sake?

Merely?

What's that supposed to mean? I'm here because I love ya, you giant grouch!

......

When the earthquake hit and the village was destroyed and everyone was gone... I felt like the whole world had been torn apart around me. I was alone, and I was so scared...

But then I met you, Oggy. And you cut right through my loneliness like it wasn't even there. Ever since then... You've been really special to me.

I'm here because I want to be. Because I want to spend the rest of my life traveling with you!

Is this a confession of love? Ridiculous girl. I would sooner strike you down here and now.

Oh good, you're just how you always are. Here, get back in your sheath.

And now, let's get out of here. Aldo's waiting for us out there, after...after...

Whew...that's weird... I'm a little bit tired, I guess. I just...need to, just... Oggy...

...Little fool. A hundred years is no petty sum to be thrown away, titan or no.

.........

Girl. I will grant you the honor of serving as my hands and legs.

This place's time is distorted, but it is nothing before me. I will stop its flow along with that of the time outside.

My body...is moving?

Save your objections for later. I can only stop time for a scant few moments. Make your escape now.

Yeah, I will! And you're coming with me!

Phew! Hey, Aldo! We're back!

Thank goodness. I was really worried.

Sorry about that. But it all worked out! See? Me and Oggy are both fit as fiddles!

Huh? Who are these?

They all popped out when you undid the seal just now. I guess they must be the souls that were used in the binding.

I see...thank goodness. Everyone's freed, then. Of course, I'll have to send them off.

Along with the one who lived all that time in the dark down here, hoping to serve their Mistress...

Must you subject me to that loathsome dance once more?

Yeah! I'm gonna dance my heart out, so you'd better sit back and soak it in. Though, let's get back aboveground. It's better to say goodbye in a bright place, I always say!

Hmm, lots of purification energy built up right about here. Seems like a great place to perform my dance, I'd say.

This place is no different from any other around here.

Nope, it's totally different! We're talking about their final sights before they return to the mother, after all, Oggy. Shouldn't that be in a place with the prettiest scenery possible?

They will be less than dust soon. You are, as always, insufferably self- satisfied with your own righteousness.

Hey, Flamme saved your life just now. Don't you think you owe her at least a little bit of politeness?

Hmph. Why should I be grateful for something the fool decided to do for her own benefit?

Look here, you...

Don't worry about it, Aldo. He's not saying it out loud, but I can feel the gratitude! It's rolling off him in waves!

You are disturbed.

So you say, but you did help me. You did it because you didn't want me to die in there, right? Do I have that right?

So that's enough for me.

Huh, you did?

...She is imagining things.

Oh! Hang on, wait a minute! Everyone hold up just a minute! There is just one thing I want.

......

When I die someday, will you promise to miss me? Even just a little bit?

If you'll promise me that, then I think I could die feeling satisfied with what I did with my life.

I will do no such thing. A world without you would be pleasingly quiet and colorless, and I would welcome it.

I guess I'll just have to keep on living for a really long time, then. I couldn't bear to leave you in a world with no color or sound.

Feel free to die in a ditch tomorrow.

Hey, maybe it doesn't bother Flamme, but if you keep that up then I'm going to get angry instead.

Don't worry. I get my sleep in and I eat all my greens, so I expect I'll live a good long time.

Maybe it won't be forever, but I'll be with Oggy for as long as I can!

And then, once my body returns to the earth...

I'll be part of the world itself, so I'll always be with you, Oggy.

...... A detestable curse.

A curse? It's not a curse at all.

It's the blessing of the mother goddess. Every life that's born will someday end.

But when a life ends, it returns to the cradle of the earth, and is eventually born again. The great cycle keeps spinning, over and over, and all of us spin with it, all of us together.

These ones, you, me... All of us. Isn't it beautiful?

You consider such a blessing? I can think of no greater curse, and no more horror, than the yawning maw of infinity...