Peccatum Pack

The demon seemed a bit irritated that she had called it by its name, but it just snorted and turned away from her.

«That is but one of my many names, spectre.»

It started walking away, following the edge of the water and the jill, who decided to adopt the term this descriptive term it kept saying as her name, realized this was enough talking for now. The beast did not seem to enjoy this exchange much and she could've wished for better company as well. Who knew how long she would've had to stay in this lonely realm, with no one but THAT strange thing? After waiting until the Mari Lwyd had disappeared behind the dense shrubbery on the shore, she got to her paws and walked back to where she came from, now her paws already much more sure-footed than before.

The body was difficult to find, as it was almost completely merging with the plants around it, although it seemed to radiate a strange aura that made most plants touching it wilt and rot away, except some weeds and brambles. Spectre looked at the skull once more, and with her newly found knowledge, felt a chill sent down her spine and sorrow crept into her heart. That was her? She hadn't realized at first, of course the sight of her own pelt from a different angle than a normal reflection in the water was completely new to her. But still, her coat had changed so much since then. It was as if the dark colors had drained from her, along with her life force. Back in the day she'd been a fairly normal, almost boring looking stone colored Kumba with simple markings. But now she was so pale she appeared more like a fade or albino instead. The phantom turned its head around once more and checked the markings on its new, ghastly body, which still appeared melted, but had  now dried with their new look. She never knew something like that was possible, but the Mari Lwyd was just a strange creature with even more unusual powers. Only then did she remember how her eyes had felt, as if they'd been burning up too. She was still able to see just fine, but she wouldn't be surprised if the beast had blinded her for good.

«That might become an issue at some point», she thought to herself, «but I'll cross that stream when I get to it.»

Still, she was disappointed in herself that it had come to this, as she knew this situation could've turned out quite differently too. But she was dead now, and there was nothing she could do about it.

When Spectre turned back to her dead corpse, trying to find more clues about what had happened, she noticed something lying on the ground besides it. The thing emitted a greenish glow that was too unusual to miss, but the tall grass surrounding it almost covered the object completely. Spectre tried to move the grass, but her paw went right through it, so she proceeded to try and rip it out with her mouth, but the result did not change. She was unable to influence the area around her at all. So she closed her eyes and focused on what she wanted to see, the pure presence of the glowing object – and inside her mind, the foggy picture became clearer. Next to the half-decomposed corpse was an amulet, made from gold, with a green stone in the middle that appeared like a bulging eye, with a slit pupil in the center. Again the memories of her past tried to rush back in and this time she gave in.

In her vision she saw the island she was on, but it looked much different back when Spectre had first arrived there.

She remembered this place bustling with life, plants, rivers and prey animals being abundant and everythign looking very similar to the oasis now. There had been some mountains in the distance, yes, but back then they were nothing more than that. These once rocky peaks were now active volcanoes, spitting lava and ash everywhere. They had destroyed the land but whene they'dventually  become dormant again, new life would be able to sprout. But for now, it was a harsh and desolate island. Her mind traveled across the island as it currently was and she saw some sort of sandstorm, completely surrounding the peaceful sanctum. It was clearly magical in nature, but Spectre knew it had not been there when she'd been passing through before.

«I see. The ritual backfired.»

The jill focused on the storm and realized the howling inside didn't originate in the wind, but from hundreds of souls, screaming in agony. This was her fault, she knew very well. It's what the reaper had meant when he said she'd have to atone for her sins. But she didn't feel any remorse. Death was only a temporary obstacle.

«I saw you die.»

The multi-voiced sound came from Mari Lwyd once more.

«You were reaching for things no Saliko had ever tried to get. And your greed took the most precious thing in your possession – your life.»

«It was just a miscalculation, I know I would've succeeded eventually.»

«Perhaps. But at what cost?»

The beast did not seem happy with her reckless mindset, but it let her be for now.

As Spectre walked towards the wall of the crater, checking if there was a way to climb up and out of the steep hole, she noticed the edge of the oasis being covered in bones. Weirdly enough, there had been none in the middle of the crater. The skulled Saliko realized what she was looking at and answered her lingering questions.

«They died from falling. Lured in by the sight of the untouched oasis, they were looking for safety and peace, but your storm brought nothing but doom for them. The ghosts trapped inside are wrathful and lost, clinging to their last momens of life, calling for help that will never arrive. Others tried to help them and paid a high price for their selflessness. Others, too disoriented by the sand and voices, simply ran straight into the abyss. Few realized the danger and tried to climb down slowly, desperate for food and water, but even they had fallen in the end. There is no way in or out, not after the volcanos had erupted. The land has shifted and is now treacherous to any living being.»

Spectre had listened intently, but one thing still didn't quite make sense.

«So these Salikos fell to their death long after my demise. They had completely rotten, yet my corpse is still there.»

The reaper nodded and studied her carefully as it spoke.

«Your magic was strong, but not strong enough it appears. It's trying to keep you alive, even now, after eons of time. But the magic is starting to loose its power.»

While the creature might've intended to make the female feel guilty or ashamed, quite the opposite was the case. The jill was proud she'd been so strong and was eager to become even better in her discipline.

«It may seem inconvenient now, but I did still expect something like this might happen. It may take time, but it is not over yet. I was prepared for a case like this. I just need to be patient.»

«How do you expect to get yourself out of this predicament? You're dead.»

Spectre hesitated to think for a moment, then turned towards the demon.

«Aren't you famous for challenging Salikos to gamble for their souls? If they win they get to the gods' paradise, but if they lose, you drag their souls to hell?»

«Only those who have sinned. I give them a chance, but I never claimed it would be a fair one. After all, they do not deserve it.»

«I'm in the mood for some gambling, how about we make a bet? I say I will be able to return to the world of the living, but if I fail, you can take my soul. You only have to promise to help me one single time.»

The demon hissed.

«Why would I possibly help you with that? You need to do it on your own.»

«I'm sure I would be able to do so eventually, but in order to same some time for the both of us, I will reach my goal faster with your help. It would take too long for me to gain control of this ghastly version of myself, while you are perfectly capable of shifting reality around you. I promise it will only be a small favor from your side and I will in turn not do anything. Everything else is already set in motion anyway.»

Mari Lwyd pondered this challenge for a bit, but it did seem exciting. It was the first time in ages that another creature had dared to make a deal like that and even if the demon would lose, which it doubted would happen, this could still be quite an interesting outcome to see her, a mere mortal, claw her way back to life. And just like with all of his past victims, he did not mind changing the odds to be in his favor in the end and keep her soul after all.

«Fine. Let's see if you're still so confident when we're done.»

A fiery flame shot out of his mouth and scraped the side of Spectres' neck, the intense burning sensation returning to her. She knew the markings on her pelt had melted once more in what seemed like a branding from the demon as proof of their deal. Now she couldn't help but wonder if these burns would have any repercussions. Even if she'd come back to life, would she even have a working body or be covered in burns all over? Well, she didn't plan on staying in this dimension forever either, so she had to take the chance either way and it was too late to back out now. She just had to believe in herself, her magic and the gullable mind of the victim who would lead her back to life.