046 - Sky Beyond Sky

"Time, Magnus!" Kujata called out from the window. "Get the stones and make a new formation."

"Yes big sis!" Magnus stretched his arms and legs, then collected the eight polished green stones that were around him on the dirt.

"What are they called Magnus?"

"Malachite. You put them on the ground, one in each cardinal direction and one in between. All at equal distance."

"And why do you do this Magnus?"

"To make a, a plant something . . no, wait, I got it! A woods for trees formation. It blocks all the force things from getting out, right?"

"Right, and anything from peeping in. Remember that, set it up in the middle of the courtyard, good and big and infuse it."

"Sure!" Magnus ran about placing the smooth green stones at regular intervals, touching each one briefly with a red thread from the tip of his finger.

When the last one was placed a slight buzz filled the yard, the stones hummed and seemed to embed themselves into the dirt. Magnus felt as if he was cut off from the greater world, as if suddenly there was a marked difference between the space inside the formation and everywhere outside.

He had seen larger green stones spread all around the shrine, the green stone Kujata originally gave him shook slightly every time he came or went.

"Alright. Horse!" Kujata called out. Magnus straightened his back, spread his legs out, and pointed his feet forwards. He held the pose, breathing in and out deeply. "Hmm. Feet further apart! Straighten your back! Up! Ok . . now just hold it." Kujata finished her gourd, quickly uncorking another. "Next stance! Camel!"

Magnus dropped to his knees, arching his back and reaching down to his ankles.

"Next stance! Frog!"

Magnus flopped forward, his face in the dirt and arms stretched out.

"Stick that arse up Magnus! That ain't a proper frog!" Kujata grinned. "Pff . . haha, ah hahah!" She suddenly burst out laughing.

Magnus got unhappily to his feet. "Big sis . . I did the stance right, no? You said, you said I needed to do them every day . . "

"Yeah, yeah . . do the Frog again, but this time face the other way."

"Master!"

"Oh alright, fine. Sorry, sorry, it just looks a little funny, the way you do it Magnus."

"Why do I need to learn all these stances? I'm plenty strong as is! I mean, I can punch and kick harder than anyone, and, and I can use the living threads now . ."

"How strong do you think you are lad? I'd say about a warrior core, one step above gold. How many do you think are strong as that in Jute? In the whole of Aquilonem?"

“No, but . .”

“I’ve told you, I’ve said it every day this last month - what have I said Magnus?”

Magnus exhaled and recited flatly: “The living threads can never be used outside, the power of beasts must never be revealed. If I ever do so it will bring a great calamity.”

“Right. Wait until you’re in the tower, in with the Alchemists. Thats the plan, right?”

“Yes, big sis.”

Kujata kept calling out strange stances and Magnus tried his best to contort his body and to not hear her laugh, his face turning plum-red.

He went through the stances for half a day, until the sun was right above the shrine courtyard. Over the last month she'd been hammering one lesson into him above all else; never use your red threads out there, never let anyone see you eat, never use the powers outside a green stone formation.

She'd told him again and again, every single lesson punctuated with the same words. Don't get caught.

From time to time his gaze would settle on Lars. Kujata hadn't mentioned the boy, hadn't brought up the subject at all . . but Magnus couldn't help looking over, couldn't help think about trying to send his threads into the boy's head . .

"And rest! Pick up the stones. Alright. Well?"

"Big sis?"

"Well, what do you want to do?"

". . ." Magnus looked over Lars. "There ain't anything I can do? . . he is just going to . . big sis? If I eat . . if I stick my threads in, what'll happen?"

"Same as when you ate the boar, same as when you ate any of the other creatures. Humans are animals too Magnus, a little more complex, but ultimately, well, you'll have to be careful not to lose yourself. It's a little harder than a creature, the memories are more dense. Less instinctual stuff, more emotional, well, sort of an acquired taste I guess."

Kujata sat silent, watching Magnus set up a green-stone formation around Lars. She occasionally glanced down at the candle next to her brass bell, her face couldn’t help but reveal a conflicted expression.

"Focus in. If you lose yourself in the inner world you might lose yourself for good."

Magnus sat by Lars’ head, looked to Kujata, then sent a single red thread into the boy's head. The world fell silent, all Magnus heard was the thump of his own heart within his chest. Eat . . consume . . devour . . he saw a row of sharp red teeth, the red thread flew from his fingertip, growing like the veins of a leaf.

It pierced through Lars forehead. The inner world . . the endless sky and ocean . . Magnus floated amidst the flashing lights and stormy clouds, a thousand sparks lit up a dense grey sky. Beneath there was an endless ocean, reflecting grey skies and sinking to unfathomable depths.

There were deep black scars in the sky, vast chasms of darkness tearing through the many flashing lights, the ocean churned and waves rose and fell in enormous swells . . chaos, as if a world shattering calamity had landed on the endless sea and sky.

Magnus sent his red thread out, growing it into endless branches of red serpents with countless red teeth. He focused in, on the single desire. Eat! Swallow!

This is the right thing to do. This is the best I can do for Lars . . Light after light fell to the red, the skies smashed apart, the oceans became vast whirlpools. Swallow! Devour! Every last remaining bit!

Memories, places . . visions of a vast blue tinged swamp . . people Magnus had never seen, the desolate town at the edge of the swamp . . my father, my father? A woman in a white apron in another room, fragments of words, fragments of half remembered things . .

Crack!

The skies finally broke, a deep black abyss broke the endless world in half, the thousand lights and ocean falling like grains of sand from the broken world.

Magnus trembled, his hand flying back from the boy's head.

The boy was still, his chest rose no more.

"Good." Kujata leaned back in her chair. "Alright Magnus?"

"Yeah . . I think . . I'm not sure, I know . . I can remember something, but it slips away!" Magnus clutched his head. "I can remember my Pa, I can remember growing up in the swamp, but its all messed up!"

"That'll be an effect of the soul scouring. Probably made it easier to eat the poor fella, but has left all his memories in bits on the inside."

"I mean, I can remember growing up as Lars! I mean, I know I'm not Lars, my name is Magnus. I'm Magnus Lund!"

"Yeah, it can be a bit of a head rush, like getting into a really good book . . ah hells, you'll read a book one day. Actually Magnus, can you read now?" Kujata drew a few lines on the dirt. "Know what these mean?"

Magnus shook his head.

"Never mind."

"What now?" Magnus got to his feet a little unsteady. It felt like his head had grown three sizes.

"Well, the shovel is over there. There is a nice spot on the other side of the yard. And Magnus?"

"Yeah?"

"We're not monsters. Remember that. You're not a monster. What are you?"

Magnus took a deep breath and replied in a steady voice "I'm Magnus Lund!"