The Court of Souls?

“In mythology, ogres are often depicted as inhumanly large and tall and having a disproportionately large head, abundant hair, unusually coloured skin, a voracious appetite, and a strong body. Ogres are closely linked with giants and with human cannibals in mythology.”

- The Journey to the Afterlife

***Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Clan: Carissimi***

***Elona, 6 years old***

“You are really good at painting pretty pictures.”

Slash!

I howl and drop the pencil to the ground. The rattle from the impact and my subdued scream echo through the vastly empty building. I look at the slowly disappearing red line on my hand. I may heal fast, but that doesn't mean that I feel no pain. And believe me, getting whipped on the back of your hand makes you scream. It doesn't matter how pain resistant you are. After three earnest whips everyone gives in.

My gaze wanders back to Chloe who whipped me with her tail. Then I press out the tears, not even trying to hold them back. “Why, Mom? You said yourself that I am good at painting. I am tired, hungry and thirsty! I don't get what you want from me. I like Dad's lessons much better. And this stupid waxed paper is much too thin to paint properly. Look! I can see my hand through it!”

Chloe's tail swings back and forth behind her while she looks down on me. I warily eye her weapon, expecting another attempt to subdue me. But it doesn't come.

“All I am doing is for your own good. This world is unforgiving and there are times when even the sapling can't provide us with enough water. The clan will soon have to relocate to the desert's fringe. Otherwise we will suffer. Better for you to learn sooner than later what it means to do without most necessities. Shawn is much too nice for such lessons. He would always try to slip you some treat.” Chloe's expression turns soft and she pats my head. “You have it much better than most others. Believe me, you aren't in danger of dying.”

But I am close if I don't get some water soon! “Then why the picture?” I croak.

Chloe sighs and takes my picture from its holder. “Come.” She leads me back to the balcony from where we have a nice view over the city. The clan has a little less than five thousand members and most of them don't have their house attached to the world tree's bark. Though there are enough huts and sheds attached to the tree to house the entire clan, most people use the better stone buildings around the roots. They have more space and are still protected by the tree's shade spending leafs.

“When I showed you this scenery I instructed you to paint it in detail.” Chloe holds out the picture for me to compare. “Apart from the main street and the most outstanding houses everything is wrong or at least a little off.”

“But I just got one look and then you led me inside to paint!” I complain.

“Of course. It's much too hot to stand out here. You will get a heatstroke within minutes.” Chloe turns back and returns into the cooler building with me following her.

Once inside she picks up the pencil and attaches a new sheet over my painting. Then she starts drawing. “You will most likely become my mother's assistant once you get old enough. You already remembered a lot of basic knowledge. That's a good sign, but not enough. We have to make you as strong as possible.”

I sneer. “What does a painting have to do with that?”

“It's to train your mind. When you get a flashback with new knowledge or your identity, then you have to memorize all of it instantly. Every detail. What you see, what you hear, even what you feel. And you need to be able to call upon that knowledge whenever you want,” Chloe explains.

I can't help but widen my eyes. “That's impossible! Utterly, completely impossible. I can't do that.”

Chloe takes her sheet and gestures for me to follow her once more. Back at the balcony she scoops me up with her tail and lifts me to her eye-height. Then she places her picture in front of me so that I can see through the thin paper. I realize why we use the waxed paper. It's to be able to confirm my performance.

Chloe's picture is just a fast and rough sketch. She didn't waste much time on it but everything is there. Streets, houses windows, even people are roughly indicated. If I interpose the sketch with the scenery in front of me it fits perfectly.

“Nothing is impossible. This world holds every fantasy and horror you can imagine.” Chloe gestures at the town under us. “So try to open your mind and dismiss nothing too easily.” She sets me back on the ground and leaves me there. “I'll be back in the evening. In the meantime you do your best to get it right. And when you get the feeling that you can paint the town from your memories, you move on to another sight. The tiles on the ground or the tree's leaves are another good motif.”

My eyes wander to the marble tiles on the floor with their myriads of fine lines and mosaics. Then I look up to the green treetop with its branches and millions of leafs. “What the... she is kidding! She has to be kidding!”

It takes me another five hours to train my memory until I sign out with a throbbing headache. In absence of more detailed instructions I tried it with the brute force attempt. Take a look and burn as many details as possible into your mind, then run to the picture holder and paint as much as possible while it is still fresh in my mind.

In the end Dad saves me from further painful mind-exercises in order to train my body. His attempt at awakening my memories is much more to my liking. He orders me to run in circles or to overcome an obstacle course in our training hall. Though it's only then that I realize that my mother's training and my father's don't work well together.

“Good, you are doing fine. Another round!” Shawn spurts me on, but there is only so much I can give.

I drop to my knees. “Water!” Who cares about memories. “Food!” Just do me in and let me have another life. “Kill me.” If I reincarnate right now it wouldn't bother me at all.

“That's no good, dear. You have to remember.” Shawn steps next to me and holds out a glass of water. I snatch it greedily and drink. It's warm and musky, but who cares. The wetness running down my throat is bliss.

Within seconds it's gone and I hold out the glass. “More!”

Dad scratches his cheek. “No. Your mother will have my ass if I give you more. Don't tell her about that glass, okay?”

I drop on my back, defeated. But Dad doesn't seem to be in the mood to let me have a break. “If you can't keep running, then let's have fighting practice!”

A metal club appears above me and I twitch my head to the side, barely avoiding the blow. Hurriedly I crawl away from Dad. “What are you doing? That could have been lethal!”

“So you don't want to die after all?” Shawn smiles and lifts the club from the broken tile. “And, no. It would just leave a big bruise. I would have stopped the blow in time. Besides, someone once told me that light hits on the back of the head increase the ability to think.”

“That's just wrong!” Yeah, sure. He didn't deem it necessary to stop his blow for the tile though. I throw the glass at him, but he catches it without difficulty and follows me.

Shawn jumps forward, lazily swinging his club and again I avoid by a hair's breadth. “Are you sure that you remember nothing? Those movements are very refined for a simple child. It's like your body knows what to do, but isn't able to execute the movement properly.”

Movement my ass! I am trying to survive the attacks of an ogre! Even if Dad is going easy on me I am fearing for my life!

I jump and duck as the attacks rain down on me. Shawn is slowly increasing the pace, but always holds back just enough to give me a small chance to escape. I am sure I would be flattened with one swing if he goes at it for real.

Steadily the increasing pace pushes me off centre and then it happens. My left foot slips on the smooth marble tiles and the incoming club fills my vision. All I can do is close my eyes and brace for the pain.

No! To be hurt by such a weak attack! As Celestial I would not even take notice of it. I push the mana in my core outwards and condense it in my skin. A very basic thing for someone who mastered her inner mana manipulation.

“Kyaaa!”

A metal clang rings through the room as the club kisses my face. I feel a sizeable part of my mana dissipating and exhaustion strikes me. The room spins around me and I land on the ground, it turns around a second time until I realize that I am the one who is spinning.

Finally I stop spinning and reach for my face. The strike hurt, but it was more like a strong flick with a finger than anything else. I get to my feet while feeling for my neck, nose, lips, teeth... Nothing loose. Whew! My face wasn't damaged. I already feared a scar or worse.

Dad is still standing in the middle of the room and gawking at me with big eyes. His club was flung out of his hand and lies two feet away from him.

“Shawn! That was irresponsible! You could have damaged Elona's face! A succubus needs her beauty!” Chloe stomps towards us with red, glowing eyes. Apparently she arrived just in time to witness the accident. She must have been the one who screamed.

Shawn raises his hands. “No! Something is wrong! I hit her fully, but it felt like striking metal!”

She picks up the club and strikes his shin. Her movement is perfect, the pose a ten on the scale. If the club in her hands was a golf club it would have been a hole in one!

But Shawn's knee is in the way. He goes down with a scream, clutching his leg. All I can see is that Dad's leg is bent the wrong way. It's not supposed to look that way.

Then Chloe drops the club and rushes over to me. “He didn't hurt your cute face? You are so pale! Oh, Dear. Your nose is bleeding.” She pulls a handkerchief from her blue, one-piece dress and holds it under my nose to catch the blood.

Is she actually concerned about me or my face? “It's fine, Mom. But what about Dad?” I try to look past her where Dad is trying to correct the orientation of his foot. But Chloe raises her wings to block my view.

“Don't worry. That stupid Ogre went far over the boundaries. He has to deal with his own problems.” Chloe returns her attention to Shawn and the red in her eyes flares up once more.

Somehow I really want to avoid getting Mother's attention when she is like that.

Finally Shawn gets a grip on his situation and snaps the leg into the correct position. I don't think that I would be able to do that with such an injury. Then I remember what I just did. “I think I just had a flashback.”

Chloe reaches for my face to make me look at her. “What do you remember?”

I furrow my forehead in thought. “Nothing much. That's the strange thing. Just the name Celestial and that she was an expert at inner mana manipulation. I know the skill, but remember only that name about myself. I am not even sure if it is actually my name.”

“Show me,” instructs Chloe.

I do as told and redirect some mana into my hand and index finger. Then I scratch the marble floor with my nail. “See?”

Chloe and Shawn just look at each other. Shawn already recovered from his bad knee, though he isn't standing straight. After a short discussion they decide to take me to Doreen. Well, I call it a discussion, but the one who clearly had the last word was Chloe. Shawn's contribution was nothing more than voicing his opinion.

My Mother grabs me, treating me like luggage, and off we go.

Normally I would protest against being treated in such a manner, but visiting Doreen has something relaxing about it. I get to see the fury once or twice a month and she is a much better tutor than my parents. When I can visit her, she always tells me about the various animals and climate zones in Dedessia. It's interesting to simply listen to her and most importantly, not exhausting.

It is the closest thing to what I think of as going to school. There are no schools in this clan. Everyone teaches their children themselves.

Sadly I can't visit my grandmother on my own. The desert winds would blow me away like a leaf. Mother and Father are somehow able to fortify themselves, but my weak mana reserves don't allow for that.

Bridging the distance takes about half an hour but finally we enter the sturdy, wooden shed of Doreen. I wonder why she is living alone and in the outskirts of the village. I know, she is a god and all, but does that make her also unsocial?

We find her in her library, reading a book. She is always there. I never encountered her somewhere else in her house.

“Mother.” Chloe sets me down on the comfy chair which is my place when we are here. “Elona remembered something she calls inner mana manipulation. And a name, Celestial-”

“Though I am not sure if that's really my name. I just had a flashback and for a short moment it felt like I am someone else. It feels wrong,” I intercept.

Doreen closes her book and places it on her lap. “I don't think the major pantheons have someone of the name Celestial. Nonetheless inner mana manipulation is hard to obtain. How skilled are you at it?”

“I accidentally batted her with my club and she withstood it without damage,” Shawn admits sheepishly which earns him a glare from Chloe.

“The other me thought of herself as a master,” I answer proudly.

“Show me.” Doreen takes my hand and squeezes. I retaliate to avoid getting my hand crushed, but after a while my dwindling mana reserves reach their end and I draw a sharp breath when Doreen's hand squeezes mine like a vice.

Thankfully she lets go without turning my hand into mush. “That was very good. I think you are starting to remember. Don't worry about your other identity. Most likely you will remember several different lifetimes, given that you are around for long enough. The important thing is that you learn to keep the memories apart from each other to avoid confusion. For now you should simply assume that you were this Celestial in a previous life. Otherwise I wouldn't fear more flashbacks.”

Doreen turns her attention to Mom and Dad. “And how are you two doing?”

Chloe reaches for her cheek and starts fidgeting. “Oh, very good!” Her tail wanders possessively around Shawn's leg, the injured one, and pulls him closer. Dad winces, but hugs Mom with a forced smile. “Actually Elona will get a little sister. I confirmed it yesterday with the healers.”

Oh, wonder.

“Congratulations! I hope you remember that every adult can have only one child. We don't have enough resources for more people. With that both of you used up your right to have children. There will be no third child,” Doreen informs them.

“Of course.” Shawn nods and bows.

Doreen returns her attention to me. She looks at me long and thoughtful. “Your reaction to getting a sister was a little subdued. Is it because you are tired? You could have resisted me longer otherwise. Chloe and Shawn must be pushing you hard. I can see the rings under your eyes.”

“Yeeees, actually it is hard to sleep at home. And the baby is no surprise because of their night activities.” I sense a chance to get it back at them! “'The humping and bumping. The groaning and moaning. Yes, Shawn! Twist them! Ohhh, you are so BIG! AAAaahhhh! Take me from behind, no actually sixty-nine is better! YES! No, that's the wrong-'” Chloe's hand shuts my mouth. She moved so fast, I didn't even see her coming.

“Hahaha! She is exaggerating. We can't be that loud.” Mother forces a smile onto her face.

“Actually I want to hear more. Would you please let go of my granddaughter?” Doreen raises a finger to shoo Chloe away and Mother reluctantly takes her hand from my mouth.

I clear my throat and continue. “Every night from midnight until two in the morning! Sometimes they wake up and continue at four. I've made a detailed list of their night activities. Actually I demand my room to be farther away from theirs! And if that's not possible they could at least buy a bed that isn't grating.”

Then my voice breaks and a strange fog of memories whirls through my mind. “Johann always disliked noisy beds! He never would have made love to me on a squeaky old thing!”

I blink. “Who is Johann?”

“I think you just had another flashback. Maybe we should make you watch the two of them when they do it the next time?” Doreen raises an eyebrow and I turn around to look at my parents. They are bright red and look guilty. As they should be!

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