The Court of Souls?

“In Algonquian folklore, the wendigo or windigo is a cannibal monster or evil spirit native to the northern forests of the Atlantic Coast and Great Lakes Region of both the United States and Canada. The windigo may appear as a monster with some characteristics of a human, or as a spirit who has possessed a human being and made them become monstrous. It is historically associated with cannibalism, murder, insatiable greed, and the cultural taboos against such behaviours.”

- The Journey to the Afterlife

***Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Ice Tundra***

***Shade, 17 years old***

“Run faster, or you will die!”

“Just what is that thing!?” Blast it to pieces you good for nothing father!

I try to run faster, but can't help myself. My eyes are drawn back to the monster which is chasing me. It's a humanoid with grotesque deformations and white hair covers its body. The teeth look like long, sharp tusks and what's even more disturbing is the mad, howling scream.

“A spirit. I think it is a wendigo. Remember? I told you about spirits. This one is weak, but even that is more than enough to kill a god.”

Ishaan is running next to me, a smile on his face. Obviously he has no intention of killing it for me. Bringing me out here to confront that thing is surely just another one of his stupid tests. He has that way of doing things. In one moment I think that I will have to deal with another day of boring training and in the next I am in a life or death situation.

I jump over a boulder and slide down an icy hillslope. My hope of shaking off the creature isn't fulfilled. It stays on my trail like a bloodhound and Ishaan is just keeping up with me as if there is no reason to hurry.

Probably he would stop it from killing me, but I doubt that I should put too much trust in him. As I see it, it's entirely possible that he will stand by and watch while I am torn to pieces.

In the recent years of sharing my life with him I came to know a few things about titans. One of them is that they value strength and abhor weakness. If I want Ishaan to acknowledge me as more than an annoying freeloader, I have to show him that I can survive on my own.

I don't need him to keep the more dangerous creatures of this world away from me. He may say that I have to run, but if I never start fighting back I'll also never grow.

I plant my feet firmly on the ground and take my spear from my back. Then I turn to face the monster. If I am lucky, all I have to do is to impale it as it charges me. Ishaan keeps running away, but I ignore him. He is a god. Being ten or a hundred metres away from me makes no difference to him. If he decides to help me that is up to him. I, for my part, can't run from this thing.

We encountered it ten minutes ago on our hunting trip and it looks like the thing has more stamina than me. Normally Ishaan kills the game which I can't handle, but this time he refused and said that it is time for me to handle my own problems.

Normally I should have awoken my abilities around the age of fifteen. But despite me being in more than enough dangerous situations that didn't happen. Ishaan is contributing it to the fact that my situation is special.

Finally the spirit appears above the hillslope. It wastes no time and throws itself down the slope, focusing all its attention on me. I don't twitch a single muscle and wait for it to enter my attack range.

When it is in range I step forward and thrust my spear into its chest. My movement is perfect, exactly like Ishaan taught me.

But the monster is unperturbed by the wound. Its hungry eyes are locked on me as it slides down the shaft of my spear, closing its claws around me.

I bring up my right hand and my left leg to stop both attacks, earning deep claw marks. Crying out I twist the spear to inflict as much pain as possible on the creature. It only enrages the thing even more.

Then things get really ugly as the wendigo decides to use me as a punching bag. Not only is it dealing blows like a mountain gorilla, the claws also tear deep wounds as it tries to shred me to pieces.

I could swear that it is grinning. Is it playing with me? I abandon my spear and jump away to create distance and throw a spell at it. But the torrent of flames I conjure up teaches me only one thing; the wendigo heals faster than I can burn it!

“Hahaha. What are you doing? I said you should run. Although relatively weak, wendigos are the worst spirits to deal with. They are almost unkillable for someone of your calibre. They can tear through an entire clan if there is no higher immortal to stop them. And did I mention that they hunt in packs? I can already see its friends approaching.”

“Shut up!” I draw my dagger and throw myself at the thing, kicking my spear even deeper into its chest. Then I hack with the dagger at its throat, ignoring the wounds which are torn by the claws.

My way of fighting may seem crazy, but as a shade my healing capacity isn't much weaker than the wendigo's. I just have to avoid blows which would kill me outright and ignore the pain.

Which is easier said than done, but among the skills of my past lives are some mental techniques to deal with pain and the perception of time.

The wendigo's strength surpasses mine nonetheless and I slowly start losing the fight. Its power reserves seem bottomless and when its jaw unhinges and snaps shut around my left forearm I start realizing that this isn't a fight I can win.

I try to pull at the wendigo's soul, but it feels like the cursed thing is stuck. There must be something wrong. Why does this creature even have a soul?

And then I hear the distant howls.

“Ishaaaaan!” I scream, but there is no answer. Did he abandon me?

I twist my dagger inside the monster's throat, but the wound closes around the blade as I carve it. I feel so weak. What a mess. My vision blurs and for a short moment I pass out. But the pain and the monster which is gnawing at my arm don't allow me the blissful darkness.

More in defiance than anything else I try to pry the monster's soul out of its mortal shell. In the end I feel it loosening a little, but I am much too weak by now.

Why didn't I keep running as Ishaan told me to?

Because Angrod doesn't run. The godking of Chimera doesn't bow!

Something inside my mind shifts and suddenly I feel unbelievable power coursing through my body. My free hand lets go of the dagger and pries the monster's jaw open. Then my shredded hand is free and I throw a bone crushing punch into the thing's face.

It is catapulted away like a toy and the other me gets to his feet. Shadows enclose my body and I feel my wounds heal within seconds.

The wendigo gets back on all fours and howls as five more of his kind appear above the hillslope.

I want to run.

But the me who is Angrod just smiles and gestures at the hillslope. A small blue spark shoots forth and hits the wendigo in the centre of the formation. It bursts apart like a fruit which was struck by a bullet. There is no way it can regenerate from that.

Then the entire pack closes in on me and I dive into the shadows to emerge as something else. I still feel humanoid, but my body is different. I feel it.

There is no time to think as the first creature reaches me. I grab its throat and tear it out. Digging my fingers into the flesh feels easy, like working with clay. Along with its throat, I feel its soul being freed and a new surge of power rushes through me as I take it.

I launch myself at the next opponent and wrap my hand in mana to bisect him right down the middle, gaining yet another soul and more power. I feel like I could go on forever as long as the enemies keep dying around me.

Finally the remaining three wendigos realize that the tables have turned on them. They turn and run. A mad laugh escapes the other me as he raises his hand and forms a spell-formation. An orb of red energy appears in my hand and flies forth, turning into a maelstrom of destruction. The last three opponents are caught up inside it and simply disintegrate.

I create a shell of mana around me to defend myself against a possible explosion. But when nothing happens and the maelstrom simply keeps travelling forward, I relax. For a moment I fear that I may have unleashed something problematic. What if that thing keeps growing and simply travels onwards without ever stopping? But then an unbelievable explosion takes me off my feet and I am thrown on my back.

My ears ring for entirely too long. After a while I decide to test the waters and slowly move my arms and legs. When nothing hurts I sit up and find myself at the edge of a huge crater. The destruction is complete and the crater is at least fifty metres in diameter.

A moment later Ishaan appears next to me. “Well, looks like there was a god hiding inside you after all. Though was it necessary to perform such an overkill on them? I didn't lie when I said that wendigos are small fry.”

“You! Where have you been?” I scream. He abandoned me!

“Calm down, I was watching you. Figured that you would never awaken if I don't push you to the edge. The wendigos were just right. They like to play with their food and don't kill too fast. Even if the foe is weak.” Ishaan turns to look down at me. “And you seem to be fine. Aren't you a little too old for making snow angels?”

I look around and realize with embarrassment what I created by trying out my arms and legs. So I hurry to get up and ignore the snippy comment.

“So, you remembered who you are? Must have been something significant if you even discovered your shape changing ability. Is that how you looked like in a past life?” Ishaan gestures at the ground and a human sized mirror of ice rises from it.

For a moment I've trouble answering him. The image which is reflected in the mirror is simply too shocking. It's not like I am a completely new person. My face is still the same, but my hair is now as black as night and there are horns coming out of my head! Two slightly curved, black horns which run backwards around my head! I reach up to feel their smooth surface.

But what's even more shocking are my eyes. They look like they are made out of glass and are just empty, black globes with slit, golden irises. I step closer and find a sea of golden stars hovering inside my pupils.

“I am not sure. I think the one whom I remembered called himself Angrod, the godking of Chimera. Whatever that was,” I mumble.

“A king? You had your own pantheon? Never heard of you. But who knows what happened in the multiverse since I last reincarnated. No way to tell the time between here and there. We have no reference points. Hmmm...” Ishaan grumbles and tilts his head. Then he suddenly throws his fist at me and I catch it by reflex. The movement came completely naturally to me.

And then I realize that he moved faster than I've ever seen someone move. Yet, for a short moment, it looked as if he wasn't moving at all.

“Good. Seems like we can start your training for real now.” A grin steals itself onto his face.

I am not sure, but I don't think I've ever seen him this happy before. Then his words start getting through to me. “Training? Can't I go back and teach Inanimatum a lesson? Haven't you seen that red maelstrom? I'll appear above their city and wipe them out!” I won't even give them a chance! It's time for payback!

Ishaan tilts his head. “I certainly won't tell you what to do and how to deal with Inanimatum. But you've just remembered a part of who you really are. And let me say that arrogance won't help you in this world. There is always someone who is stronger and meaner. You have to get a grip on your shape changing ability and learn to control your powers as a god. The maelstrom was powerful, but it also moved very slowly. Your enemies won't let themselves get hit once they realize that it is a serious danger.”

He raises his hand and a green orb appears in it. “And if common sense doesn't get through to you, do you remember about our agreement? You don't go until I allow it.”

My eyes wander to Legna's soul orb and I swallow down my feelings. It isn't hard when he puts it like that. He may be right, and even if he isn't I would never risk Legna by fighting him.

Inanimatum taught me how imprisonment feels.

The sewers showed me what death is.

The city taught me how hunger feels.

The slavers taught me how to be cruel.

My friends taught me that nothing is forever.

The facility showed me not to trust anyone.

The swamp taught me to rely on myself.

The tundra showed me how to be cold.

Ishaan taught me how to be strong. When he is done with me, some of them will wish that they never had taught me at all!

“Let's start now.”

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