A Brief interruption
1053 Words
A voice in her head, the head of an Elf.
Mental magic should have been impossible, yet the reality before Naya proved otherwise.
Quickly, Nayalisia, you must take that orb.
Naya's ears twitched, and her brows furrowed, "Don't call me that!"
Still, she turned her head back to the black orb floating silently over the witch's body.
The voice chuckled. Whatever, just grab that orb!
A strange feeling rose in Naya; she felt she had to listen, a feeling she only ever felt when her mother asked something of her. An authority she shouldn't disobey, and yet she pushed that feeling down. I will not be commanded.
AH, you dumb Elf, you're really gonna make me explain things here?!
The voice sounded exasperated, and Naya responded with a simple nod.
Tsk. Your mother would never-
"Did Mother do this?!" Naya shouted; anxiety filled her heart along with elation. Mother!
Not telling! No time, listen, that orb is the essence of the devil the witch contracted with.
Naya ignored the voice; she was too ecstatic. She didn't think she could be happier after killing the witch, but now that her mother may have sent something to her, her mood has only improved. Only Mom would be able to shatter my expectations.
Naya shook her head and tried to temper her expectations, but it was difficult since she genuinely didn't believe anybody other than another Elf could do this, and even further because she knew the power her mother held.
Are you listening?
That broke Naya from her thoughts, and she recalled what the voice said. She didn't know anything about witches and devils other than the basics of how they formed contracts. The Dwarven witch she killed was a sneak attack, and she had zero interest in investigating the corpse. Even if she saw an orb then, she wouldn't have cared how it worked.
She took in the floating orb again, "So? I don't want that disgusting thing." Even if the voice was something from her mother, she detested devils just as much as the witches that used them.
It's not for you, it's for me! Quickly, take it; it's part of Nayarali's plan!
Naya's eyes widened, "Mother's plan?"
The voice didn't explain. Yes.
Naya wondered if her mother wanted to do something with the devils, what kind of research she might be up to now; perhaps it was to better understand the devil contracts. She'd trust the voice for now; knowing her and her mother's full name was enough alone to verify she knew her mother.
"Then I will take it. What do I do?"
The voice laughed again, and Naya was annoyed at its mocking tone. Perhaps she shouldn't listen to it, "What's funny?"
How much you idolize Nayarali.
"I don't-"
It's okay; just grab the orb! Quickly now!
Naya was still displeased, but she heard the impatience in the voice, so she ignored it and walked over to the orb.
Good, just touching it should be enough.
Naya hesitantly reached her hand out at the orb; disgust filled her mind, and her face twisted at having to touch the vile thing. She took a deep breath. For mother...
The purple lines on her body had already started to shrink back toward her fingers.
Her hand made contact with the orb. It felt like she was pushing her hand through a small stream of mud; it made her shiver in disgust. She would have to thoroughly wash when she got back.
This is perfect.
A blinding purple light instantly burst forth from the orb; it forced Naya to shut her eyes tightly, yank her hand back, and jump away from the corpse.
When she opened them again, the orb was gone, not a trace of it ever being there in the room. The witch's body was untouched, and the room looked completely normal.
"What did you do?"
Stored it safely.
An uncomfortable thought struck Naya, "Is it...in my core?" she reluctantly asked. She didn't want to know the answer.
Correct! Don't worry; it won't do anything here. Although, it's a shame you didn't collect the one from that Dwarf a while back.
Naya's eyes widened, "Since then? Why didn't you say anything until now?"
Because I was tired! The voice spoke nonchalantly, obviously not intending to give Naya more information.
Again, Naya was annoyed, but she forced it down. For mother... she tells herself once again.
We should go now; I'm also curious why the human lied to you.
Naya ignored that the voice was active for that long without saying anything but realized that the voice somehow knew she killed a dwarf witch earlier in the year. Access to my memories?
Correct again! You're smart!
A shiver ran up Naya's spine, "Y-you have access to my memories and my thoughts?!"
Naya's heart sank. That meant the only reason the voice knew Naya and her Mother's full names was because she saw her memories. Perhaps she was too blindly trusting. She couldn't help it. Crumbs from her home, from her mother, made her too careless.
Your doubt is healthy... I'm unsure what the process was, but remember, Elves are immune to mental magic, so I couldn't just force myself in here.
The voice was correct. If something did try to break her into her mind, it would fail. However, there was a week-long void in her memories; maybe there was some way around it. But Naya found that hard to believe; even the strongest Elf couldn't manipulate another Elf's mind. Maybe with one of her mother's complicated artifacts...
That's... true. Only her mother would be able to put her there, and that was a belief unshaken. Her mother made a lot of weird devices, some with fairly niche purposes. It wouldn't be surprising for her to have made an artifact that allowed Lia into her mind. As expected of Mother... And, worst case scenario, Naya was aware now, and she knew the voice wouldn't be able to do anything malicious.
Nayalisia, I am a part of you now, for better or worse.
The voice sounded saddened by the last part, so Naya dropped it. She would remember, though, and find out eventually.
The voice lightly chuckled. We'll get to it eventually. I promise you that, Nayalisia. For now, have patience.
"I'm Naya."
- Writer
