The Lantern of Souls

Episode 5: The Whispering Souls

Opening Scene:

Deeper Into The Woods, Lina and Kiran walk on an ancient path, which is almost entirely covered in moss and vine. The glow from the lantern flickers erratically, while the hissing sounds have increased in tempo with each trying to be heard louder than the other. Lina presses her palms against her forehead, trying to calm herself as the situation is increasingly becoming unbearable.

“Do they ever stop?” she asks under her breath.

“Lina, those are souls in binding,” Kiran explains. “They’ve been lying there for ages. Don’t think their manners will be intact.”

Their exchange gets interrupted when they stumble upon the new sight, a gigantic portion of the ruin – a stone edifice that once towered as a library almost completely lost to the elements, standing magnificently still with the crooked remains of cloaked statues adorning the entrance.

Exploring The Library:

Within the remains, the dimness made it impossible to see through the thick dust suspended in the air, and there were crumbling piles of old, ruined volumes in obscurity. The ruins, Kiran states, are those of the library built by the cult of the Eternal Cycle, in which they deposited their knowledge for future generations.

Lina’s attention is drawn to the images carved on the surface of the walls in the room, which show a bright lantern with abstract forms surrounding it. One of them depicts a person raising the lantern, with a multitude of spirits around the person.

“This, for all reasons, should be the root of all reasons,” Kiran is saying. “Perhaps we will be fortunate enough to come across some information regarding the wish and more importantly, the wish’s serious.”

The Souls of the Whisperers Surge Upwards:

Every step Lina takes into the library, the whispers in the lantern become clearer until they form a blaring noise that Lina cannot comprehend. Clutching her head, Lina loses her balance and leans against a broken pillar.

Kiran immediately goes to assist. "What is wrong with you?"

“They're—too loud,” Lina manages to say. “I can’t—think.”

Suddenly, the lantern bursts into flames and figures start appearing around them. These figures, unlike the spirits Lina set free before, are wild and erratic, their shapes twisting and turning all the time. They rushed towards Lina; their voices filled with blame:

“Why are we still here?”

“You said you would set us free!”

“You wouldn’t want to do that to us!”

Kiran immediately draws his sword and shields Lina behind him. “Stay back!” he commands, even though the spirits seem to be unperturbed by the presence of a weapon.

A Vision of the Lantern’s Past:

In the mayhem, Lina takes hold of the lantern and shouts, "Stop!"

The spirits freeze, their shapes dancing about. The lantern beats, and Lina is cast into a dream:

She beholds the lantern being crafted in a large hall within the confines of a temple filled with the clergy and scholars. A person—the first lantern holder—raises a lantern high whose light fountains over the entire expanse. For a moment, this appears as a blessing designed to imprison and shield wandering spirits. It changes though, and rather shows the sanctum’s keeper becoming more drawn and weary with each passing moment as the lantern takes more from them.

Red smoke replaced the aura of the lamp, the wielder collapsed on the ground and the voices of the spirits trapped in it started to cry.

With an intake of breath and letting the lantern slip from her fingers, the vision wears off.

The Dangers of the Lantern:

Kiran straightens Lina and gives her a serious look. “What did you see?”

“It isn’t simply a cage,” Lena whispers. “It is a leech. It takes from them, from me. The more I wield it, the more of me it drains."

Kiran grimaces. “That is what I meant. There is a price for every soul you help set free. The lantern does not simply imprison them—it ensnares you as well.”

Lina seems to be losing her strength, but then gathers herself back. “I guess I will just have to be more tactful with how I employ it then.”

The Library’s Secrets:

The two continue searching the library, in the end, discovering a concealed chamber with a robust stone door closing it completely. They find an old book with a description of the ways to lift the curse attached to the lantern inside the room.

The text discloses that the source of energy of the lantern emanates from a piece of the Eternal Cycle herself. In order to get rid of a concept of the lantern, it is necessary to return the lantern to the form of bred origin. This involves the unsealing of the first otherworldly being ever held inside.

“First soul ever held,” Kiran reads further in the text, which gives its conclusion. “This is the very purpose of it. But it will not be an easy task, the text says. This is the one whose spirit is with the maker of the lantern.

Conflict – A Fractured Alliance:

As they exit the room, the ghosts come back, this time more substantial and threatening. They accuse Lina of being neglectful and self-centered, their voices brimming with fury:

“Why are you being so selfish?!”

“What’s stopping you from leaving us behind like the rest?!”

Lina hastily countered, “I’m not leaving you. On the contrary, I’m trying to save you!”

The spirits strike out, and Kiran intervenes to shield Lina, but no yells will come forth when their temper breaks. “You can’t keep treating this as if it is not your problem, Lina! These souls are yours to bear now!”

Lina lifted her head to them, pain showing on her face. “I didn’t sign up for this! What makes you think I wanted any of this?”

Their conversation is cut short when they scream as the spirits descend on them, and they have no choice but to fight their way out of the library.

Closing Scene:

Mentally drained and physically bruised, Lina and Kiran ‘shelter’ in the woods that evening. They placed a lantern in between, not as bright yet somewhat threatening.

Silence reigns until Lina says something. “You are right. I must bear this burden. But I cannot do it by myself."

Kiran assents, his voice growing more gentle. “Then let’s sort this out together. But we do not have a lot of time for this. The Hunter will not rest, and the lantern will also be unrelenting.”

There, on a distant hill, the Hunter of Souls stood, a smirk on his face as he watched the library go up in flames.

To be continued...