The Hallowed Forsaken: First Book of the Aradian by J.A. Pettingale

Author:J.A. Pettingale [Pettingale, J.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ad Lucem
Published: 2021-05-13T22:00:00+00:00

Aradia sat up dazed and took a moment to find her balance again.

“I wasn’t expecting that to be so… explosive,” she muttered, one hand on her aching head.

Standing, but supporting herself with the aid of a table, Apathy brushed ash and soot from her snow-white hair.

“Neither was I! And it seems I have lived to tell the tale someday. You must tell me, how do you feel?”

“My head hurts, but other than that I’m… I’m not sure.”

“Right, right… well that is a usual by-product of a soul merging. I mean, do you feel power, a little cold perhaps?

Considering Apathy’s query, Aradia rose to her feet and composed herself. On the surface she felt no different, perhaps slightly singed. However, on the inside things did seem to be lying in disarray to the norm.

The magic that spent its time at the base of her stomach and core now felt… dispersed. It was as if she were more at one with the magic, rather than utilising a substance that just so happened to be inside of her. Furthermore, when she investigated this magic, attempting to channel it through her body as she had done before, a mild coldness set in under her skin wherever the magic passed.

“I feel, chilly, I think… when I try to use the magic. But something is blocking it from coming out – it’s trapped inside,” she explained to Apathy, who had now steadied herself and was making her way back into the main office chamber toward her desk.

“Hmm, it will most likely need some time to acclimatise. Some of my essence and magic is in you now – quite the foreign environment – an adjustment would be an expected side effect, I suppose.”

Aradia nodded as if she fully understood and sat back down on the floor in the centre of the scorch marks that newly decorated the floor. In this moment of rare quiet, Aradia decided to fully analyse how she felt, to detect any hidden or subtle differences in her reality. First, she noticed how her magic, now flowing through her as if it were her own blood, was drawn toward the row of jars that sat upon the table Apathy had leant on. It seemed excited or eager to act when she approached the table, and calm again when she moved away. This new phenomenon confused her a great deal until the penny dropped.

The magic of death, and those are the souls of people who’ve died… this is going to be interesting.

Before she could continue her investigation, a sudden discomfort arose around her xiphisternum behind which, Apathy had informed her, was the location of the soul. This feeling of discomfort, while an annoyance and unsettling, was not painful and felt as though it was not her issue, but a form of heartache for another. In her mind she knew that the feeling was a mild annoyance and a twinge of pain, yet she couldn’t place where the feeling originated from or why.

Brow furrowed in bewilderment, she moved back into the main chamber to be greeted by Apathy tenderly rubbing her knee.

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