Menders of Mind - The Tranquil: Part 3

Menders of Mind
The Tranquil: Part 3

   As promised, the Puller siblings started to gradually feel better. This sensation was reminiscent of Vericia’s childhood when she visited a grand fair and like a stupid little kid she was, rode the carousel right after she had stuffed her face with candies. It somewhat comforted her that she wasn’t the only one kicked in the face by the spiritual or magical or whatever exactly this ritual was as Eli behind her also resisted the urge to have a reunion with the water he had previously drank.

“Take it easy, it’ll get better.”

   Amos had sat down next to them, keeping a worried eye on the two while Pyrri displayed signs of guilt in her eyes. She signed something to the Haedians closest to her, to which they nodded and left the scene. Amos’ ears twitched as Pyrri reconnected herself to him via the mental link.

“She asked me to tell you that she’s deeply sorry for causing you such discomfort and she’d like to make up for it.”

“Please, no more magic or spiritual stuff. As long as it’s nothing like that.”

   Vericia tried to remain polite while she was busy cosplaying a furry carpet on the grass. Eli already managed to sit up, still processing the magnitude of the experience he just received but despite that, he agreed with his sister on not doing this again. Amos and Pyrri patiently waited for the return of the other Tranquil, not taking their eyes off the sufferers.

   By the time Pyrri’s henchmen returned with soft blankets, some murky liquid in a crystal teapot and packages that smelled of something edible, Vericia was feeling about as OK as her brother. They had shaken off the worst but they still were around the average I-didn’t-have-my-liter-of-morning-coffe-yet kind of a crappy feeling, so seeing the suspicious brew sloshing in the crystal tea pot was about as exciting as watching the grass grow. Pyrri noticed their doubtful expressions, so she asked Amos to forward another message.

“You don’t have to drink it, but she hopes it’ll alleviate the nausea completely. The healthy snacks should also help.”

   Pyrri’s gaze went distant as she was busy thinking. Amos observed the siblings accepting the blankets being laid on them and their reluctant attempts to raise the cups with the funky-smelling tea near their lips. The winged Puller had made the decision to move on on his own as soon as his companions could stand up again. The time with the Tranquil had been refreshingly educational but his introvert’s social interaction battery started to run dry. If he was reading the siblings’ minds, he’d know that they had the exact same idea as they obviously weren’t capable of facing such levels of tranquility being thrown at them. Feeling Pyrri’s mental touch again, Amos listened to what she had to say and having discussed the whole thing just in a split second, he decided that this might be worth his time.

“Hmm, Pyrri says they’re about to hold an event called Thoughtflow. She thought we might want to see this before we leave to have at least some positive emotions from the time with them.”

   Vericia’s eyes narrowed and Eli nearly choked on the sip of tea he managed to force in his mouth, spilling the rest of the mug’s continents on the pearly white blanket wrapped around him. After having a very justified embarrassment adding a bit red to his already pink face, his imagination started painting possible scenarios of what kind of torture was in store for them.

“You said ‘see’, so no mentalist shenanigans that would involve us?”

   Vericia didn’t sound assuring, but her current way of paying attention to the matter betrayed her interest in it.

“Yes, that’s right. We just have to sit and watch.”

   Amos’ confirmation of Pyrri’s words alleviated some of the initial opposition the two Pullers felt, but they still weren’t 100% sure about this when they agreed to have a look. Pyrri was delighted to learn that the visitors didn’t want to run away like a scared bunch of bunnies from a hawk, so she asked them to bring the blankets, snacks and maybe even the tea along with them as they had to head over to the Hall of Ancestors. Having a sheepish grin plastered on his face, Eli politely handed the crystal pot back to one of the Tranquil members before he followed his sister, the winged one and Pyrri to the aforementioned edifice.

   Arriving there, our adventurers were stunned by the beauty and details surrounding them. Upon entering the white hall they were met with numerous other clan members, who were busy making preparations, such as lighting incense sticks or fluffing the pillows on the mirror-smooth marble floor. The most prominent features of this place was a neatly carved pool in the middle of the room where perfectly clear water glistened calmly, as it was basking in the pleasant dim light cast by countless green-hued crystals placed on the walls. In addition to serving as costless light bulbs, each gem had a symbol carved on it. Amos stopped to decipher one of them as he felt like he had seen something similar before, but his focus was interrupted by Vericia, who bumped into his rear end as she was too busy goggling at the room. Giving him a quick quiet “sowwy”, Vericia found Eli already picking a spot to sit in a safe distance from the center, and she decided to join him there. Hopefully here they’ll have enough space to jump up and run for their lives the moment they feel even the slightest hint that their souls might leave their bodies again. Amos was far from being as paranoid as the siblings, so he positioned himself somewhere in the middle of the crowd in hopes to witness the Thoughtflow in its whole glory.

   The Tranquil were quick to finish the preparations and soon enough, everyone had skedaddled to their seats, except for the four of them covered in crystal jewelry and Pyrri, who positioned themselves around the pond, leaving even spaces between them. They lifted their upper bodies in the air, raising forearms in front of them while entwining the fingers and with closed eyes, started to meditate. One didn’t need to be a magic dowsing rod like Amos to feel the sudden energy surge in the room, as the meditating Tranquil connected with the crystals on the walls to activate them. What happened next made even Amos drop his jaw, not to mention Vericia and Eli who managed to let their tongues dry out while they were fully enchanted by the show.

   The crystals brightened up and started to project their hidden secrets. They filled the room with a nice green otherworldly glow, where shapes of Haedians started to form. There were about four of them, smiling to the crowd below while paying extra attention to the certain members of the clan, who waved at them with aching happiness. Eli, Vericia and Amos had time to realize that these were the Haedians of the past, who now lived either in the crystals or a different plane of existence, and this ritual allowed them to reconnect with their loved ones. To confirm this theory, each ghost floated to one of the connecting Haedians by the pool, where Pyrri was also sitting completely still. They dissipated into a cloud of misty energy before entering their minds, which caused another flash of energy bolt through the room as all of the Tranquil were now connected via psychic link, so they could communicate with the late ones. As promised, Pyrri protected the three topsiders from being pulled into it, so they could keep observing the few other Haedian figures appearing in the arcane display above the participants. They seemed to be happy and content with their situations, and one even levitated closer to Amos, then Eli and Vericia (still wrapped in their cozy blankets) to have a closer curious look at the strange new species among their own. Vericia barely managed to lift one paw to give the Haedian soul a slight wave, mouth still wide open as if she was waiting for a juicy steak to run right into it. The spirit smiled happily and waved back at her, before turning around and returning to the others at the center, carefreely enjoying the presence of its people once more.

   Pyrri was right when she promised to share an experience so wonderful that could overwrite the previous blunder, gifting the three topsiders a memory they’d never forget.