Still,Auwei whispered.I hope you find someone to love, who loves you.
“I’ll worry about that once I’m Bonded with you. Until then, you’re my one and only.”
I’m touched. But if that’s the case, let’s get back to work, yes?
I nodded, closed the window and the curtains, and held out my hand for Auwei. I found it odd that now that she had an avatar form, she couldn’t float anymore. She was… limited. Such a strange process the Lumani must go through, going from free-floating energy, then taking the limiting shape of an animal, then combining souls with a human.
“Why do you do this?” I asked. “Why go through all this trouble of limiting yourself, taking the shape of animals, and joining with humans. What do you get out of it?” I sort of knew the general story of the Lumani, that they had sought the experience of a physical existence, but I wanted to know Auwei’s reasons.
That… is a long story, Auwei said.
“We’ve got lots of time.”
True. Well, long ago, The Mistlands and your world did not cross over as strongly as they do now. They were two different worlds. We knew of yours, as we could see it through the Mists, but you knew nothing of ours. Then… one day, the worlds meshed and merged and people began to wander into the Mists. That’s when we first met your kind and it’s fair to say… both sides were quite fascinated with each other.
Chapter 5
Those first fewof your kind who stepped into The Mistlands, especially those who stayed there and survived long enough, became the world’s first mistweavers, able to draw on the power of that world even when returning to yours.
I shuddered just a little at the mention of mistweavers. The tales of those ancient and powerful beings were still told to frighten children into behaving. Some had been powerful enough they’d destroyed entire nations. Hence the Shattered Lands far to the north. Yet with that power came a madness. Spending too much time in The Mistlands did things to a human’s mind. That great power came at a terrible price. Thankfully, there were no mistweavers in the world today.
Yes, that was… something no one foresaw. A terrible time for your world and mine.
“For yours?” That was something none of the tales mentioned.
Yes, some of the mistweavers learned ways to gain more power by consuming the spirits of The Mistlands.
I shuddered at the thought. “That’s horrible.”
Indeed.Auwei was silent for a moment.But that time eventually passed. And later, some of my kind were intrigued by your world and wished to see it. But… our experience of the physical world was and is limited. Everything is energy to us, so we don’t see or hear in the same way as humans, and we cannot touch, taste, or smell. So, the first bargains and Bondings were made. It was a difficult experience for both parties, but in the end, the Lumani obtained the experiences of your world that they sought. Yet… when those first True-Bonded hosts died, their Lumani were forlorn. It is like… losing nearly all of themselves as well. They were powerful in their own right but limited once again. When they returned to tell of their experiences, some of us were fascinated and wished to try this odd Bonding.
Auwei was silent for a long time after that. She seemed agitated, crawling around my bed and up the wall, then across the ceiling. She even spun a strand of spider-silk and lowered herself from the ceiling back down to the bed.
This form is really quite fascinating, Birch. I think you’ll like it once we Bond.
“You’re stalling,” I said. “Is this difficult to talk about?”
Auwei sighed.Yes.
“Then we can stop for now.”
No… I just needed a moment.The small form scampered up onto my leg and snuggled into the crux behind the knee of the folded leg. I would not have thought I’d ever want a spider snuggling up to any part of me, but with Auwei it was different. She had the rough form of a spider, but still had her cream-yellow glow and was warm and comforting to have near me.My first True-Bonded… in those days, they didn’t change their names, did you know that?
“No.”
They didn’t take on the name of their avatar form. Her name was Woleia.Again, silence for a long moment.She will always hold a special place for me. She was… brave. Not just in accepting my Bond, but beyond that. She was a hunter and fearless when facing any beast of nature. She took the form of a wolf. And… I think she’ll always be so special because that was my first experience of your world. I will always remember smelling my first rose through her senses, the sweetness of a ripe peach, and the soft press of a kiss upon her lips.
I was feeling something from Auwei, the heightened pleasure of these memories. I too smelled a summer’s rose, tasted that peach, and felt the kiss. But there was more behind that kiss. Emotions spilled into me, the warmth of love and the wet heat of desire. For a moment, that overwhelmed me, and I felt a thrill of arousal at the phantom press upon my lips.
“Yes,” I breathed softly as if responding to a lover’s caress.
Birch? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… That was too much.
It had been. And I shuddered as I slowly came down from that rush of passion. I cleared my throat. “Ah… You were telling me about Woleia?”
Auwei hesitated for a moment before continuing.Perhaps we can talk more about Woleia another time.I felt the depth of intimacy she was dealing with. There was a lot more to Woleia’s story I guessed, but I wouldn’t push. I let Auwei continue at her own pace and discretion.You’d asked why I do this and what I get out of it. A sigh.Humans tend to think of us Lumani as being powerful mystical beings. And… I suppose we are when compared with humans, but our power is quite limited, in this world and in The Mistlands. In truth, our real power comes from our ability to Bond with humans and through that make both sides stronger. Another moment of silence.We… it hurts to lose a Bonded companion. Yet… the joy we get from being with one far outweighs the loss we feel when they’re gone. It’s like… being in love. I know you’ve only had one experience with that, but I’ve had many. I’ve loved and had a broken heart through my previous True-Bonded. It is amazing, the power love gives you, the height of joy and contentment it can bring. And when it’s gone, it feels like the world has ended. Yet… I’d rather love and have my heart broken, then to never feel love. And it’s the same with Bonding. I am always devastated when my True-Bonded dies. Yet, the joy of Bonding with another will always draw me back to Choose someone like you, Birch. Auwei giggled.Or should I call you: Legs?
“Spirits, no, please.”
