In His Name

Chapter 32 - Hall of ghosts

Manadora once again does her magic trick of opening a previously nonexistent door. Calling it existence just long enough to grant them passage and then blinking right back into nothingness. Rosco still hasn't gotten over how cool it is.

This time she'd brought them to a hallway with sone walls, stone floors, a stone ceiling, high enough above them to accommodate beings much, much larger than either of them are. Rosco peers down one way, until the reach of his lantern light fades into the dark, and then the other, seeing no end there as well.

"Where are we now?" he asks curiously.

"This is the home of Manarow," Dora answers, "Our eldest and greatest brother; the leader of all the Mana range mountain spirits and one of the grandest mountains of your entire world."

A shiver of unease travels down Rosco's spine, "W-why have we come here?" goose bumps rise over his skin at the deep wrongness resonating in the atmosphere, still and cold like a tomb. Manadora points over his shoulder, guiding him to an archway that hadn't been there before. His curiosity baited; the boy wandered through. The room is massive, thousands of floating lanterns, like the one Manadora made for him, bob listlessly though the air, casting haunting patterns of light and shadow. Great pillars reach high up into the rafters, succumbing to shadow before the tops can be seen. Some pillars are rough natural stone, some wear the bark of trees, some look to be made of tightly wrapped collections of vines, and a few look to be made of bone. Scattered, in no discernable pattern between the pillars, sit benches of similarly varied composition. Rosco takes a few steps further in, and one of the lanterns drifts past a figure resting on one of the benches. Rosco looks over his shoulder at Manadora, who nods, ushering him forward. The further in he ventures, the more his heart rises into his throat. The figure is a young woman, hands resting in her lap, back turned on him. Rosco's shaking fingers try to twist at his ring, but the numbing cold makes him fumble clumsily and he finds no comfort in the action. The woman's body is almost completely see-through., like the ghosts he'd seen in the stable loft, yet this girl had retained her colors, though they had become muted. The tremble of his hand worsens as he approaches, inching around to face her. She doesn't move, doesn't respond in any way. Her hazy eyes only staring blankly ahead.

Swallowing thickly, "H-hello?" the boy whispers, nerves shaking his voice. When she still didn't answer he raises a trembling hand, tapping her shoulder. Gasping, he tumbles back, shocked by the wrongness. She has substance but isn't solid, it had been like touching a thick foam of soap bubbles.

"She is sleeping." Manadora informs, joining him in front of the girl.

Rosco's wide, frightened eyes flick up to the spirit's, "She's human, isn't she?"

Dora nods.

"Can we wake her up?"

"No," the mountain shakes her head, "her sleep is the only thing keeping her alive."

"What!? Why?" he asks bewildered. Dora points behind him and Rosco follows her gaze. With increasing frequency, the benches leading further into the room are also occupied with other humans like this one, in various stages of transparency. "Oh gods," he mutters under his breath. Spinning back on the mountain spirit, "Why?" he questions again in near disbelief. His eyes search her face like the answers might be hiding there, like he might be able to see beyond her false kindness to whatever could inspire her to take part in this.

Dora avoids his gaze, her eyes drifting to the girl on the bench, "We never wanted to hurt them," speaking so softly Rosco struggles to hear., "We just didn't know what else to do." Lines of worry mark her beautiful face, "We still don't." twisting at her fingers

"You have to send them back!" Rosco insists fervently, moving to inspect the next person, just a few feet away. This one is a boy with sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Rosco rushes to the next ghost, the emotion building in his chest wreaking havoc on his heartbeat, "They can't stay here like this! People are looking for them!" Choking on his own throat, "Waiting for them."