Chapter 5:
The Being Inside the Saint’s Necklace
ONCE OUR LITTLE EXCURSION to Fanoss was over, Marie and I found ourselves inside a laboratory on Luxion’s main ship. We’d brought the two Magic Flutes all the way here so that he could analyze them. After we set the attaché case down, he retrieved the instruments and began a basic scan. We stood there for a little over ten minutes waiting for him to finish and make his report.
At long last, Luxion said, “I suspected this beforehand. It appears that the flutes were crafted after the ancient civilization that created me had already collapsed.”
That essentially meant that these flutes were Lost Items as well, although they came from a different time period than Luxion and his creators. A bigger concern was what the flutes were capable of: manipulating monsters and summoning final bosses. They could hardly be considered standard, run-of-the-mill Lost Items.
“What stumps me is how a civilization that came after yours created something like this,” I said. It beggared belief. Even current technology couldn’t develop objects like these flutes.
“Indeed,” said Luxion. “By my calculations, it’s most likely that several civilizations followed mine and preceded yours. One of those must have been responsible for the flutes.”
Marie stared at the flutes, completely uninterested in our discussion about the planet’s history. “Okay, fine. So there was another civilization. And? What does that tell us?”
I sniffed at her, exasperated. “Why don’t you take a little more interest in history and appreciate its depth? Doesn’t it excite you at all to think that there might’ve been a civilization far more advanced than our own?”
She gave me a bored look. “The fact that Luxion exists already proves that fact. Duh. Who cares if other advanced civilizations came after his? What direct impact does that have on us?”
“None, I guess.” I shrugged.
“Yeah. I thought not.” She didn’t think learning more about the past would benefit us in any way, so she considered taking an interest in it completely pointless.
“Regarding this mystery civilization,” Luxion said, ignoring her cynical commentary, “We know that they managed to enable those flutes to manipulate monsters. I infer that this is done by creating a magical contract between the user and the monsters under the flute’s influence, the catalyst being the user’s soul.”
“What?!” Marie screeched. She must’ve been listening, despite acting like she was bored of the whole conversation. She jumped back from the flute.
I quietly retreated a step as well. “Uh, let’s just destroy them already, okay?”
“They could be useful, so I will analyze them thoroughly before disposing of them,” said Luxion. “That said, there is no reason for you to be anxious. Using the flutes to manipulate the inferior monster varieties in this region of the world would not require the user’s soul. At worst, it might cause mental exhaustion.”
“Oh, really?”
“However, the monster sealed inside each flute itself is a different story. Some sort of mechanism allows the flutes to summon an artificial behemoth, though at the cost of the user’s life,” explained Luxion.
The worst thing about the final bosses the flutes contained was their capacity to revive even after being defeated.
“Actually, it is technically incorrect to say the monster is sealed within,” Luxion clarified. “Rather, what is actually stored inside the instrument appears to be data about the monster. The user utilizes the flute, sacrificing their own soul to gather demonic essence in the air. That manifests the behemoth into reality. Since the monster’s data is within the flute, and the monster has unrestricted access to demonic essence in the surrounding environment, it can revive itself endlessly.”
“Sounds like a pain. Can’t we just destroy them already?” said Marie.
I was on the same page.
“We could,” Luxion said, but his tone indicated he planned to do anything but. “There is great value in the magic and scientific technology behind the flutes, however, so I wish to continue my analysis.”
I was ready to be done with the flutes—the sooner the better—but I knew better than to think Luxion would be on board if I pushed the topic. It’d be worse if I forced him to destroy them; he’d never let me hear the end of it. It was better to suck it up and let him have his way.
“Fine,” I said. “But once you’re done, destroy them.”
“Of course,” said Luxion.
Since we’d entered his laboratory, I’d noticed a number of other items—and even creatures—stored inside. Some of the creatures were actually monsters. One thing in particular stood out due to how securely it was stored: a black mist inside a glass sphere. That transparent cage was about two meters or so wide. The mist trapped inside had a woman’s silhouette. She appeared to be pounding the glass wildly, trying to break out, but to no avail.
“I’ve been wondering since we came in—what’s that thing over there?” I asked, motioning to the sphere. “Some kind of monster?”
Marie eyed the mist curiously before recognition flashed over her face. “I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that thing somewhere before. Where was it?”
As she fell into silent contemplation, Luxion answered, “That is the being that possessed the Saint’s necklace. She’s an astral spirit. I suppose you could say that she is a deep-seated grudge that lingered in this world.”
A lingering grudge? As in, like, a ghost? A vengeful entity? It was the first time I’d seen something like this since reincarnating into the fantasy world. The spirit was far less terrifying than I might’ve imagined, though, largely thanks to the fact that she was caged.
“So that thing was possessing the necklace,” I muttered. “Is she trying to say something? Looks like she’s thrashing around in there.”
“I have soundproofed her container, so she can’t hear anything we say. She can’t see beyond the glass, either. She is screaming, demanding that I release her at once, and she has thus far refused to answer any of my queries,” said Luxion. “So I have been conducting experiments on her.”
I hope it’s just my imagination, but when he said the word “experiments,” his lens seemed to flash eerily.
Marie gripped my hand and squeezed. “Leon, I’m starting to think that Luxion is way more terrifying than this grudge-made-manifest. I’m not crazy, right? To think it’s scary that he’s experimenting on that thing?”
“Nope. In fact, I’m of the same opinion.”
Luxion studied us, his lens whirring as it focused. “How disrespectful. I would never do anything to harm humanity.”
You little liar. “Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes. You tried to kill me when we first met!” I shouted.
“A most unfortunate miscalculation on my part,” he admitted.
You are something else.
“Hold on a sec,” Marie said. “When he says ‘humanity,’ he’s referring to old humanity, right? He doesn’t think of people other than us as part of humanity, does he?”
We both turned, eyeing Luxion suspiciously.
He immediately averted his gaze. “Now then, Masters, why don’t you try to speak with this astral spirit? Perhaps it will react differently to you than me.”
Don’t change the subject! I wanted to object aloud, but before I had the chance, Luxion had already removed the restrictions on the mist’s sphere so she could see and hear us.
Soon enough, the astral spirit’s shrill voice blasted over the room’s speakers. “I’ll kill you! I’ll murder each and every one of you!!”
Her earsplitting shout made Luxion turn down the volume immediately.
“You are being too loud,” he told the spirit gruffly. “I brought Marie here as you requested. I would appreciate your showing a response distinct from your usual caterwauling.”
As the mist registered Marie’s presence, her two yellow eyes widened. She slammed against the glass as if trying to claw her way to Marie. “I found you. I found you! Marieeee! You are my descendant. Now give me your body!”
Oof. What a horrific demand. Not to mention that she looked horrifying, exactly as I’d imagined an evil spirit might look. She was a little—okay, no, very—scary. I didn’t mind monsters I could vanquish. They didn’t intimidate me at all. When it came to fighting things like ghosts, though, I wasn’t so brave.