Point of View: Oligor
The First Spirit Lord’s Golden Eyes
“YOU’RE CRYING AGAIN, my lord?” The slightly exasperated voice echoed from behind me. Irked by the question, I stayed as I was, not even bothering to look back as I responded.
“That’s right, so why don’t you just leave me alone? Right now, my heart feels like it’s going to tear apart from intense emotion.”
There was a brief pause after I spoke, but then the voice continued—the questioning voice of Wentus, my aide.
“…Is that so, my lord? Ever since her ladyship ascended to the heavens, your heart has been consumed solely by grief and longing for her. Do you think it’s possible for any other feelings to emerge?”
“Could you not make it sound like I’m some gloomy spirit? Of course it’s possible! Why wouldn’t my heart be able to be moved by something new?!”
After another brief silence, Wentus spoke again, this time as if deep in thought.
“You received some guests at the palace a few days ago, did you not? Your children and grandchildren used to visit in the past, but it’s been about one hundred years since another soul set foot in here. If someone were able to find this palace, does that mean they were your kin? Perhaps someone who resembles her ladyship?”
He always did have good instincts. Still, that didn’t mean he could ask whatever he pleased. The mere thought of Luntia still saddened me, so he shouldn’t be asking questions that would send me deeper into my memories of her.
Turning to my aide, I answered in a slightly sharp tone, “You really have no sense of delicacy, do you?! But, yes, you’re right! One of my descendants came to visit me. She was the spitting image of Luntia. Not only that, but she had my eyes as well.”
“Well, isn’t that nice,” he replied in a lighthearted tone. “I hope she’s blessed with good fortune.”
Seeing his pleasant smile despite not understanding what that meant, I fixed him with a steely glare.
“You don’t get it. Listen closely: She doesn’t have golden eyes like my other descendants—she has my eyes.”
Wentus abruptly took a step back, looking stunned.
“That can’t be! There’s no way a human child could inherit your eyes.”
He was so shocked that it almost made me feel a little smug. “Usually, yes. But she possesses magic, the scale of which is hardly ever seen. She speaks the spirit language too.”
Wentus looked as though he was on the verge of fainting in surprise. In a hoarse voice he choked out, “She speaks…the spirit language?”
“I heard she spent much of her infancy with spirits. That’s how she came to understand how we spirits live…er, or rather, breathe…perhaps I should say, how we exist.” I paused to chuckle slightly, “It seems that her eyes were sealed until just recently, and she believed that it was the Spirit Lord’s work that she could learn to speak with spirits.”
“I see…” Wentus clenched his lips tightly as if there was something he wanted to say but was holding back, unable to phrase his retort in a suitable manor. As he gazed at me with desperation in his eyes, I answered the question he was unable to ask.
“She believes that her eyes were sealed as a temporary blessing, meant to help her learn the spirit language. But in fact, it was she who sealed them in order to protect herself. My eyes are far too powerful for a human to endure, and her body wouldn’t be able to handle them at first. As a result, she sealed her own eyes so that nothing would be reflected in them.”
“So now that they’re open, it means she can exist like a spirit, channel magic through her body, and withstand the strain of possessing such eyes, yes? How remarkable.”
“Indeed. They’re my eyes, so it wouldn’t have been easy to open them. The current Spirit Lord must’ve lent her his strength and given her the push she needed. But now that they are open, just as you said, her body is able to endure the burden of possessing them.”
Hearing that, Wentus became so overwhelmed with emotion that his eyes started to fill with tears.
“‘Spirits of the Beginning’ like us are whole on our own and don’t require a partner. However, despite your extraordinary abilities among the ancestral spirits, you still sought a companion, my lord. Because you took a human wife, all of your children were human as well and unable to inherit your powers. To be completely honest, I’ve always thought that was quite regretful.”
He had never brought up something like this while I was married to Luntia, so now I was the one looking at him in stunned shock.
While I empathized with the grateful tears streaming down Wentus’s face, I still couldn’t hold back from speaking my mind.
“All of the children Luntia and I had together were remarkable.”
Wentus lifted his head and partially agreed, saying, “For humans, yes, but only because they inherited your power, even if it was just a fraction. Among humans they were truly exceptional. However, the power spirits possess is completely different. That’s why I’m so elated. Would you mind if I give this descendant of yours my blessing as well?”
“Your blessing? You mean, ‘The Wind of Beginnings’? That would be going way too far. I ask you to wait, at least until Serafina is a little older.”
Wentus was born from the first breeze that touched this world. He was the second most powerful spirit after me. I’d been in such a haste to stop him that I accidentally spoke Serafina’s name.
Wentus’s cheeks flushed with delight as he chuckled. “Lady Serafina, is it? What a lovely name. So, what is it exactly that reflects in your eyes? Could it be the life span of a creature, or perhaps it’s weaknesses, just to name a few examples?”
“Even if I could see what you’re describing, it would only be possible if I was intensely concentrating.”
“If she inherited even half of your capabilities, it would be quite a fearsome thing to behold. And since it seems she’s been able to master the spirit language, she should be able to wield those powers she’s inherited one day.” He sounded almost mirthful. “How wonderful… To think your power has been passed down to the next generation.”
I supposed he was right. My power was too great, so it didn’t seem like something that was necessary for Serafina to have.
“If you have great power, you must use it. Though I don’t know whether possessing such a thing would be of benefit to her.”
“Then, rather than proclaiming how you’re going to dissolve into the light, why not stay in this world for a little longer and observe Lady Serafina’s future?” Wentus suggested with a warm smile. “At the very least, I’ve decided not to join you in melting away. After all, it’s my duty to protect your successor.”
“Why, you…”
Such a shocking lack of loyalty he has toward me, was my dismayed thought, but Wentus was marvelously capable, so he would be an excellent candidate to watch over Serafina.
“Still, she already has another spirit by her side. She can’t make a contract with you,” I pointed out.
“That’s fine, I suppose. There are plenty of ways around it.”
Yes, Wentus was quite the schemer.
“You better not force her to do anything against her will.”
“I’d never!”
However, the satisfied expression on his face made me worry. Why did we spirits have to possess such a strong sense of attachment? Deep in my heart, I apologized to Serafina for bringing her to the attention of my cunning aide.