The gasps and murmurs continue, doubled in fact. So people were already giving nas and titles; Prophet, Lord, and my personal favourite, ssiah. The last ca mostly from a small number of people, and they all looked ragged, arguably more so than I. I enjoyed it but they didn't have what I want, their pockets weren't heavy with coin that ought to be in my hand by now. Speaking of which.
Garland, the prince took his ti realizing his grandfather was gone at my command. He stood there gaping as the green mana mist slowly dissipated. But he didn't fail . Once he ca to his senses his eyes landed on and before I could even register his motions, he'd thrown himself at my feet. Fancy clothes and all.
"Great One! Permit the chance Great One. My grandfather!" His voice is muffled by all the dirt he's eating but his shouting made up for it.
I smile gently, like the Pope excommunicating a King that refuses him. Peaceful, serene and under divine direction. This is Power.
Back ho the closest I'd ever gotten to tasting this was having a man beg miserably for his life at the barrel of my gun or having my way at a strip club for ten minutes. But that doesn't compare to this, the crowd, the look in their eye, the prince licking my filthy feet. Imdiately I realize I have to pursue this feeling, this high.
Back ho I only ever pursued my comfort, my next al and luxuries of all sorts, but I was nave, I had a gun in my hands and yet all I could do with it was be a criminal, a gang mber and a thug. How could I not see, that those with wealth, even in the gang, were those that had all the power, those that never needed to touch a gun. The old, the brittle and weak n whose every word was uttered to the world like an edict from a god. I was too blind to see what I truly wanted, what I was chasing endlessly for, was actually power.
I look down on Garland and back into the crowd circling around, now they'd begun begging for their turns, they'd begun praying that my eyes would land on them and my hand would command them forth. I am hungry, tired, injured and bruised but I knew all would be well. I have power and I know how to use it.
"Rise, Garland." I reach down and tap his shoulder, I retain my smile, a genuine smile. He looks up at , he'd been crying. I don't know if it was from seeing his grandfather again or from the reverence he bore at with his eyes. He is terribly vulnerable to the many tricks and scams I have up my sleeve, but I won't need to extort this man, no, he would upturn his wealth without a single word leaving my lips.
He gets to his feet and I take a page from the Holy book and wipe away his tears. "I will bring you your grandfather," I turn to the crowd and spread out my arms, "I will bring back whover you seek if it's in my power!"
Another round of mutterings goes off as I say this. I let my head drop and I tap Garland on the shoulder, "But I must rest, and commune with the spirits and refill my soul..." I chuckle and tap stomach, "as well as my belly. Excuse , Young Prince."
I turn and begin to walk away to the house. I can see Elsa and Sem looking over from here, no doubt disturbed by the commotion. I idly wonder why they did not co over.
"Where will we find you, Great One!"
The voice is that of a woman, her question pervades the crowd and they begin asking the sa question.
"Where does the Priest live?"
"Is he leaving? Where is he going?"
"How do we find you, Lord!"
"Will you co again!"
I turn and grace them with my smile. I point to the Elsa and Sem down the river, "I have been given refuge by a kind woman and her son. They have fed and permitted to stay with them for the ti being."
Yet another round of murmurs, except this ti I fear they aren't of praises or any sort of approval. In fact, the people seem to shirk away.
It's chilling how quickly they disapproved, and even more so as I'm ignorant to what they were disapproving of. I grit my teeth and decide to cut my losses. Whatever they were, I shouldn't linger around any longer.
I am quick to turn on my heels and strut off to the house. There I would have my answers.
***
When they see coming they flee into the house. Likely because a small part of the crowd had chosen to follow after while the restwent off sowhere, hopefully to spread the good news.
I smile and bow at the crowd before receding into the house. I'm not sure the door would do much to stand in their way, especially not this door but I'm counting on common etiquette to keep them at bay for now.
When I turn around, I find Elsa and Sem looking up expectantly at . Seems I wasn't the only one with questions.
"What's going on?" Sem is the first to voice a question. I smile and move past him to the basket of fruit sitting on the floor, I sit down next to it and take an apple, without the chairs and table the living room is just empty space.
"Oh nothing, just people want to bring back so people for them."
"You an spirits?" Elsa this ti, she looks distraught.
"Yes."
"Did you bring back any?" Sem asks, he stares at with a budding doubt. He has done so ever since I failed to coback with anything like I promised. I couldn't bla him; I would harbour so doubts as well.
"I brought back so guy, uhm, Garfield the First of Ioina? Sothing like that." I shrug biting into my apple.
This ti they spoke in unison, "You brought back the founder!"
I grin and finish my apple. I'm tempted to reach for a second but all the basket has left is a spotty cabbage, a strange fruit and two more apples. I wouldn't want greedy and have two of them starve in their own ho so I let my protesting stomach make due with what it's been given.
Besides, it wouldn't be long now.
"Are you sure you can't bring back my father?" Sem pleads, sprawling onto the floor beside .
"Sem!" His mother is quick to scold, her usually serene and content face is fraught at his outburst. "The Great Mage has told you he cannot do such. Let it be." Her voice although loud at first, sputters into a whisper as she begs her son to drop the matter.
It's obvious still, that she wants nothing more than to beg and prod in the sa manner her son did for any chance there might be a way. And to an extent, a part of wants the sa.
"But the founder of the village was able to be brought back?" Sem snorts, not believing it. "But my dad, a simple farr can't be brought back?"
I raise an eyebrow at this and shake my head, "Sem, my powers do not care what station a soul was while it was still attached to a living body, if the soul lingers around without going into the light then my powers can reach it and bring it back temporarily. There's nothing I can do if your father went into the light."
He struggles to bite back a comnt, but ultimately his mothers' slender hand on his shoulder calms the child down. He breathes, his anger recycled into grief and walks back into the room, leaving Elsa and I alone.
There's a pervasive silence before she speaks one that is filled by muffled sobs, "I apologize for my son." She starts, "Despite losing his father years ago, he still has yet to co to terms with it. And with you herewell"
"I understand, he has regressed." My presence. The presence of soone capable of bringing back the dead didn't help his recovery.
She nods and turns her attention to the nearly empty basket. "Nothing today. My apologies." She smiles a bit, perhaps at the misery of her situation. It's a beautiful smile, yet soempty.
"Give it so ti, the basket will feel itself." She gives a strange look but I ignore it. Ti for my own questions. "The people out there seem to disapprove my association with you and Sem. Any idea why?"
She is visibly shocked by this but she soon turns downcast. "It's because of my Husband, the way he died. Dishonour."
"Well, it's about ti you let in on the open secret, better from you than anyone else, don't you think?"
***
I nearly trip on my way out of the house. It is to my pleasure though. I tripped on baskets and bags of fruits and food, to the sides are pots with steam rising up from them.
Ever since I ca to this world, I never once believed that food would make its way to rather than I chase after it. Except on this day. And I had barely just begun.
Aside the food there are people, although fewer than before, camped out in front of the house, they all spring to their feet, each of them eager to make their case. I shut them all up however, by speaking first. "Bring Garland. I will be at the tent."
Two rush out to carry out my orders while the rest follow up the river and to the tent. By the ti I arrive there the number of people following seem to have tripled. I don't mind this, I'd need a crowd anyway.
I drag my chair out of the tent, sit, and close my eyes. So far none of the people dared to approach , this too is preferable. I wouldn't even know where to begin to answer why I couldn't resurrect ninety percent of the populations loved ones. Claiming they were sinners would only take so far, and it wasn't a good look if majority mbers of my budding religion, Ashism, were all sinners. Still thinking of a na.
I don't have to wait long for Garland to arrive. I hear a small ruckus as he bounces his way through the wall of humans surrounding and falls to his knees in front of .
"Great One! You called for ."
I nod and stand to my feet. "Were the gifts of food and drink from you, Young Prince?"
"Yes. I as well as many others from the village."
"I'd like so clothing very much as well" at my direct request, Garland blanches and begins to sputter.
"I should have known! At once, I will attend to this at once, Great one!" He begins to stand, ready to rush out to fulfil my request like many others already had.
"But first," he stops at my voice. "Spend so ti with your Grandfather." I activate Sense Death and use Summon Spirit to bring back and eagerly waiting Garland the first of Ioina.
The crowd gasps again, many witnessing this for the first ti. Garland thanks profusely as his Grandfather descends from above. I wave him off, fully expecting an attire like his at my doorstep soon.
I spy one of the relatives I could perform for in the crowd and beckon on him. The man is shocked but cos forward. I hear mutters of people cursing their rotten luck but I pay it no mind. I'm being mysterious and totally random after all.
"Wait a few monts and you will see your mother again." I tell him.
The young man's mouth hangs open at the revelation and imdiately confesses that it's his mother he wished to see again. I nod and promptly have him stop his grovelling. As much as I enjoyed it, sothing was happening on the edge of my crowd wall.
And it wasn't friendly to by the sounds of it.
"Make way!"
"Let us through imdiately!"
It doesn't take a lot of shoving and slapping to get the ssage through to the people gathered to see . Soon I'm welcod to the sight of four n. Two of them seemingly being the most important people here as the murmurs quickly swich from being and absolute miracle to shock that these two n were present.
One of them is a young man, he wears thick clothes embroidered with so jewels and had a fluffy purple hat on his head. With a single look I could tell this man was at least as wealthy as Garland if not more so. He held the look of the stereotypical noble.
The other is an old man. Hunched over his back and walking with the aid of a cane that looked more like a staff or rod with how hunched over he is.
"Garland!" The young man calls out. "What is this shenanigans you have going on here?"
For a mont Garland hesitates to turn to his call, but as the young man shouts out his na once more his grandfather mutters sothing to him and he turns.
"Perlman, I see you have heard the news."
"I have heard more than my ears can stand. And so has the Diviner!"
The Diviner? My eyes land on the trembling old man beside this Perlman. He certainly fits the description Anselm gave.
I look down at the man I called to and ask, "Who is that man over there?" And why is he stealing my show?
"Oh, well. That's the Mayor of Ioina Village."
The Mayor? How fortunate it is I don't have to go looking for him After the very revealing discussion with Elsa, I have reason to speak with him.
"And beside and his guards is the Diviner of this village, a representative of the Synagogue."
The Synagogue huh. I turn my attention back to the two and they're still going at it.
"Have you co to witness for yourself or have you co to make a fuss." Garland asks. He is facing the Mayor, Perlman now. He easily towered over the stout young man; it didn't seem like he'd be growing any taller.
"I have co to put a stop to this. For it is Heresy!" At the word it's like he stands on his tiptoes.
Oh shoot. The H-word already? I am so not looking to be crucified.
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