Karmic Balance

Jun shook as the latest screen vanished, the unknown voice's last words still ringing in her ears. Whether her shaking was fear, exhaustion, or anger, she didn't know anymore. Maybe all of it at once. She stood waiting for the next screen, but nothing came.

What now? Jun tried moving about, but though she could feel some kind of ground under her feet and see herself, she couldn't see anything else. Just the inky dark void. For a time, she counted her breaths, but she eventually lost count. Was that the hundredth breath? The thousandth? Time lost all meaning as she stood there waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. She was alone, not even the mysterious voice to keep her company, at least until she wasn't.

A figure materialized out of the darkness, and Jun's eyes widened as she saw a copy of herself. More memories came back of another copy of herself she had to deal with. Something that was and wasn't her, that tried to eat her. Jun dropped into a fighting stance, the same one she learned from her father but had always been too afraid to use. But not anymore. If being forced to relive her worst memories did nothing else, it stripped away her fear of judgment. She refused to simply be a victim any longer!

As Jun watched her copy, it turned to look at her before it opened its mouth and spoke in the same mysterious tone as the voice before. "The Trial of Souls is complete." The void shuddered as the words echoed all around them, and the copy dissolved, leaving Jun alone in the darkness.

"What the—"

"Well done, kitten." Two large eyes with slitted pupils appeared in the void as her mother's voice seemed to shake the space.

"Shi-Shiori?"

The eyes vanished for a second before they reappeared. A slow blink, Jun realized. "Yes, congratulations on passing the Trial of Souls. It is a difficult feat to achieve."

"Trial of Souls? Is that what you call being forced to relive my worst memories?! Why didn't you warn me? Prepare me for that?!"

The void tinged red as Jun yelled at Shiori, anger filling her soul.

"It's complicated. May I come in?"

"In? Where am I? What is the Trial of Souls?"

"You are in your soul, kitten. Without your permission, I cannot enter without harming you."

"Tell me what this trial thing is first!"

The giant eyes blinked again. "Very well," Shiori sighed. "The Trial of Souls is something everyone must go through before they can begin to sense their own soul. You are judged by your own spirit, weighed and measured, and only if you deem yourself worthy of viewing your soul will you be able to see."

"See? See my own soul? Why would my spirit need to judge if I'm worthy of seeing my own soul? Why would it force me to relive such terrible things?"

"Your consciousness and your spirit are two separate things intertwined with your soul. Your consciousness is responsible for your choices, your spirit responsible for safeguarding your soul. Your spirit will always choose to protect your soul, even from yourself. If your spirit judges you to be a danger to your own soul, it will refuse to allow you access. But if you can pass the Trial of Souls, your consciousness and your spirit can unite and directly affect your own soul, and potentially, those of others."

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"Others?"

"It is the basics of Soul Combat, kitten, but I cannot teach you any more before you allow me in."

"How?"

"It is your soul. Simply will it be so."

Jun hesitated, thinking through everything. She trusted her mother, but all this talk of souls and spirits scared her. It didn't help that she'd been forced to relive her worst memories, even things she hadn't thought were that bad at the time. But time, distance, and a fresh perspective changed things. She'd seen how her parents neglected her. How her teachers and adults hated her and punished her for things she couldn't control. Still, Shiori was powerful and had helped her again and again. If she could trust anyone, it was her. But how did she just will something to happen? The hint of an ocean breeze brushed across her face, so faint she might have imagined it, but it dredged up memories of fighting back against a monster in a strange place.

Reaching out to her mana, Jun closed her eyes and imagined a doorway appearing into this place, a door just for her adoptive mother who cared for her, who taught her and protected her, who she believed loved her like a daughter, and who she loved like a mother.

Jun felt a small, furry head butt up against her shin. "I love you too, kitten." Shiori's voice came from below, softly echoing.

Opening her eyes, Jun gasped as she saw Shiori in her cat form, though a silvery white glow surrounded the black cat, letting her stand out from the darkness around her. Behind her stood an open door that appeared to be made of wood, finely carved, but aged and worn. The door still lay partially open, through which she could see what looked like the wooden deck of a ship, and the night sky beyond the wooden railings. As Jun stared through the partially open door, she gasped in surprise as a beautiful woman peeked in and met her gaze. The woman was pale, her hair black with streaks of color, and her eyes were a deep forest green. Smiling, the woman lifted a pale finger to her lips and winked before the door gently closed. Blinking a few times, Jun stared at the door and tried to make sense of what she'd just seen. Where or what was that place Shiori came in from? Who was that woman that winked at her?

Jun felt Shiori wrap around her legs a few times before her mother started push her. "Come with me," she said, padding towards the closed door.

Nodding, Jun followed, taking the few steps to the door. As they approached, the door swung open again, revealing the scene Jun had seen before, though the strange woman was nowhere to be found. "Come on through." Shiori quickly stepped through the door and turned to watch her, waiting for her to follow. Swallowing, Jun stepped through and gasped. It felt like stepping out into the middle of a winter storm as a breeze buffeted her, nearly knocking her over. Stumbling, Jun caught herself on a wooden railing before she looked around, and what she saw stole her breath away.

She'd assumed it was some kind of ship, and she was partially right, but wherever this ship was, it didn't sail on water. The night sky surrounded it, above and below. Swirling clouds of gas shimmered in the distance, and Jun watched as a bright red gas giant drifted past in the distance, its rings looking like thin gray plates.

Another planet drifted past, replacing the vibrant red gas giant. This one was smaller, with blue and green stripes and even more magnificent rings. "Its beautiful," she gasped, eyes wide.

"It was a wondrous sight to behold," Shiori said, hopping onto the railing next to her.

"Wait, you mean you've seen this before? Where are we? What is this place?"

Shiori stayed silent for a time, her tail gently brushing against Jun's arm. Jun felt awkward about the questions. She was curious, but the way Shiori didn't even look at her made her wonder if she asked something she shouldn't have.

"I'm sorry, I shou—"

"This is my soul," Shiori said quietly. "This vessel is the Sun Wind. A magnificent vessel that sailed the stars. Some of my fondest memories were on this ship, but all that's left now are memories. One day I will tell you more about it, kitten, but we lack time at this moment. We are nearly there."

"Nearly where…?" Jun trailed off as she caught sight of what she could only describe as a palace floating in space. The Sun Wind swooped in gracefully, and came to a smooth stop against a dock. A space in the railing appeared as gangplank folded out from the Sun Wind and quietly touched against the dock.

"Come along kitten, the others are waiting."