Talk with Orpheus part 2

"Good. If there is another way without anyone coming to harm, I would prefer it over this. But you will tell me everything you know first" there was a silence between the two females.

There was dead silence in the air, the magic buzzing around them.

"You ask me all this despite being the one best informed about this situation. Tell me, are you that good an actor?" Orpheus asked and Iris felt her breath stop.

And the atmosphere changed in a single second.

Iris felt the attack come before Orpheus moved. It would have been a deadly hit had she not dodged the incoming attack.

Iris jumped back a few steps to gain distance from Orpheus but she was unsuccessful. Orpheus was behind Iris, one hand resting on her neck and her arms had black markings on them.

"You're not Iris, are you? You look like her, you feel like her and your magic is identical to her as well. You should be Iris but my sixth-factor refuses to believe that you are Iris" Iris felt shortness of her breath but it was different this time.

Iris did not even try to struggle in that hold.

The magic was back in the air and the static was back in her head. It was a double assault on her senses and Iris felt pain.

Orpheus's magic probed at Iris's own, coaxing it to come out and reveal herself.

"Let me go" Iris demanded. Something inside her was building up, resisting Orpheus's magic and it burned.

It burned good.

"Shit. I made a mistake" there was no warning before Iris felt the feeling inside her explode. Iris could feel nothing but magic around her and inside her, light obstructing everything.

It took a few seconds for Iris's eyes to adjust to it.

Orpheus stood in front of her, her right side full of burns. Her skin seemed to have taken the worst of it, red and blistered with third-degree burns. To see her standing there, right in front of Iris felt like a miracle.

"Hey, give me a warning next time you're gonna have a magic explosion. Can't believe I triggered your sixth-factor so easily" Orpheus muttered and Iris felt her body catching back up with her mind.

She wanted to look away but her eyes would not move away from the burned flesh of the other.

Iris knew she should not be feeling guilty, but she could not hold her feeling back.

"Allow me to assist. I'm sorry for the outburst" Iris was surprised to hear her voice. It sounded cold and aloof, a far cry from before.

But Orpheus just shook Iris off with a small grin and laugh. The daunting smile was back on her face.

"No need, this will heal soon enough. I should say that I'm sorry for tricking you but I needed answers from you. Don't worry about Oreta, it's safe. All that talk about waking up the god was a lie I fabricated to trick you" whatever good feelings Iris had about Orpheus died down.

"A joke? Your words seemed serious enough, and so did your desire to kill me" Iris was sure she had been a goner back then.

But Orpheus just let out a small laugh.

"I did say sorry about that. I just wanted to confirm some things and now I'm sure about my hypothesis" Iris waited for the other to finish her words.

Iris watched in fascination as the burned skin began to stitch itself back together in front of her eyes. The flesh was the last to heal and the clothes stitched themselves along the way as well.

The burned and naked Orpheus was fresh as new in a matter of minutes.

"You healed yourself back. What kind of magic was that?" Iris asked with fascination. There were too many possibilities with that kind of magic in one's possession.

Orpheus did not look like or felt like a healer but this made Iris wonder if the other was a healer in reality.

But then the annoying laughter was back.

"It's not magic, but my master's blessing. But man, you do not remember anything from god's place, do you? I guess it falls to me to explain about it all" Iris instantly focused on Orpheus's words.

She wanted to deny the claim of memory loss but then stopped. Orpheus was already convinced about her memory loss so Iris could try and take advantage of it.

"Explain then" If Iris did not confirm or deny the other's words, then it would not matter what Orpheus thought. It would fall onto her head to do that.

"I am. I'm just thinking about where I should start from. Ah, yes, the gods should be the first thing I talk about. The people of Rivendell think that there are 8 main gods, hence the 8 courts but that's not true. Listen carefully to the story I'm about to tell you." So Iris listened.

….

There are a few hundred gods, but only those 8 were assigned here. They gave Rivendell gifts, of populace and magic. This world prospered because of it.

But it is human nature to fear what one can't understand. And a human can never understand a god's true face. That was why the humans banded together and drove those gods away.

There were 8 major battles, the site of the 8 courts. Any that emerged after those 8 do not hold any power and are mere imitations. But those 8 original courts hold the key to their power deep inside them.

This is what powers this world and makes protection for these humans.

But it created an imbalance in power in Rivendell. The cores without their god counterparts caused a massive resurgence of creatures trying to steal it from the courts. These creatures were demons, killing indiscriminately.

The original gods in the upper realm could not just sit back and watch, they had to do something.

So the original 8 banded together and separated a part of their power into their 8 vessels. They were sent here and taken to bring their cores back.

Each held special gifts from their maker and took a form they adored. The gift is called the sixth sense and held incredible potential if used fully.

….

"And so here we are" Orpheus finished and Iris felt her headache come back full force.

"Orpheus, is this another test or joke for me?" Iris asked in a tired tone but Orpheus just sighted.

"I'm afraid not. Your sixth sense is the one who asked for my help so blame it. Could have warned me that you did not remember anything though. Would have made my life easier as well" Orpheus complained.

"Give me some time to process all this. I will meet you again in a few days" Iris decided to leave the place as fast as she could.

Orpheus's words gave her too much to think and her mind felt like it was spinning. Was Orpheus talking about her system at the end?

Orpheus watched the healer leave with a small smile on her face.

"Poor kid, getting stuck with the hard work in Iris's body. Memory loss? Really? Did she take me for a fool? I almost pity her" Orpheus stood up and walked back to the drainage pipe.

There was a barely-there flow of water and it caused Orpheus's face to break out into a small smile.

"Well, my mission is done here. But I guess I will have to stay here and observe the preparations for the time being. The council is a fool, making the enemy of the divine for a doomed world like Rivendell" Orpheus left behind a small flower in the drain which dissolved in it slowly.

And the water level rose just an inch more in the drain.