The banshee attacked and she moved like a blur of pale light and shadow, her form flickering as she closed the distance between them. Her claws raked through the air where Sebastian had been standing a second before, close enough that he felt the displaced air brush against his cheek. He rolled to the side, coming up in a low crouch, his silver sword already in motion.
The blade caught the banshee's arm as she spun to face him, carving a deep gash through her spectral flesh, the banshee shrieked, in rage rather than pain and vanished.
Sebastian spun, his senses reaching out, searching for her. She reappeared behind him, her claws aimed at his back. He dropped, feeling the wind of her strike pass over his head, and swept his sword in a wide arc. The blade connected with her midsection, cutting through her spectral form.
She screamed again, the sound a physical force that sent him staggering back. His ears rang. His vision blurred and he raised his sword just in time to block her next strike, the impact of her claws against his blade sending sparks flying through the air.
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. He had landed two solid hits, good ones, the kind that would have crippled a lesser wraith without using signs. But the banshee showed no sign of slowing. The wounds were already closing, her spectral flesh knitted itself back together.
"The blade is even coated in wraith oil," Sebastian muttered to himself, his voice carrying a note of genuine surprise.
The banshee lunged again, her claws extended, her scream building in her throat. Sebastian ducked under her strike and drove his shoulder into her midsection, sending her flying backward. She crashed into the roots of the ancient oak, and for a moment, she seemed to falter.
Sebastian saw his opening.
"If you're cheating," he said, a cold smile spreading across his face, "I can cheat as well."
He raised his hand, his fingers curling into the sign of Yrden. The purple glyph blazed to life on the ground beneath the banshee, its runes pulsing with power. She tried to move, to teleport, to escape, but Yrden held her fast, its magical bonds wrapping around her spectral limbs.
Sebastian's other hand rose. Flames erupted from his palm, not as a single stream but as a cascade of fire that spread through every line and curve of the Yrden glyph. The purple light blazed into orange and gold, and the banshee was trapped in a cage of fire, flames rising from all sides, scorching her spectral flesh.
She screamed in pure agony, not just of the body but of the soul. The fire consumed her, burning away the rage and the pain and the hatred that had kept her tethered to this world.
Sebastian's hand remained raised, his flames pouring into the glyph, feeding the inferno. But as the fire spread, licking at the edges of the clearing, he glanced around and saw the danger.
"Shit," he muttered, his concentration wavering for just a moment. "I need to be careful with my flames here. It's a damn thick forest. One wrong spark, and everything will turn to cinders eventually."
He released Yrden, and stopped generating fire, the flames were dying as quickly as they had risen. The banshee crumpled to the ground, her form flickering, barely visible. Her rage was still there, burning in her hollow eyes, but it was tempered now, replaced by something that might have been confusion, or even fear.
Sebastian moved quickly. He raised his hand again, and another Yrden glyph blazed to life beneath the banshee, pinning her to the ground. He walked toward her slowly, his sword lowered, his voice calm and steady.
"Calm down," Sebastian said. "I know you can listen to me.. I know you can listen to reason."
The banshee's head snapped up, her hollow eyes fixed on his face. Her mouth opened, and a sound emerged, not a scream, but a distorted, broken whisper.
"He-lp..."
Sebastian nodded. "I've been here during the night, I know you called me. You wished for someone to help you. You were probably calling for help for a long time, but help is here now. So let me aid you, tell me what happened. Tell me what you wish for me to do for you."
The banshee's form steadied. Her rage seemed to vanish, she looked at him, her eyes still hollow but no longer filled with hatred.
"Help..." she whispered again. "Don't... kill..."
Sebastian released the Yrden. The purple glyph faded, and he sheathed his sword. He raised both hands, palms open, showing her that he meant no harm.
"No," Sebastian said. "No killing. Look."
He grabbed his swords from his back, one in each hand, and threw them to the side, well out of reach. Then he turned back to the banshee, his hands raised once more.
Zoltan watched from a distance, his jaw hanging open. "What in the devil's shite is he doing..." he breathed.
Sebastian's voice was gentle. "Tell me how to help you. I'll gladly do it. I wish for nothing in return, only for you to be at peace."
The banshee looked at him. Then, slowly, she raised one skeletal finger and pointed at the tree. At her bones, still scattered in the clearing.
Sebastian followed her gaze. "Do you wish for me to burn that tree?" he asked. "And properly bury your bones?"
The banshee nodded. Her form flickered, growing fainter, her voice barely a whisper.
"Thank you..."
Then she was gone.
Sebastian stood alone in the clearing, his hands still raised. He lowered them slowly and walked to where his swords lay on the ground.
"Okay.." he murmured.
Zoltan emerged from the treeline, his expression one of disbelief. "Did he give up, then she gave up?!" the dwarf muttered to himself. "What in the... nay, I'll go and see what the fuck is happening. Fuck the safe distance."
He stomped toward Sebastian, who was now standing before the ancient oak, his palm resting against its rough bark.
"Excuse me, Seb," Zoltan said, "But what the hell just happaned?"
Sebastian turned to look at him, his expression calm and certain. "I know how to help."
Zoltan blinked. "That's grand and everything, but I meant what happened back t..."
Sebastian didn't let him finish. He turned back to the tree, and his power erupted from his palm. The ancient oak ignited in a pillar of flame, the fire consuming the objects that hung from its branches. The flames rose high, crackling and roaring, painting the sky in shades of orange.
Zoltan staggered back, his arms raised to shield his face. "By the gods, Seb! A little warning next time!"
Sebastian's flames were controlled and precise. They licked at the tree but did not spread, contained within the boundaries he had set. He watched the fire burn, his yellow eyes reflecting the blaze.
"Pick up the bones," Sebastian said, his voice calm and steady. "Please."
Zoltan nodded, his expression shifting from shock to understanding. "Aye. Will do."
He moved quickly, gathering the scattered bones with surprising tenderness. His thick fingers were gentle as if he was handling something precious. The bones were old, their surfaces worn and weathered, but he treated them with the respect they deserved.
"The smell..." Zoltan muttered, but he continued his work.
Sebastian watched the tree burn. The flames consumed the ancient oak, reducing it to ash and cinder. The runes that had been carved into its trunk were gone, burned away by the fire. The objects that had hung from its branches were nothing but memory.
He stayed at a safe distance, controlling the fire with his power, his expression unreadable. The forest around them was untouched, the flames contained. He was careful.
The tree burned for a long time, and when it was done, only a blackened stump remained.
Sebastian walked toward Zoltan, who had already found a suitable spot for the grave. The bones lay in the hole, arranged with care, their outlines forming the shape of the body they had once supported. Zoltan was waiting, and suddenly Dandelion burst into the scene his face pale, his eyes wide. "What the hell is going on?! I woke up to a strange scream, and now.."
He stopped. His eyes fell on Zoltan, who was standing beside a hole filled with bones. Dandelion's face went from pale to white.
"Are those human bones.." Dandelion demanded, his voice cracking.
Sebastian nodded. "Yes."
Dandelion spun around immediately, one hand clasped over his mouth, the other holding his stomach. "Did I miss.... a monster fight..."
"I'm not sure where to start." Zoltan replied.
Sebastian's voice was calm. "We're still not done." He turned to Dandelion. "Dandelion, if you want to be useful, you bury the bones."
Dandelion stared at him, his mouth agape. Then he looked at the bones, at Zoltan, at the blackened stump where the tree had been.
"Sure," Dandelion said weakly. "If it means I don't have to see that... sure."
Zoltan, seeing what needed to be done, helped him. The two of them began to cover them with earth. The soil was dark and rich, the smell of the forest mixing with the scent of fresh-turned earth.
When they were done, Sebastian stepped forward. He stood before the grave, his head bowed, his hands clasped before him. His voice, when he spoke, was soft and solemn.
"May the earth hold you gently, and the sky remember your name. May the waters carry your sorrows, and the winds whisper your story. May you find the peace that was denied you, and rest in the arms of those who loved you."
He was silent for a moment, his yellow eyes closed. Then he opened them and looked at the grave.
A soft light appeared above the grave, a pale glow that grew brighter and brighter. And from that light, a figure emerged. It was a woman, young and beautiful, her features soft and peaceful. She was not a wraith, not a banshee, not a monster anymore. She was just a girl, barely more than twenty, who had been taken too soon.
Dandelion stumbled back.
Sebastian raised a hand, silencing him before he speaks. "It's all right," Sebastian said.
The ghost of the young woman looked at them, at Zoltan, at Dandelion, at Sebastian. Her eyes, no longer hollow and empty, met Sebastian's. Her lips moved, and a voice emerged, soft and clear..
"You..." she said."You helped me. Thank you, kind knight."
/-\
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