It had been a somewhat quiet week for the Venator since his…encounter with the, well for lack of a better term, ghost that remained by his side. Her presence is always foreshadowed by the light pain in the back of his mind and the red tingeing of his vision. When he would next open her eyes she would be standing somewhere in the room, her gaze fixated on whatever random object had decided to catch her interest.
Sometimes it was a book, other times it was a lamp. There was even one time where the ghost seemed absolutely fascinated by a lightbulb of all things during one of the many trips to various libraries and archives since her first appearance. Communication was still an issue, however, as it was purely one-sided. Mobius could converse with her but not the other way round, and even then her answers were unclear. There is only so much one can convey through body language and charades alone. Especially when it came to such questions as ‘Who are you?’
An interesting reaction however was when it came to the Panssari. She couldn't touch anything. Her holed hoof would simply phase through it as if it weren't there. But when it came to the armor Mobius wore it was a far different story. Where she touched, he could feel. Wherever she stood, the armor would pulse towards her as if she were calling to it in a silent siren's song.
It didn't take a genius to realize that the two shared some sort of connection. Could she perhaps be the manifestation of the Panssari and her Empress's will? If that were true it must be a cruel joke at his expense. How was he meant to interpret his Empress’s will when the damned ghost was more interested in lightbulbs than carrying out the Empresses will?!
It would all come to a head however during the many visits the caretaker of the Halls had given him since the ghost's appearance and his…’ experience’ in the void where the Empress resided. He was the first to be told about what had transpired and about the existence of the ghost that followed him. He was sworn to help the Venators and so he did by going on his own search to discover what this meant.
It was late at night in the grand Hive of the Great Swarm and the Venator had just returned from yet another dead-end in his quest to understand this ghost his Empress had thrust upon him. He had just entered through the great ornate doors that guarded the Halls when the familiar pain and tinge made themselves known. After blinking a few times, he looked around the halls to try and find where she had appeared this time.
‘Greeting Venator are you looking for something?’
Came the familiar voice of the Caretaker within his aura. Looking to his side he found the Caretaker approaching him, the ghost walking beside him with her features studying the Changeling intently.
“Not anymore caretaker.” Answered Mobius before turning to face the Caretaker.
‘You seem to be doing that a lot since she appeared.’ Responded the Caretaker before stopping just before the Venator. ‘She’s here now isn't she?’
“Yes, she’s standing right next to you actually.”
‘Ah… What is she doing?’
“The same thing as usual. She’s just… staring at you, muttering something I cannot decipher.”
The ghost in question briefly glanced back towards the Venator before waving her hoof at him absentmindedly.
‘Well then let us decipher her. I’ve found something I believe will help solve the communication problem’
Both Mobius and the Ghosts’ Attention were fully focused on the caretaker now. The ghost, especially as a smile, grew on their face.
“Really? You have found something?”
‘Something indeed. I had to dig through the ancient archives quite a bit to find it. What you are experiencing is not the first time this has been said to occur... But it is the first time for it to manifest so strongly within a Venator.’
“So my predecessors have experienced this as well?”
‘Predecessor, dear Venator. Only one other is said to have experienced this ghost. But not in the same way you describe it.’
“Who was it?”
‘Venator Panem of the Xeris Hive. One of the first Venators after the fall of who the ponies call Nightmare Moon.’
The ghost's ears perked up at that name, her face becoming one of distant recognition. Like one was remembering something from days long past.
“I’ve heard of her… didn’t she die in disgrace? Executed for attempting to overthrow the Queens?”
‘The very same… A shame she betrayed the Hive again, from the records of my own predecessors she was one of the best Venators of the time and a pleasure to fight alongside with.’
At the sending of that answer, the ghost looked to the ground in what appeared to be...regret?
“So she saw this ghost as well? Should…Should I be worried, Caretaker?” Questioned Mobius worriedly. He was loyal to the Queens and the Empress! He would never attempt to challenge them! He swore an oath!
‘We shall see… Come, I have found a ritual that will allow us to converse with it… then we may finally get some answers. Should anything happen, I will handle it. Matters of the aura are my specialty after all'
The Venator followed whilst the ghost remained standing. Her form faded once more before vanishing along with the red tint in his vision.
After a short walk, the pair of Caretaker and Venator entered one of the hall's ritual rooms, where all sorts of special prayers and sermons were conceived and prepared. The walls were a deep crimson and covered in various religious paintings regarding the Empress. At the back of the room stood its most important treasure.
It was a large stone statue of the Empress herself protecting several smaller hooded changelings. Her blade was drawn and bared between her fangs. Her large wings resembling that of a dragonfly were proudly bared in defiance. This was the image of the Empress everyling knew. The ruler that defended her swarm, and made the rivers run red in the blood she spilled to create the first changeling nation. To create the Great Swarm.
The headache returned again and the ghost made another appearance. This time she was floating before the muzzle of the statue, her wings buzzing silently. Mobius ignored the ghost this time and followed the Caretaker into the room before being motioned to sit down before him.
Mobius did as asked as the Caretaker moved to place his hoof against the pulsing Panssari’s helmet.
‘I am going to try and create a bridge between your aura and that of the Panssari. I will place myself as the intermediary to prevent any actions that ghosts might take against you.’
“I understand”
‘Good then take a deep breath and touch your aura to mine. I will do the rest. Should anything go wrong I will break the link immediately.’
Mobius nodded and did as was told. His aura began to brush against that of the Caretakers as a connection was formed. Once that was done the caretaker reached out with his own towards that of the Panssari. The aura resisted at first but then it receded and allowed the tendril to connect.
Instantly a flood of red suddenly began to feedback into the tendril. Its Power threatens to overwhelm the caretaker. That didn't stop him though. With a silent grunt, he steeled his resolve and worked to control the energies and turn them into something comprehensible by the changeling Psyche.
It started off slowly for the pair. At first, it was small differences as the energies began to be decoded. The light buzzing of wings was one of them. Said buzzing was definitely not coming from one of them. Then came the red that tinged their sight. It too began to recede as something coherent began to resonate through their senses.
‘-il you’
The Caretaker removed his hoof from the Venator. He would no longer need the physical connection anymore, his job was done. His mind can take it from there. Stepping back, the pair both took a deep breath.
‘Are you two done… oh why do I even bother asking. You can’t hear me anyways’
‘Correction dear Spirit. We can hear you just fine now.’
The ghost froze before turning their head to see both the caretaker and Mobius looking directly at her. Both of their eyes a deep crimson. She then proceeded to huff.
‘Took you long enough.’