Wandering Sky

After Kara Yulduz regained consciousness and felt better, I sent word to call everyone that taking shelter in the Sacred Mountain. I told them the Huna wouldn't attack us for a while because of me, but we still needed to stay alert. And any further decisions would have to wait for Temurel and the other Leaders.

I took that opportunity to apologize to the Zaravani: "I am truly sorry for my terrible actions, I was blind by my own rage. Azhdar. What kind of compensation do you seek?"

"No, it's also my son's fault, Great Sky Wolf. As an apology, we, the Zaravani, will permanently become part of the Tagh Boru and serve under you," Azhdar responded.

"You can join our tribe as an equal clan. We are free people, not a tyranny like Baghatur," I stated.

"O, Great Sky Wolf, thank you for your consideration!" Azhdar exclaimed, then yelled, "Take my foolish son out!"

"I'm so sorry, Great Sky Wolf, everything is all my fault. Please accept my death as an apology to quell your anger. Don't blame my wrongdoing on my people!" Atashan requested.

"Please accept his life and spare us, the Zaravani!" Azhdar also pleaded.

"Stop! The real culprit isn't you, Atashan. It's Baghatur, who tried to separate us by using his warriors to kill and build misunderstanding between our people," I declared.

Azhdar fell silent for a moment, his gaze shifting between his son, Atashan, and me. A heavy sigh escaped him, one that seemed to carry the weight of generations. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, yet clear, carrying across the assembled tribesmen.

"You speak truly, Great Sky Wolf," Azhdar conceded, his head bowing slightly in acknowledgement. "Baghatur's lies twisted our hearts and clouded our judgment. We were fools to be so easily swayed. But the blood spilled, even by his deceit, still stains our hands. To join your people as equals… it is a generosity we hardly deserve. Yet, if you offer it, we will strive to prove ourselves worthy. And as for Atashan…" He paused, looking at his son with a mix of sorrow and pride. "…his life, Great Sky Wolf, is yours to command. Let him serve the Tagh Boru with his very last breath, to atone for our folly."

"Alright, I will accept him as my personal guard. He will follow me as my shadow until I take my revenge," I announced.

After the meeting, I checked on Kara Yulduz. She looked fine from the outside, but guilt was eating her from the inside. So I spoke to her, "Are you alright, my Guiding Star?"

"Great Sky Wolf! Please punish me for my incompetence! My failure is beyond redemption. Aycecek... and her unborn child..." she choked out.

"Kara Yulduz, you were already dead. You did all you could, you don't have to take any more responsibility. You know what? We've already rescued my child. She's a girl, just like Aycecek. So please stop blaming yourself, alright? But if you still feel guilty, then take care of my child." I spoke my mind.

"Where is she, my lord? Where is Aycecek's baby girl? Please let me meet her right now, Great Sky Wolf. Please..." she pleaded.

"Don't get up, you are too weak. Please rest now, you will meet her later, I promise." I said, stopping her from getting up.

It seemed the news about Asena would cheer everyone up a bit, I needed to announce it later. Even Aylaqun and her maidens were surprised by this news, they hadn't seen Cynthia help so extensively before. It was almost like a resurrection rather than a healing. But they didn't dare to ask for details from a great shaman like Cynthia, she almost like a saint to them.

After a while, Cynthia felt a bit bored and unconvinced by hiding herself in the mountains, so she decided to bring her staged arrival day closer. Initially, we'd planned for early spring, with her followers already en route with her belongings. But now that she's rushing things, they would arrive before winter ends.

On the arrival day, I was completely shocked, just as Cynthia had told me I would be. Two white reindeer that emitting divine energy led the way with Cynthia's sledge. Followed by white dogs pulling other sledges which carried ten people altogether. Those dogs truly resembled modern white Samoyed dog breeds. The scene of this White Caravan would be imprinted into everyone's minds for a long time, it looked as if it had come straight from a fairytale or mythology.

"You're shocked, right? I personally bred them myself from local dogs, without using any divine power on these fluffy white fur balls. They look exactly like Samoyed puppies, right?" the White Goddess spoke to me in English, shocking everyone.

"Wait, why are you speaking in English!?" I urgently protested.

"Please don't worry, Sky Wolf! Just tell them this is the language of the gods. Just trust me, alright?" she clarified.

"Okay, okay! So your followers, the Reindeer Tribes, are Nenets people? If I remember correctly, Samoyed dogs came from Nenets dogs, right?" I asked curiously.

"Partly correct. Let's say my main followers are all Samoyedic people now. A long time ago, I was the main god of this vast region before Western Tribes came and mixed their way of life, culture, and beliefs. The mixing of Ancient Northern Tribes with new Western traditions gave birth to something in between, like the Mountain and Eastern Tribes." She paused in thought, then continued, "They might still worship me, but not as a leading god anymore. So I moved up north with the Northern Tribes, then went back to stay with my old folks, the Reindeer Tribes."

"So what do we do next?" I inquired.

"Now this is your turn to shine, my main star. Just talk about my arrival, our alliance, then tell them I've come to help in an upcoming battle. I'll add some more details about Asena for you later," she prepared me.

"Okie dokie, Ms. Director! Any other orders, Madame?" I responded.

"Announce it to them at the entrance path of the Sacred Mountain. Act as a god, but don't tell them directly. I'll be there with you every single step," Cynthia gave her last advice.

After a few thoughts, I invited everyone to the entrance and started the announcement with Cynthia by my side. "Listen, everybody! This is the White Deer, an honorable guest from the North. She and her people have come to help us in this grim time and in the battle that's about to come."

"I've already helped some of your people and have a way to help more. But it will be impossible without your assistance. I know many of you are still injured, but we need relatives to call out to the spirits of the dead and unconscious ones." She paused, looking into everyone's eyes before continuing, "Please pray to the Lord of the Underworld, asking him to open the way for us. I will use all of my power to bring back as many of them as I can, including the Zaravani. Protect their bodies while we prepare the ritual. Keep your hope up, but remember this: not everyone will be return."

I was a little shocked by what she announced, but I had to continue. "Please help them out with all you can. Prepare empty yurts for them, and for the dead and unconscious ones."

As I walked back into the Sacred Mountain with the White Goddess, I started to whisper to her, "Can you really do all that?"

"I can do that much as one of the high goddesses, but I demand some of your divine energy for this favor. Remember what I've done for you, Kris," she answered.

"Alright, alright! I'll be grateful. But how do you resurrect them all?" I curiously asked.

"It depends on status of their own bodies and souls and also up to Erik, who you know as Erlik the Lord of Underworld," she replied.

"Erik! Do you mean he also comes from the future?" I continued.

"Yes, Erik Helsson is from the future, too. He's a junior anthropologist from Iceland with a mysterious and ancient family background. He used to tell me fascinating stories about his family, saying they were a type of shaman that specialize in guiding spirits into other realms, which perfectly suits his powers."

"What kind of power does he have?" I wondered.

She was silent for a moment before answering, "He can collect spirits or souls of other beings and contain them in his domain, 'The Underworld.' While he can consume these souls directly for his own divine energy, he prefers to keep and study them first. I think he calls his power by something like 'Reaper.' After a decade, he learned how to purify a spirit to gain their faith and belief in him, then return them back into next circle of their life."

"So he could have Aycecek's soul? This is good news, right?" I questioned Cynthia.

"Not really," she replied. "He told me that many beings' souls get stuck or malfunction after dying from a horrible death, suicidal act, accident, or have some unfinished business in their life. It's like their final thought fixes on something, and normally they'll move on to the next form of life based on that thought. However, some get cling on something in this life and are bound by that thought—something like a feeling of hatred, worries, pain, and suffering. Others simply get lost in their own thoughts, wandering around not realizing they're already dead. After a while, they'll forget other thoughts and fixate on the final one. The worst of them all is a vengeful spirit, fixed on taking revenge but forgetting the actual target."

My mind snagged on a new thought, a flicker of desperate hope. "But… what about Aycecek's soul then? If Erik collects souls, if he can purify them and send them on… could he have hers? Could she be among those he's held?"

Cynthia's smile softened, turning bittersweet. "Aycecek's death was swift, brutal. There might not have been time for her soul to become 'stuck' in that way. She passed quickly, moving on as most do. But if her soul did linger, if it carried any unfinished hope for your child… then yes, Erik would have perceived her. He would have tried to guide her, or at least contain her within his domain to protect her. It's a question only he can answer."

"So, what does he do with those vengeful spirits?" I pressed, my mind racing. "Does he destroy them? Is that part of his 'reaping'?"

"No," Cynthia said, turning to look at me, a hint of weariness in her eyes. "Erik described them as a corruption of purpose, a spiritual cancer. They become dangerous, unpredictable, and might lash out at anything or anyone that reminds them of their lost memory of anger. He tries to contain and bring them into his domain. It's a risk, even for him. But he believes every soul, no matter how twisted, has a right to its final rest. Many might see them as beyond redemption, but perhaps some purification awaits them. But if you look at Erik's methods, I'd say it's more like rehab or even therapy."

"Therapy? He seems like a great guy to me, will he help us?" I worried a bit.

"Yes, he was a good guy with some weird habits. But if you've lived as long as him, you tend to get a little bit crazy. He doesn't tell me directly, but I believe he's lived as a God of Death for at least a millennium. He might used other aliases in other cultures too." She shared some interesting information.

"A millennium...!" I exclaimed, totally shocked. "I feel like a child compared to you two."

"Please don't worry," she replied. "Ages are a meaningless concept to us gods. He might even be younger than you were in his past life. And of course, he'll help us. We're the Trinity of Tengrism right now. Even though he doesn't have to harvest Faith from worshipers in the way that we normally do, I think he doesn't even need true followers like us. While the mere Belief in his existence certainly helps him maintain a stable incoming divine energy, having worshipers is still highly beneficial. He'll join us and help drive the Huna around, spreading belief in ourselves, the Gods of Turks."