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Visiting the Soul Sanctum again was not a pleasant experience for Ghost. To them, the sanctum reeked of death and corruption, and facing the Soul Master left an impact on them permanently.
This time while visiting the sanctum again, the vessel had their husband, Quirrel accompany them for emotional support. The two had been talking about tearing the place down and replacing it with something more lively.
The sanctum was left how it was when Ghost last visited it: a destroyed wasteland that had the life sucked out of it. The horrific impact the Soul Master's mark on the place haunted it forever. Ghost wanted to visit it again, one last time in its horrid state before completely tearing it down for good.
"My love," Quirrel started, placing a hand onto Ghost's shoulder. "Are you sure you want to visit this place one last time?" he asked, with a hint of concern in his voice. He knew how the horrors of this wasteland left behind impacted Ghost and how it made them feel, but the tall vessel stood firm in their decision.
"I know what I'm doing. One last time will I ever see this horrid place before it's gone. Forever." Ghost responded, the echo in their telepathic voice was firm but gentle at the same time. Quirrel sighed and let go of Ghost's arm. He trusted them on this and tilted his head up.
Right up that passage from the capital was the dreaded sanctum that was responsible for the deaths of countless innocents. Quirrel could hear Ghost take a shaky breath, gripping onto their nail hidden under their cloak, before stepping forward. The scholar did the same, entering the facility.
The air inside the sanctum was nauseating. Quirrel felt a huge wave of uneasiness throughout the entire building. The feeling of death and decay, the pill bug now fully understood Ghost's feelings towards this place.
"Jeez.. so much destruction and death. Now I fully understand how this place makes you feel.." Quirrel mumbled, staying by Ghost's side for both reassurance and for partial protection.
"Imagine it while it was happening," the vessel king started. "Imagine being one of many test subjects here... the sheer horror of the experiments these bastards were doing onto innocent citizens just to find a path to immortality. Finding it in the state I did when I first came here and defeating its corrupted leader..."
Ghost paused, feeling their telepathic voice quiver slightly while walking around the sanctum, looking around at the mess and decay, the feeling of sorrow and rage for those who lost their lives here. "It was horrible. All of it was. Even after defeating the Soul Master, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease around me off. It felt like the bastard was mocking me as I continued exploring the place." the vessel finished, sighing.
"What about the souls of the innocent bugs who lost their lives here?" Quirrel questioned, looking at his spouse. "What about them?"
Ghost stopped for a second, looking around the sanctum. Destroyed soul totems and caches scattered all over the ground.
"I'm not too sure.." the vessel mumbled. "On one hand, I'd imagine them being happy that the leader of their torment was gone, but at the same time it felt like forever...forever that the cause of their unfair demise would be stopped at last. The madness finally ending after so long."
Quirrel held their hand, giving it a gentle squeeze in reassurance. He sighed, looking around at the corpses of Follies and Mistakes and destroyed soul caches.
"Hopefully the sanctum being torn down and replaced could bring the deceased some sort of closure." the pill bug replied, looking up at Ghost, placing his hand on their face gently, "besides, why keep a place where horrid experiments were conducted around?" he retorted.
"I suppose you're right. The destruction of this wasteland could let the souls of those who fell here rest in peace." Ghost replied back, placing their hand on top of Quirrel's.
"I think I'm ready to head back to the palace. Once we get there, we'll brainstorm more ideas on what to replace the sanctum with." Ghost announced, with confidence in their voice, determined to end the suffering of the wandering souls stuck in this endless hell.
"I think that's a good idea." Quirrel agreed with a nod, before the both of them headed back to the entrance of the facility, for the final time in its current state.