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(brooding piano music)
- [Crow] Listen and I will tell you a story of our people.
There was once a woman who was nothing.
A woman who would not hunt and could not trap.
She gathered no food.
She did not care for the camp, for the children or the sick.
But her mind was sharp and her words were strong.
And so I though to give her our history
so that she might carry it when I was gone.
But she would not learn.
Her days were lost to dreaming and to arguing.
She gave nothing to her kin.
One day, she was separated from the tribe.
She could not track the stars and became lost.
The seasons do not wait
and so the time came for us to go.
- You left her? - Yes.
We left her to the forest, to survive alone.
But tell me, how could she?
(roaring)
(birds tweet)
(water splashes)
She could not hunt, or fish, or forage.
Without the tribe,
she was lost.
(Kyne sobs)
And those who are lost are sometimes found
by beasts.
(ominous music)
This beast came from darkness.
Drawn to her pain.
A beast driven by cruelty and sorrow,
without magic drawn from death.
A Sorcerer Beast.
- [Sorcerer Beast] Eat.
- [Crow] Sorcerer Beast thrived on the pains
of the body and the heart.
(Kyne grunts)
On wasted life and senseless death.
- [Sorcerer Beast] To live, you must kill.
- [Crow] To his servants,
the beast granted some of his magic.
Who could refuse such temptation?
But power is never freely given,
and each of us must, eventually,
come home.
- My tribe.
(sighs)
- [Sorcerer Beast] To live, you must kill.
(Kyne sighs)
- Kyne.
(suspenseful music)
Where have you been?
- Run.
- What?
- [Sorcerer Beast] You defy me?
- [Kyne] I will not turn against my own people.
- They are no longer your people!
They abandoned you and you became stronger.
If you return to them, they will weigh you down.
Kill them and our power will grow!
(Kyne screams) (dramatic music)
(Kyne grunts and pants)
(thud)
(growls)
(snarls)
I was wrong to give you so much power so quickly!
I will take it back.
By draining your blood and peeling the skin from your meat!
And before you die,
I will bury you in the bones of your people!
(thud) (bones crunch)
(knife snaps)
(explosion roars)
- [Crow] Kyne broke free.
Used her power to hide her people.
Even so, many were lost to the beast.
- [Whisper] But what about the ones she saved?
Where did they go?
- Who can say?
Kyne's magic saved them, but they vanished from this world.
Lost somewhere between one heartbeat and the next.
- What happened to the knife?
- Kyne kept the knife and the blade was lost,
but that is not the reason for the story, Whisper.
- Then what was it?
- Those who do not contribute get left behind.
- There are many ways to contribute, Boar,
aside from hunting.
- I bring my share of food. - A child could pick apples.
- Only a very tall one. - Hah!
- I have seen you eat poisonous herbs more than once, Boar.
Foraging takes skill, as well.
- Hah.
- And as for you, Whisper.
I sent you with Boar to learn the ways of our people.
All of our ways.
It is not enough for you to care only for yourself.
A hunt can feed a whole tribe.
You cannot gather enough berries to do that.
- But I'm not like Boar. I'm not a hunter.
And shouting at me won't make me into one.
He's as bad as the beast in your story.
- You give nothing to your people!
- Enough!
Boar, I have trusted you to lead our hunts,
and I had hoped that you would also lead Whisper.
- I cannot help her if she will not listen.
You ask me to teach her our ways,
but it is not our way to lead those who refuse to follow!
Whisper is right. She is not a hunter.
- Very well, then.
It falls to me to teach her.
- [Boar] Now is not the time for your stories.
- Do you still follow my words, Boar?
- We are not blood, Far Seeing Crow, but we are kin.
I am not the one that defies you.
- Whisper?
- I will do what you ask, but I will not hunt.
- And so, you will gather wood for the fire.
- We have wood!
- Go.
(Whisper sighs)
- When my people were slain, you took me in.
I learned mercy from you.
But the days will not always be so easy for her.
I fear mercy will not be enough.
(Crow breathes deeply)
- We will do what we can for her.
As long as there's still time.
(leaves rustle) (birds tweet)
- [Whisper] Oh.
- Whisper.
- Fox, Oak. Am I interrupting?
- Yes. - No.
- Weren't you out hunting with Boar?
- Weren't you out hunting with Oak?
- We caught a deer. - We almost caught a deer.
- Mm, next time. I'm sure you and Boar caught plenty.
How'd it go?
- I am gathering firewood.
- We could show you how to hunt, if you like.
If you're tired of Boar's company.
- Far Seeing Crow has been showing me
how to make medicine out of leaves.
(Oak sighs)
- Still, we could help you gather some wood, if you like.
- (scoffs) Speak for yourself.
- It's all right.
I have to do what I'm told to eventually, after all.
(brooding percussive music)
(crow caws)
- His trances have been deeper as of late.
It takes him longer to find prey,
and we still bleed the same amount.
I hope his magic isn't fading.
- No, not fading.
Each search takes him further.
So we must find the bone knife.
Until then, suffering sustains him, including our own.
- We've searched for years.
Each tribe that we come upon, we slaughter,
and none of them have it.
What use would a broken handle have anyway?
- The binding controls the blade.
And so it must be found.
There is power in the dream of a thing,
as much as the thing itself.
- The blade is lost with the betrayer.
- Do not lose faith.
Our suffering sustains him,
and will be rewarded in time.
(Beet chuckles)
It is not necessary for you to serve willingly.
(crackling) (Beet groans)
(chuckles)
Doubt is also a way of suffering.
(birds tweet)
(wood clacks)
(ominous music)
(Whisper gasps)
(whooshing)
(thunder claps)
(thunder roars)
(Sorcerer Beast sighs)
- [Sorcerer Beast] I have found the knife. It is time.
(ominous music)
(crow caws)
(leaves rustle) (birds tweet)
- You could've warned us. We hadn't prepared any-
- You're not coming.
Last time I called you to hunt,
you preferred your own company.
- "We hunt together or not at all."
- Don't use my words against me, boy.
You made your choice, and now we need food.
- We're supposed to help you!
- You're supposed to set an example.
- Oak, say something.
- It is his decision.
- Well, what're we supposed to do?
- What, now you want orders?
Ask Whisper.
She doesn't listen, either.
We will discuss this when I return.
- You have gotten me in trouble again.
We should've listened to him in the first place.
- Yeah, well, I guess now we have time to kill.
(stones rattle)
- So many questions.
Always.
So many questions.
Today, my question is,
how hard
will Whisper work
to escape
what she cannot control?
(stones clack)
- Do they give you answers?
- Answers?
Sometimes.
But they are never simply given.
(ethereal music)
Each of the stones moves in accord
with its own dream of itself.
And if you can see the dream, you can sometimes guess
at what the stone is trying to become.
- I don't understand how a stone can dream.
- Everything dreams, Whisper.
And you must learn to listen to those dreams,
if you are to lead our tribe.
- I don't want to lead anyone.
- And so, here you are in a hunting camp,
far from the tribe learning how to avoid hunting.
It doesn't matter what you want.
You have been chosen by your chief to learn to lead.
Our first tribe was bound by blood,
but this is a tribe of the lost who have been found.
And it is our dreams, Whisper,
that hold us together.
- Tell me what they were like. Our first tribe.
- Oh, that's a painful story.
You don't want to hear that again.
- Tell me about the Sorcerer Beast.
What kind of magic did he have?
- What is bothering you, Whisper?
- Kyne. She used her magic to protect her people, right?
Is magic only used for causing pain?
- We have never needed magic to find sorrow, Whisper.
- But the bone knife gave her control.
It didn't turn her into a monster.
She used it to help in the end.
- Yes, but that was a long time ago.
(brooding percussing music)
- Careful, it's still sharp.
I cut myself.
- What have you found?
(gasps) This is my fault.
- What is it?
- I should have prepared you for this.
Listen to me, Whisper.
Something is coming.
We need to leave.
All of us need to leave immediately.
Above all, you must leave!
And you have to take that with you! Do you hear me?
Take it and hide it!
Tell everyone to leave immediately.
- What about the hunting? - No, no! Listen.
I will find a way to fix this. I promise you.
Now, go! Go!
Run!
(birds tweet) (brooding percussive music)
(Kear sobs)
- What is this?
- You know what this is.
- No.
This does not happen again.
(breathes heavily) (Kear chuckles)
(crackling) (screams)
(pants)
- [Kear] Ask me why I let you live, when we last met.
- I don't care.
(Kear chuckles)
(crackling) (screams)
(pants and groans)
- You don't have to fight.
- I expected better from you.
- I don't have a choice!
- Then why would I?
(crackling) (screams)
- Fox, Oak. I have to go.
We're in danger.
- If we're in danger, why would we run? We don't run.
- Listen, this is different. I don't know-
- What aren't you telling us, Whisper?
- Something is coming.
- Something? (suspenseful music)
- [Fox] What is that?
- Ah.
Far Seeing Crow.
I thought you were dead.
- Kear.
So how far will you follow
this demon?
- Hm.
It's good to see you.
The years have been unkind, Crow.
Are you okay?
Are you all alone?
(chuckles)
Your hunter...
Is dead.
He was your hunter, I assume. (chuckles)
- Kear.
It doesn't have to be this way.
(Kear chuckles)
- [Kear] Another tribe dead.
Could it be I've killed everyone you've ever loved?
- But those who escaped.
- [Kear] Those I allow.
- And the ones who slip away?
- Kyne.
She was a coward.
Do you know how much power she had?
How much power she could have had?
And she still hides.
- She was your kin.
And so was I.
You still have a tribe, Kear.
You still have a choice.
- There are no choices.
We go where we are led and we were led here.
- [Sorcerer Beast] Where is the hilt of the bone knife?
- I killed them all, Crow.
Tell me you still feel their pain.
(Crow breathes deeply)
Ah.
Yes.
You do.
Who else should I kill?
Hm?
- [Sorcerer Beast] Where is it?
Enough of this.
- Very well.
The more you suffer, the stronger he becomes.
The stronger I become.
(crackling) (Crow groans)
- [Whisper] No!
(Sorcerer Beast growls)
(tense music)
- Fox, look out! (Fox gasps)
(groans)
(flesh squelches)
(body clunks)
(Fox grunts)
(crow caws) (suspenseful music)
- Get up.
(flies buzz)
- [Sorcerer Beast] Where is it?
(Fox grunts)
(growls)
(crunching)
(rumbling)
(wings flap)
(flames roar)
(whooshing)
(Grekt laughs)
(tearing) (whooshing)
(distant grunting)
(garbled whispering)
(ominous tones)
- Would you like to try?
Wait.
You aren't, you aren't at all who I expected.
You are new.
Can you hear me?
Well, speak up, then.
Here, maybe this will help.
(cracking)
There. At least now you should be able to speak up.
You're not all the way here. Maybe halfway, at best.
I'm guessing you're either here on accident
or you're really quite bad at magic.
- [Whisper] What is this?
Who are you?
- You don't know?
Huh.
Well, that's disappointing.
I don't suppose you feel like guessing?
No, I don't suppose you do.
Well, allow me to introduce myself.
I am Grekt.
And for the record, it is very rude to hover
between states of existence while you're trying to visit.
- [Whisper] I'm not trying to visit.
I don't have time for this. I need to save the others.
- What's the hurry?
Time is a lot less strict than you might think.
Especially here. Haven't you ever been in a dream before?
- [Whisper] This is a dream?
- Eh, well...
No.
Not exactly. Probably not.
At least, no more than wherever you were,
before you wound up here.
- [Whisper] I don't understand.
- Oh, I apologize.
I have a bad habit of being cryptic for no reason,
and I am terrible at explaining things in the right order.
How about this, then?
It looks like you've borrowed some magic,
probably from a tooth or a bit of bone,
or something like that.
Am I right?
- [Whisper] What do you know about that?
- Oh, a good deal, it turns out! Magic is fascinating stuff.
For one thing, magic will tend to seek out its source.
Part of the fun of giving magic to anyone
is seeing how it makes its way back to you.
Always a surprise, no matter how many times I see it.
And now that you've got a little magic,
you might be surprised at how it tries to express itself.
- [Whisper] Are you the source of the magic?
The bone knife. Did you make it?
(Grekt laughs)
- I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me.
Now who's being rude?
This is really just too much.
- [Whisper] How do I use the magic?
I need to save my friends.
- Just keep doing what you're doing. You'll work it out.
This was pleasant, though.
Go on! Save your friends.
Off you go.
Off you go!
(rumbling) (crackling)
(whooshing)
- Come on, we have to go now. - What?
- [Fox] Who cares? Run!
(eerie tones)
(whooshing)
(birds tweet)
- Far Seeing Crow.
He's dead, isn't he? We let him die.
- Did you see? She had Boar's spear.
- We should've been with him.
- We wouldn't have been able to save him, Oak.
- You don't know that!
- No, this is my fault.
- It's not anybody's fault.
(ominous music)
- I found this yesterday.
- [Oak] A broken knife?
- It was one of the stories that Far Seeing Crow told me.
This knife has power.
I used that to take us into some other place.
- [Oak] It doesn't make sense.
- Either way, we're in this story now.
The beast will be following us.
- She's right.
This is your fault.
- [Whisper] What?
- Why would you bring something like that in the camp?
You knew the stories. You knew what it would do.
- If you had the knife why did you not just give it to them?
- I didn't want any of this. This all happened so fast!
- Well, maybe they would have come anyway.
Killed us all while we slept.
- What do we do now?
- Well, we won't be safe as long as we have that thing.
- Far Seeing Crow told me to hide with it.
He said he would fix things!
But I guess he can't now.
You two go find the rest of the tribe.
The main camp.
You'll be safe there.
- What about you? We can't just leave you alone.
- I will hunt the beast.
(Fox laughs)
- Look at you. The mighty hunter.
- Stop it. I can take care of myself!
- Slayer of monsters.
- Seriously!
You need us.
- But what about the tribe?
- Trust them. They know the way back.
- Besides, who holds the knife?
'Cause whoever that is, is in danger.
- Hunters travel as one. We hunt together or not at all.
- I don't deserve your trust.
- Just try and keep up.
You'll be fine.
(ominous music)
(Beet coughs)
- Damn it.
- You should know better.
As long as you have my magic in your blood, you will serve.
When I take my magic back, then you can die.
- [Beet] This camp was just a hunting party.
The rest of the tribe should be easy to find.
- No. They won't go back to the main tribe.
If they have the handle, they will seek the blade.
And for that, they need the betrayer.
- So they're doing our work for us?
- Yes, they are.
(chuckles)
We will find them in the bone strip forest
where the beast and the betrayer last fought.
- [Sorcerer Beast] Follow the wind.
We will find either the betrayer, or the girl.
(wind blows)
(melancholy music)
- Where are they?
- Come on. We don't have time.
Let's see what we can salvage.
(stones clack)
- Let's go.
(fire crackles)
(stones clack)
- Whisper!
Whisper! (Whisper gasps)
(Whisper sighs)
Scared you, didn't I? - Yes.
- Good! Now we're even.
So, how are you?
- [Whisper] How do you know my name?
- Didn't you tell it to me?
- [Whisper] No.
- Oh.
Well, if you had,
I wouldn't have needed to figure it out on my own.
I used magic, obviously.
So, how did the whole saving your friends thing work out?
- [Whisper] I took them into the, the dream world.
It worked. You were right!
- Well, of course I was right.
I'm glad you were able to do that.
It seemed rather pressing to you.
Pulling your friends into the dream, that's good thinking.
You were already there yourself.
Hardly any effort at all to bring others along with you.
Once you break the surface.
- [Whisper] Is that where we are now?
- Oh, we're deeper in than that.
Dreams can only get you so far.
If the place you took your friends was a dream,
then this place is sort of like when you're sleeping,
without dreams.
A half-step further down, so to speak.
- [Whisper] Can you teach me about magic?
(Grekt sighs)
- I'm happy to help, but listen.
There's no need to be in such a rush about it all.
You want to learn about magic. I get it.
But what about the magic of friendship?
(chuckles)
All right, all right. I get it.
- [Whisper] I don't mean to be rude.
It's been a bad day. (eerie tones)
- [Grekt] Well, do you want to talk about it?
- [Whisper] I don't think I can.
(Grekt sighs)
- Magic, then.
To oversimplify,
magic is the stuff of the dream space,
poking out into normal spaces.
There are hundreds of ways to access magic,
and just as many ways for it to express itself once you do.
A lot of it depends on how you approach it
and your approach depends, in part,
on how picky you are about the results.
The slow way to go about it
would be to let the magic do whatever it's doing anyway
and when it gets around to doing something you like,
you tap in and let it flow.
For example,
what you were trying to do with those bits of rocks just now
you can learn a lot that way, if you're patient,
but patience isn't the only tricky part.
With slow magic, you have to be open to complexity.
And you have to be willing to fail.
Slow magic is great for things like figuring out
someone's name when they don't bother telling you.
The stakes are low and you don't mind waiting
for the magic to be flowing in the right direction.
You can't always rely on a specific result, though.
And a lot of the time, it's not going to do much at all.
The slow way lets the magic do what the magic wants to do.
Even if the magic doesn't want to do what you want it to do.
Understand?
The fast way, on the other hand,
doesn't really care what the magic wants to do.
You use a catalyst to push magic into the shape you want.
No waiting around.
It's potent, it's fast, and most of all, it's predictable.
And if you have a way to direct the magic,
to make it do what you want it to do, you have control.
So there's some work involved here.
You need a catalyst and then some way to direct the magic.
Not to mention access to the magic itself.
- The bone knife. - Yes.
And the shape of the thing
will inform the expression of the magic.
So, in your hands,
the bone knife cuts through into the dream itself.
That's one way to look at it, anyhow.
- [Whisper] But I don't understand.
How did the knife get the magic in the first place?
- The magic is in you, Whisper.
(chuckles) Just kidding.
Seriously, some of it might be now.
That's interesting.
I hadn't thought about that, but it's going to have to wait.
Look, it's only almost morning.
- [Whisper] What?
How?
- Something about time again.
But, hey, look at us.
Talking all night.
Old friends already? (chuckles)
Now, go on, then. Wake up.
Wake up!
(whooshing)
(somber music)
(tense music)
- Oak!
(grunting)
(screams)
(thud)
(grunting)
(thud)
(rapid thuds) (grunts)
(pants)
- The others must be near. Let's go.
(grunting)
(suspenseful music)
(Beet gasps)
- Damn it!
Damn it! Damn it!
(sighs)
- You need to rest.
- [Whisper] No, we can't rest. Not yet.
- You did a good job with this bandage, Whisper.
I'll be all right.
- Oh, well, look who learned how to lie.
- I keep good company.
- Brave Oak, your courage is noted
and will be told in stories.
We'll tell our children and our grandchildren
how you bravely marched yourself to death.
- How could we have children if I march myself to death?
- It doesn't matter. We can't stop now.
I'm sorry, but if we stopped now,
we'll be completely defenseless.
It can't be too much further.
- [Fox] So do you have a plan?
- Kyne. She protected her people.
She hid them, while using her magic.
- Like you did with us earlier.
- If we can find where she's hidden them,
we can get help for Oak.
- But you only hid us for a little bit.
Kyne would've been hiding for years.
- There's only a bit of bone left in the handle.
There must be more power in the blade.
- So we have our weapon.
How do we find Kyne?
- Sit down.
(stones clack)
(brooding acoustic music)
(stones clack)
(ominous music)
(rumbling)
(crow caws)
(wings flap) (crackling)
(tearing)
(strong wind blows)
(distant screams) (whooshing)
(breathes heavily)
This way.
(brooding acoustic music) (grunting)
- I don't know these woods.
- This is it. This is where the knife wants us to be.
Where Kyne fought the beast.
(flesh squelches)
- What are you doing?
(suspenseful music)
(rumbling)
- [Grekt] Well, hello again.
- [Whisper] Grekt.
- You're taking to this magic thing pretty well, aren't you?
- [Whisper] I don't know. I was trying to find Kyne.
Not to come here.
I thought you said using the knife would give me control.
- Yes, well, more or less.
It's not all of one or the other, you know.
There's a lot of middle ground.
Just because you're taking control
doesn't mean you can't use a little patience, too.
Mix and match. See what works for you.
And there are so many things to consider.
What you're using for a catalyst, for example.
Or how you feel that day.
Or what the magic feels that day.
I guess what I mean is
if you want more control, you can get it.
- [Whisper] I thought I had it.
- You'll work it out.
Remember, magic usually tries to work
its way back to its source.
What's the source of the magic in the bone knife?
- [Whisper] How am I supposed to know that?
- Come on, think about it. Here's a clue.
Whose bone do you think it is?
- [Whisper] The beast.
- See, that's what I like about you.
You're smart, and you know what you want.
That's a rare quality.
Trust me.
I've asked all kinds of folks what they want
and they usually use it to make a speech.
You?
No speeches.
It's really quite pleasant.
- [Whisper] Why would the beast give Kyne his own bone?
Why give magic to anyone at all?
- Excellent question!
See, the magic is going to work its way back,
but it changes along the way.
There's no better way to expand your magic than to share it,
and then, when you're ready, to take it back.
Let someone else use it for a while
and it learns all kinds of new shapes.
Far Seeing Crow knew that.
- [Whisper] What do you mean?
How do you know that?
- Whisper, you're smarter than that.
I know where my magic goes, even if it moves around a lot.
- [Whisper] You're the source. You're the source!
That's why I keep finding my way here!
- I'll admit, it's a little roundabout.
A long time ago,
though we both know to be careful about that time thing.
A long while ago,
a human came to me,
looking for magic, for power.
And there have been others, but he was the first.
The first human to find his way to me.
Though I suppose I was easier to find back then.
I wasn't way out here in the abstract in those days.
So, I admit it.
I was curious.
I wanted to see what he could teach the magic to do.
So, I gave him some. (whooshing)
Just to see how it would change things.
And he used it.
Oh, boy. He used it.
Over time, he twisted up into the shape you know him to have
and he gave the magic to others, too.
Twisted it up even further.
The bone, well,
that's just an easy way to transfer the power.
A vessel.
Though it still needs a catalyst.
It was a mistake, though, giving him magic like that.
I should have trained him.
Told him how it worked.
But I didn't know humans were so impatient. Reckless, even.
No, not reckless. So wild.
He wasn't going to teach the magic
how to do anything I couldn't have already done.
Just kill, kill, kill. Destroy, destroy.
The shape of the magic started to change,
and he changed it along with it.
Eventually, the magic only wanted to destroy.
And so did he.
At that point, the magic becomes very easy to use,
when you both want exactly the same thing.
And so he stopped wanting anything else.
He lost himself in the flow of death.
Endless endings.
But death is only potent if you have life to go with it.
So, the man became the sorcerer,
and the sorcerer became the beast.
Once he got that far,
giving magic to others was as much a torment as a gift.
Giving it to others, then taking it back,
when he felt it would cause the most pain.
Torment is his catalyst now.
And he uses it to feed the magic.
To keep it from finding its way back to me.
Honestly, I'm not sure I even want that magic
back at this point.
It's gotten a little icky.
Well, his methods may be crude,
but they are also quite effective.
Pain, it turns out, is an excellent conduit for power.
But I digress, again.
So, you want to find Kyne?
- Yes. - Easy enough.
You just overshot things a bit.
Here. Let me give you a push.
(rumbling) (whooshing)
- This is where they went.
- Where are we?
- [Whisper] I'm not sure. Somewhere between places?
- If we are dead, I am going to be very irritated.
- If we were dead, I would imagine it to feel a lot better.
Or worse.
- They're close. Look!
Hello, you there.
- Strangers!
Friends, what miracle has brought you to us?
Do you need help?
- I am Kyne.
This is a sacred place. You are safe here.
- I'm Whisper of the Bear Stalkers.
These are my hunters, Fox and Oak.
We come to hunt the Sorcerer Beast.
- You saw the beast?
- We were on a hunting journey,
when the beast attacked our tribe.
We've heard stories of your battle with him.
- Where are the others?
- [Whisper] Of the hunting party, we are the only survivors.
We would've rejoined our tribe, but we feared-
- You feared the beast would follow you.
You've made the right decision coming here.
- How did they find us, Master?
- I've told you. You can call me Kyne.
Still with the old ways, these two.
- Could your powers be fading?
- Don't be afraid.
We are still hidden.
We are still safe.
As long as I have my magic, we will be able to stay here.
Questions!
I have so many questions.
Come. You must tell me of your journeys.
- Grul, you're hurt.
Vord will see to that.
Come on!
- How did you survive?
- This place.
This version of the forest, it never really ends.
Seasons don't change.
So, we've learned to survive without following the seasons.
We faced starvation,
but I led my people through that as well.
We've sacrificed.
We get by.
Control.
Control is what saved my people.
- But where are your people?
- You've met them, of course.
But I take your meaning. I should have introduced you.
This is Astra.
Thank you for coming so far.
It means so much to know that life has continued.
I can't imagine what you've been through.
And you're hurt.
- I've had worse.
- Vord will see to it.
It's no good to let it sit.
- [Whisper] It's all right, Fox.
- I'll be with you the whole time.
- [Kyne] Astra will show you the way.
Come.
Why did the beast attack your tribe?
How did you track it?
Whisper, how did you get here?
(Whisper sighs)
(suspenseful music)
(chuckles)
I don't believe it.
I thought it was destroyed.
I understand.
When the beast first gave me the bone knife,
it was as you see here.
A sharpened blade.
Cut my own hand when I first used it.
The magic it gave me was
strong and wild.
I crafted a binding to control the blade.
The blade and the binding together.
Death and control in one.
That is how I was going to slay the beast.
- So, it's true. You served the beast.
- I turned against him.
But I couldn't save everybody.
Many were slain or
left behind when I brought us to this place.
We are safe here.
The beast can't find us.
How did you hear about the knife?
Who told you about the beast? Was it your parents?
- I was raised by a mystic named Far Seeing Crow.
These were his.
(melancholy music) (stones clack)
(Kyne sighs)
- Of course.
These belonged to my father.
I thought he was slain by the beast when I...
When he was left behind.
I did what I had to, to save my people.
I always thought the ones that were left behind were either
slain or fell to the hands of the beast.
- If you had known, would you have come for us?
- Where is he now?
Far Seeing Crow?
The others?
- As you said, the beast took them all.
When I found the knife, I cut myself.
That's when all this began.
- The bone holds incredible power,
even if it's just what's left in the handle.
The first time I used it, I cut my hand as well.
It draws its magic from the blood.
Confers it through pain.
Every time you kill a living thing with the bone knife,
(sighs) you absorb its vitality.
Its vigor.
Its strength.
And sometimes,
even its dreams.
And memories.
I can show you.
Let's find a rabbit or a mouse.
- I don't kill.
- The knife can serve you.
You just need to make some sacrifices.
- [Whisper] How much have you sacrificed?
- A little more each day.
I will sacrifice it all, if I must.
We are different, Whisper.
The magic came to us. No one else.
It is bigger than us, but we can still bind it.
The magic started with the beast,
and we can slay the beast in turn.
But it doesn't have to start with slaying the beast.
(suspenseful music)
(Whisper winces)
Let it run through you.
Feel what it is trying to become.
(thumping) (eerie tones)
(Whisper gasps)
- I, I'd like to see Fox and Oak now.
- Of course. You don't need my permission.
Vord keeps company around the way.
I'm sure you'll find it.
- What is it?
I'm from your tribe.
Or I was, once.
Astra, right?
I am Whisper.
Sit with me for a moment. Tell me about our people.
(birds squawk)
- Oh, that smells awful.
- You would hate it more if I told you what's in it.
- Doubtful.
- I'm impressed with your friend's bandaging work.
She's got the touch.
It's a little rough, perhaps, but,
given the circumstances, that's easy to understand.
Forgive my chatter. It's so nice to have fresh faces.
New people, new stories.
- New problems.
- Perhaps.
But every problem contains its own solution.
You're newcomers here. You haven't seen how things work.
But you will see that the Master's way is best.
Despite the sacrifices.
(Oak groans)
- Sacrifices?
- Just leave that and don't scratch at it.
Now, just drink this.
You too.
It'll return your strength.
Yes, you too.
The whole thing.
- Vord! - Master!
- Come.
- [Vord] Good. Wait here.
(Fox spits)
- How did you find us?
Was it magic?
Tell me how.
- Why?
- So I can get out.
- [Whisper] But out there is the Sorcerer Beast.
Out there is death.
- No.
(suspenseful music)
Death is here.
- [Kyne] How is he?
- Hard to tell.
- You've done well.
Give me a few minutes.
(Whisper mumbles)
- The bone knife was broken.
Its magic was fading.
So, the master had to kill larger animals.
And then two at a time.
And then she killed one of the tribe.
She said it was the only way.
At first, it was just the sick or the injured.
But then it was anyone who argued with her,
or stood up to her.
There's so few of us left.
- Where is Kyne?
- Grul.
Your life will save the lives of your tribe.
- What?
No.
(thud) (grunts)
(Kyne grunts)
- Oak, come on. Get up, get up.
- Am I dying? - Don't you dare on me.
Come on.
(Kyne grunts) (ominous tones)
(Kyne breathes deeply)
(sizzling) (Kyne breathes deeply)
- Is it true?
- You should be resting.
- Is it true?
To use your magic, you have to kill.
You kill your own people!
- [Kyne] Who told you that?
- If I tell you, is there blood on me as well?
- My magic keeps us suspended here, between life and death.
It keeps us safe.
Sacrifices must be made.
- We are talking about people!
- I must think of the entire tribe.
Would you do it?
Kill one to save many?
There is a power in the transition between life and death.
Death to life.
You've seen it. You've used it.
And so has the Sorcerer Beast.
Someone will harness that power.
Who would you give it to?
- There is nothing noble in what you are doing!
- (chuckles) I don't claim nobility.
I've been cruel. I have brought death.
But the sacrifices must be made to keep us safe.
- You've caged them, used them, killed them,
to avoid what you cannot change.
The beast is still out there. Why are you still hiding?
- Then we can change that.
We can kill the beast.
All we have to do is rebuild the knife.
That's why you're here, isn't it?
To hunt the beast?
- But you've used the bone knife for evil.
- And what is that?
"Evil".
Is killing evil?
Killing is survival.
Life is cruel.
Living is cruel.
All we can do is turn that outward,
before the end comes.
The beast can die.
We just have to rebuild the knife.
(tense percussive music)
(Fox grunts)
- Are you all right? - Where is Whisper?
- Where's Grul?
- Kyne.
(grunts)
- Strange to be back in the place
where we first came together.
(chuckles)
(sighs)
I can feel it.
The world is thinner here.
Something primal. Something forgotten.
- You know it doesn't end when you kill the beast.
Killing gives the knife power.
Imagine the power that we will have from the blade
once we slay the beast, and not a person.
- Maybe no one should have that power.
- Someone will always have that power.
You get to decide who.
Don't be afraid to make that choice.
We don't all get one.
- I don't have a choice.
- So, you do understand.
- If only my power was stronger.
We wouldn't even need the knife to cross into the dream.
- [Sorcerer Beast] It is not your magic. It is mine!
And it's time I took it back.
(roars) (flesh squelches)
(eerie tones) (tense percussive music)
- Let's slay the beast.
(flesh squelches)
(crackling)
Whisper.
What have you done?
(distorted shrieks)
- Well, this is unexpected. A real surprise.
It's not very often that someone like you breaks out
once they start a pattern.
I see you took my words to heart.
- [Whisper] I didn't have a choice.
- But that's what's so surprising. No one ever has a choice.
Not really, but most folks never figure that out.
Once you do, however...
Well, that's when things start to get weird.
- [Whisper] You're telling me things aren't already weird?
- Hah!
The fun part is,
once you realize that you don't have a choice,
you suddenly are free to make any choice you want.
And that, in turn, reveals a secret.
How the whole thing comes together.
Magic is about choice, Whisper.
It's about shouting as loudly as you can
and forcing the Universe to listen.
There's so much noise.
You really do have to work to be heard.
So many days filled with meaningless effort and wasted pain.
- [Whisper] You told me that pain is a catalyst.
- And so it is and here you are.
The question is, now that you have a choice,
how will you use it?
- [Whisper] Like you said.
It's time.
- Yes. Yes, it is.
You know, Whisper.
I'm going to miss talking with you like this.
It's exciting to see someone really truly
break free from the expected.
I'll be watching to see what you do next.
(rumbling) (whooshing)
(crow caws)
- Whisper! - Fox!
- What is happening? What...
Oak. Oak needs help.
- I think I've got myself a little poisoned.
- Vord poisoned him! - Of course he did.
(Sorcerer Beast snarls) (ominous music)
- To live, you must kill!
(Kyne coughs)
(Kyne chuckles)
- I have protected my people.
- You betrayed me and you wasted your life
protecting those who abandoned you.
You've grown strong from their weakness!
Drawn life from their pain!
But the magic
has always been mine
to take back.
(Kyne chuckles)
(crackling)
(grunts)
(dramatic music)
(whooshing)
(snarls)
(growls)
(Fox grunts)
(groaning)
(growls)
Enough of this.
(thud)
(growls)
(thud)
(bones crunch)
(hisses)
(rumbling) (groans)
You feel it.
Life flows from death!
Many have sought my magic,
but few have understood power only comes from pain!
- Kill him, Whisper.
- From death, you must kill to live.
- Kill him!
- Come with me!
And I will teach you how to live forever.
- You can end this.
(crackling)
(explosions roar) (whooshing)
(birds tweet)
(coughs)
- The beast is gone.
Do you feel it?
- I don't understand!
- Of course you don't. Why would you?
(Sorcerer Beast grunts)
- [Grekt] Why, hello, old friend.
Welcome back.
The magic always does find its way home now, doesn't it?
(roars)
- [Whisper] The beast is in your dream world now.
- (sighs) You had him.
Why didn't you kill him?
Why did you let him go?
- And why didn't he kill you
when he first met you those years ago?
Why give you magic at all?
- (chuckles) I never thought to ask.
(suspenseful music)
(rumbling)
(Oak pants)
- Fox, are you okay?
- I am, if Oak is.
(Oak chuckles)
- Thank you.
- [Fox] (laughs) You did the hard part.
- I'm not sure the hard part is done.
Let me see your leg.
(garbled whispering)
(Beet gasps)
(Beet sighs)
- Damn it.
(birds tweet)
- What should we do with them? - We should kill 'em.
- Of course we should kill them.
- No, there's been too much of that.
- Follow your heart and we will follow you.
- What would you have done if we stayed with you?
You would have killed us, certainly.
In time, your magic will fade away.
What will you do then?
(sighs)
This hunting journey has gone on long enough.
We're going back to the tribe tomorrow.
Astra, you can come with us.
- Your friends are right.
You should kill me.
- No.
That is over.
You can come with us as our captive,
or stay in the wilderness.
If nature's as cruel as you say,
you will not last long.
I'm not sure which one is more painful.
- Do I have a choice?
You tell me.
(fire roars and crackles)
(ominous music)
(rumbling) (whooshing)
(explosion roars)
- Ah!
He was right after all.
Pain is a very good conduit.
This is much more satisfying than I expected it to be.
I've been missing out by keeping a safe distance.
All this time, I've been letting the magic come to me.
But it's here for the taking!
Now...
Time to make a mess.
(laughs menacingly)
(melancholy music)