Reawakening

[Natalie LaForte]

Natalie's eyes squinted as the 'laughing', the screeching metal creating a high pitch tone that she didn't find appetizing at all.

"I see... and even the witches don't truly re-animate the dead in the way I'm looking to do so, they require some sort of chant usually, I want to bring someone back permanently, in the biological body they were born into for at least a set period of time. The methods you've told me about, while flattering, wouldn't do what I want; though if I can't figure out said secret in 5000 years time, then perhaps it's simply a question that sentient kind will never get to answer until the inevitable heat death of the universe."

Natalie continued pressing him for more information.

"Do you ever wish that you didn't transform...? Just, rotted away in your old state than become metal? What's more painful, an eternity of suffering followed by the eventual destruction of yourself or a, in comparison, relatively painless death which would take a few years at most? I don't see why, if you dislike everything as you say you do, simply wouldn't allow the eventual death of yourself end your hatred, unless your form of hatred is what makes you happy in which case more power to you."

Smirking the best she could.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"The dark side is a cursed blessing apprentice. I suffer for a purpose greater then myself, greater then even the sith. When I ascended I did it for power, for the right to be free from the chains of the flesh and the material world. Now I know that it was my fate all along, that the force made me what I am to become an avatar of chaos and entropy. One day the time will come when the demon within me breaks free entirely, a second coming of the lord of hunger to bring balance to light and dark."

There was obviously nothing to prove his words, but it was what he had foreseen. The strings of time were near endless, and ever shifting, but he rarely found those that didn't included him as an destructive force that burned brightly for his last moments, only to go dark forever. His immortality was a limited barging, like he had said there was a price attached to it, one far more deranged then the lose of worldly pleasures. The only reason why this knowledge hadn't caused him to go mad was that he also knew that his time for this last act of consumption was waiting for him in a future far away, and until then he was free to use the power given to him in any way he saw fit.

"To answer your question: I have thought about it, but never wished. My existence is pain, but it was pain long before I transformed. All this suffering has offered me knowledge and insight beyond the comprehension of fragile human minds, and most importantly it gave me a purpose when I had none. The sith mistake the force as little more then a tool, but it is a guide to lead us all upon our paths if we show even a hint of faith."

[member="Natalie LaForte"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"You believe that the spiritual plane, or whatever you choose to call it, will continue to survive after the material word ceases? Interesting."

Placing her thumb on her chin, she grinned as he mentioned the second coming of hunger, it reminded Natalie of the four horsemen, perhaps Abyss thought of himself as some great balance to the force but she wondered if that would ever truly be achieved, it seemed like with all the chosen ones, it took just one bad apple to spoil the bunch. While Natalie had no grand gestures as such, in comparison to what Abyss wanted to achieve, she still listened intently. Knowing he could simply read her thoughts at a whim she didn't even try to hide them.

"Well then, could I ask another question? If you seek to bring balance to the force, and you're primarily a dark side user, then surely by attempting to do so you would just make the force more dark-sided than actually bring balance? Even by what you just revealed, with the force being a 'guide' over a 'tool', you sound extremely more independent and neutral than a self-proclaimed dark side user could ever be."

Natalie continued to walk forward into the centre of whatever settlement he was leading them to.

"Could I also ask where we're going? I know you like to leave me in anticipation but you don't feel strain of muscles."

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Because balance is an illusion. The scale will always have a slight tendency to one side or another, no matter what side I choose, which leaves me to use which suits my needs best. I have no delusion of grandeur apprentice, but thanks to the force history is not a line, but a cycle. Whenever one side threatens to truly destroy the other, a cataclysm is bound to happen, and someone has to create it, or even become it. That was Darth Nihilus fate, as it was that of the Skywalker family and many others. Have you not noticed the patterns, the constant ebb and flow that you can perceive even in current history?"

He had claimed the title of Prophet long before he learned to see the future as precisely and clearly as he could now. In the beginning all he had been able to see had been the past, but even that knowledge had allowed to predict the course of the galaxy. All it took was a single moment, a single spark of insight that granted him the wisdom that events would continue to repeat until the very end of time. Looking into the books retelling the galaxy's history was a hint, looking at the countless empires, sith brotherhoods and alliances in the past few years were another, but touching the force and truly watching its flow through the ages was prove.

"We are going to visit a few of my most skilled necromancers. They follow my orders, but they spend much of their time with research, some of it might related to what you seek."

The path would lead them past countless other faded wrecks, until they reached a small structure that was still under construction. Little more then a makeshift building made by crudely tied together cargo containers, with workers and guards alike moving around it in a hurry. Some offered Abyss quick nods or salutes, but most were caught up with their current task.

[member="Natalie LaForte"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"I don't really keep up with ancient history, so to save us both the time I haven't heard of either of them. I prefer to live in the now and plan for the future, learning about the past of a few thousand years ago, however important they may be, won't teach me anything."

Forgetting to mention that she failed history in highschool, she never did any research on past events unless it involved great economists, the banking clan or something similar to such. Even if the former empires, alliances and rebellions of old could teach her something, in the end they are failed and were replaced by, at least in theory, better empires, rebellions and alliances, though probably being perpetual state of timelessness would lead you to developing new hobbies.

"It will help most definitely, and is surely a stepping stone for greater things to come."

A bit of a diplomatic response on her behalf, but she was unsure of what to say. Natalie gave pleasant smiles to staff working with the containers, though she got little more than a blank expression in return. Feeling uneasy, she questioned Abyss some more.

"So, have you attempted to practice necromancy yourself before on other beings?"

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"That is were you are mistaken apprentice. The secrets of the past are the most powerful tool this galaxy has to offer. My very existence is build upon, as is almost every piece of knowledge I passed on to you. Once you begin to make true progress on your search you will start to understand."

The husk shook his head slightly while he walked into the makeshift structure with [member="Natalie LaForte"] at his side. At certain times he had a hard time believing that he had been the one to teach her, especially when she showed such a blindness for an incredible source of knowledge and power that waited for all that followed the dark side idly. Inside the strange construction side a path lead from the ground level down into a subterranean area, where they would find those he had told her about.

"I have indeed, despite the fact that I have little interest in the topic. Raising the dead is one of the most well documented arts of magic among different orders, it was inevitable for me to experiment with it when I began to practice the arcane."

As they descended lower into the basement their path was suddenly illuminated by the same strange green light that filled the Drowned Archives. Within the now clearly visible room stood a group of five in a wide circle. The Necromancers of Katarr were a deranged bunch, even more then one would expect from a group of wizards obsessed with raising the dead in Abyss name.

"My Lord, what an honor. I hope you are satisfied with the progress of this facility."

The most impressive of the group had stepped forward, a large, sickly pale man shrouded in bones and decaying flesh alike, his face painted with strange, bloody runes. In his right rested a heavy staff, its head adorned by various skulls. With a slight bow he greeted the Mindeater, and the rest of the group followed right afterwards.

"I am, but that is not why I am here. My apprentice came to seek me out for the secrets of immortality, live and death. She has some questions for you."

 

[Natalie LaForte]

Natalie was reluctant to continue down the staircase as she saw some of the figures, pale faced, runes which to her appeared to be tattoos, the rest of the group's members looking oddly similar to their leader, some even looked like they had been brought back to life by such magic, which at this moment Natalie didn't even doubt. Oddly, she felt out of place. Certainly a turning of tables, this is probably what these people felt if they ever chose to venture into cities or even villages, being vastly outnumbered by 'regulars'.

Outstretching her hand she wanted to shake the man's, though retracted it assuming he had grown past the age of human kindness, instead giving him a smile while concealing her fangs, not sure of what the man's opinion of such would be. Looking round the rest of the group, she attempted to do the same to everyone else though all she got back were blank stares, awkward. Unsure of what to do she chimed back into the conversation.

"Yes, I had some... questions regarding how exactly to perform the rituals and less importantly how they work. I'll keep it short, I don't want to sound like I'm interviewing you."

"First of all; would it be within the realms of possibility for me to acquire these talents in a short period of time...? No exact figure given."

"Secondly; is the magic you perform permanent or temporary? In the sense of keeping the dead you rise alive for periods of time."

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Both of your questions don't have a definite answer."

The strange man raised a boney finger to his chin, trying to find a more precise answer then that. He raised his other hand to call one of the other Necromancers into the discussion, whispering into his ear and receiving an answer in return. Then he turned back to [member="Natalie LaForte"], and began his explanation after a deep breath.

"Raising the dead is a delicate art, with countess variations. Mastering all of them would take more then a single lifetime, but a single one could in theory be learned in far less time. I would suggest Sith Runes, with enough understanding they can be altered to archives almost any task."

Abyss stood in the background and offered a slight nod to his apprentice and the Necromancers. Sith runes allowed him to create his armor, even if he used another technique through them. Their greatest use was their ability to fulfill any purpose when altered, and in conjunction with spells to further clarify their intent it became possible to create extremely precise application of magic.

"Time is another thing. A spell normally won't last forever, but there are ways to at least make them incredibly long lasting. Using engraved runes bathed in blood is one, most likely onto an object. Spirit Ichor stored into one would another. Yet there is a grave difference between common necromancy, and raising a thinking being. The mind is an odd thing, and without being properly anchored to the world it won't survive death with rare exceptions."

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"Well for the moment it would probably be best if we stuck to simple necromancy as opposed to trying to raise people back in their fullest capacity. I'm powerful, but baby steps for now."

Natalie looked back at her master, looking slightly confused as to exactly what a Sith rune is, though she assumed it was probably like a stone with something similar to hieroglyphics on them. Rather than ask exactly what they were, she took his response and face value and questioned him further.

"I hope you wouldn't find me rude in saying so, but do you by any chance have any of these said runes? Or perhaps even know where I could go about to try and find them? I don't particularly think they could even be found on the black market, though perhaps I'm wrong in saying that."

Usually, Natalie would go about this simple issue by just purchasing whatever she needed from a supplier or black market source though in this particular field of training she assumed that wouldn't be possible. If these runes could bring people back to life, then why in the hell would anybody give them away, or at the very least sell them for a reasonable price. Natalie knew of a lot of individuals who would bring back loved ones if they ever possessed such a thing, and since life is priceless they would end up paying possibly billions to receive some sort of closure, only to be met with a zombified version who would perish in a few hours.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"The runes of the sith are not objects one could find, they are more an alphabet, or even a language."

Again the strange, pale man whispered something to the necromancer standing besides him, the slightly smaller and less impressive figure returning back to his peers as a response. After exchanging a few words with his fellow sorcerers he returned, a thick, heavy book tightly gripped between his boney hands. As his leader continued his explantion he opened up the tome, showing the hexagonal clusters of harsh, complex runes written in red inside of it.

"In theory you could take an already existence cluster, learn the spell linked to it and use it. Yet it's dangerous, lethal even, to cast them without an intimate understanding of their meaning. Knowing the intent of each rune is far more important then the runes itself."

It was a common mistake among the new students of the arcane arts to try to recreate a spell they saw used by a master. They had a tendency to go haywire, backfiring at the caster or creating an effect desired by no one, especially not the one who called it. Abyss learned that the hard way, and he had suffered the ill effects of his creations more then once. The husk made a step forward, cutting of the necromancer before he could continue.

"Mastery of the arcane is a long road apprentice, and its effect on body and mind far exceeds that of general dark side corruption. If you are willing to take that risk, then I will aid you in walking it to the end."

[member="Natalie LaForte"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

Them not being physical certainly helped with the whole process of learning this, and here she was thinking that she would have to go and discover stones in order to perfect these techniques. She stared intently at the runes, attempting to make a mental image of such before looking back at the man, occasionally peering down to the red inked ruins, though she was curious if they were actually ink or blood, even if the latter that seemed like such a trivial thing to ask in this situation.

"Could I get a forewarning as to what exactly said effects are? Death? Decay? Insanity?"

Trying to make a list of her worst fears, and was even a tad worried that to bring about resurrecting. It would make sense that she would run the risk of death in trying to resurrect someone, the force worked in mysterious ways and it wasn't impossible that trying to do so would cause her own body to decay, or even worst her soul. She knew at the very least how to become a force ghost, thanks to an amulet she found years ago but was yet to actually attempt to do so, fearful of what exactly would follow if she failed. Not to mention, if [member="Darth Abyss"] knew how to perform such a ritual, then it was possible that the effects would lead to something similar to him.

Natalie looked patiently at Abyss waiting for an answer, her hands moving to cross over eachother on her stomach.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"All of those and worse."

It wasn't like Abyss was trying to discourage [member="Natalie LaForte"] from learning the craft of alchemy and magic, he even wished for her to do so, but he had seen firsthand what happened to those going down that path without knowing what they were getting themselves into. He had meet the broken, vile creatures that remained of them, riddled with madness and decay, their essence forever cursed and shattered, their souls lost in the depths of the nether.

"I assume your condition could be beneficial to easing up the physical effects of such a journey, but the harm done to mind and soul can only be kept at bay, not erased completely."

Madness was something many of the sith had experienced at some point, something that many Lords still suffered from to this day. It was hard, if not impossible to call upon the wretched power of the darkness without falling victim to its side effects, and most of them like Abyss had settled for merely learning how to contain and control it once it became apparent that there was no real cure.

"There are techniques to keep your sanity intact, at least enough to continue a normal life. Yet like magic itself they can only be mastered with patience and dedication."

 

[Natalie LaForte]

Natalie looked down not parting her attention from the ground or heeding anybody eye contact.

"Well... I've got what, 4977 years left at the very least? Possibly even more? I've become patient knowing the majority of my life is going to be stale, boring and uninterruptible. Stopping it short is the least of my worries. In some ways, my condition is a curse more than it's a gift. Burning up in the sun if I don't wear a thick layer of sunscreen, time being my enemy and being rendered to this physical state for 5000 years, whereas you are practically ethereal."

Natalie looked up realizing just how monotonous her tone had gotten, even further realizing that she now sounded like an elder who had been living for 80 years or more and was now passing on knowledge to the generations to come. The difference being she was still extremely young, 23 for that matter, was still relatively naive and unaware of the greater galaxy as a whole and was here attempting to make a quick buck depending on those not wanting to depart this plane. Of course, she tried not to consciously think about that, [member="Darth Abyss"] wouldn't be best pleased if he knew the only reason she was here was to "help" other people, though she doubted that he had much morality these days after was happened earlier.

She wondered just what would happen when she would turn old. Most people turn bitter, hateful. Her mother was exactly that, turning 80 this year and possibly even lying on her deathbed. She had no intentions of even granting this gift to the woman when she discovers how to perform it, what with how poorly she was treated by her parents. Her dad was slightly more redeemable, offering to pay for her college tuition, not that she had done much with it. A few months ago the family came into a "mysterious" surplus after an anounymous sender had repaid them what seemed like something you could only win in the lottery.

Natalie didn't like being in debt to people. Even if it wasn't formally.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Suffering is the very nature of existence. No matter how long we live, no matter what we become there is nothing that can free us of that chain."

It certainly wasn't for a lack of trying that Abyss had come to accept that realisation. He had lived as a man, at the beginning deep in the twilight, then in the darkness and for the glimpse of a moment within the light. There had even been a short period when he had lost his connection to the force entirely. Then he had become a husk, traded endless insight for the comfort of touch and the pleasures of the flesh. Suffering had been an integral part of any of these experiences, and while some pains were eased during each of them, others had grown even worse.

"I was much like you in the weeks after I transformed. Lost in uncertainty, a forlorn soul trapped within a metal cage."

For once Abyss had solid life advice to offer to [member="Natalie LaForte"], advice that had nothing to do with magic and deranged rites of the dark side. His change had been far more extreme than hers, and yet he had managed to find pleasure in his new form. It had been a question of perspective, a question of arranging with reality instead of failing at changing it.

"Only when I embraced it, I found some degree of happiness again. When I tested the limits, when I not only considered but truly experienced the advantages of my current state I understood that it was my perspective and not my form that hindered me. Maybe you would find that in yourself if you would do the same, instead of locking yourself in a cage composed of meetings, credits and routine."

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"But suffering doesn't have to be apart of our existence. If you're so unhappy, or as you said are in a state of constant suffering and torture, why haven't you attempted to completely disconnect yourself from reality or destroy your soul? Why are you here giving advice to myself, rather than attempting to end your suffering? Unless you now thrive on suffering, which isn't something I could personally withstand."

Those were probably the exact same words that came from Abyss' mouth several hundreds -- thousands? Of years ago, claiming he was unable of enduring the same suffering or be put into this state. The process would take time, though Natalie was unsure if she even wanted to undergo it. The rabbit hole certainly went much deeper than she imagined it going, and it kept going deeper and deeper as the words left the mouths of those present. Was it really as painful as she thought? Was being vain Natalie's Achilles heel? Was she so superficial that all she could think about was possibility of making money?

Natalie's mouth went agape, only slightly though as he began speaking of the life advice, it slightly closed in an expression of shock.

"Well. what's the cage made of? The flesh or steel? I'm not exactly following your readings here. If I'm stuck in a cage, then why am I perfectly content with being in one. I want to be free, and more importantly I feel free."

Pointing out that she was insulted probably wouldn't have done her any good, given the nature of the meeting and Abyss' general lack of care for such statements. She was accustomed to doing that and expected an apology, though right now she didn't particularly keep her morals high as the two got into a heated discussion.

She couldn't help but be left wondering -- what is my life? Was I really born to become this? To be asking a suit of armor the secrets to eternal life? To help in the killing of a rebel cell? To psychologically torture somebody into a breakdown? The moment came as a bit of a shock to her, though she could contemplate on it later.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Because death will only bring me worse suffering then life ever could. I have walked beyond the veil, I have seen the lost and broken souls stumbling through the nether, forever forsaken to endlessly search for their tainted souls."

It wasn't like Abyss felt nothing but pain. He didn't felt much these days at all, and it wasn't really pain as much as it was the absence of true pleasure. The emptiness, the void that empowered him consumed everything, his happiness, his hope, and slowly but constantly the remains of his humanity. Sure it wasn't what he had wished for when he offered his flesh to the dark side, but he had seen many fates much worse then his own. Mindlessly crawling through the nether without even a shred of sanity left was one of them, and it was all he could expect from death. There was no mercy for the sith, not even beyond the veil.

"The mind is a peculiar thing apprentice, it shields you from truths that are unpleasant if it deems it necessary. I have seen slaves waste their life without knowing they were slaves at all. You might are unable to see it, but I am not."

For to long he himself had been stuck like [member="Natalie LaForte"] without even knowing it. First under the rule of the One Sith and his duties towards his master. Then with the empire that followed. Everything demanded him to do things against his better judgment, to submit himself to ideas that were not his own. That time was over, he would never again follow the commands of anyone but himself alone. If someone meant to stop him, then he devoured them, erased them without even remembering their names.

"You deny yourself the taste of blood, you deny yourself the true blessing of the dark side, but for what? Because someone once told you that morality has any meaning, that it is more then a construct of the weak to imprison the strong. You pray to the one true god, the mighty credit and hope for its blessing, instead of simply taking it. One day in the millennia to come you will awake, and realize that you wasted your time by submitting yourself to the rules of a society which you long have transcended."

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"If I've not already explained as much I'm willing to let go of my morality and play God at least temporarily. I assume that will change whenever I actually discover this hidden power you keep revelling on about for the past few hours."

Natalie sighed and looked directly at him and felt a genuine inclination to assault him in some manner, of course the last meeting they had her material robots that she depended on were crushed by the Mindeater, and she knew she was greatly outmatched by his strength. Not that she was doing so for malicious intent, she just wanted him to stop calling her a slave.

"I'm not denying myself anything. I just choose not to cannibalize others. I choose not to fully embrace myself in the darkside. I'm hardly this enslaved sniveling little girl you're making me out to be in front of all these people. If I choose to have morals, then I'm free. If I choose not to have moral,. I am also free. I'm awake, I hear what you are saying loud and clear. I just wish you'd stop telling me what I am and what my future is. I'm fully aware having morals bounds me, but that's because I don't want to be some free spirit who does what they want without consideration for the bigger picture."

Her words were spoken rather half-heartedly, and such could definitely be felt in the space they were standing in. Really, she couldn't tell if she was free. On one hand, she felt like she was making the choice to be what she was, and to some extent that was true, but being raised in a civilized society puts barriers on what is considered acceptable and what is considered unacceptable. She wanted to let go of these 'chains', but she was reluctant being fearful of the unknown.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss couldn't really say if [member="Natalie LaForte"]'s words angered or amused him at this point. It was up to her what she wanted to believe, but if she really thought that one required a sense of morality to grasp the bigger picture, then there was little hope for her in the future. Again if she had spend more time learning the wisdom of the past, she would've known that some of the most ruthless and amoral beings of all time had been turned out to the most successful players of their era and beyond.

"Are you implying I lack the ability to see the bigger picture?"

The husk crept closer to her, just threatening enough to underline his point. He had risen to command a world, a while ago even two. At his hand waited an army, and a absurdly lucrative operation. He had allies all across the galaxy, kings, queens, lords of the sith, witches and warlock and many more. None of these things would've been possible if he had constrained himself by something so arbitrary and superficial as morality.

"I have no interest in forcing you to change. That is not my way, and it never has been. All I desire is to guide you."

With a step back the husk made room for her to take a breath without his oppressive presence being pushed directly into her face. After just a moment his left hand raised almost unnoticeable, and the vampire would feel as dark might grew stronger within the hollow armor.

"The fear of the unknown is deeply ingrained in all living things. If we walk towards it slowly and carefully it only grows more threatening, which is why sometimes we simply have to leap into it."

With a laugh he raised his hand fully, the fingertips of the claw pointing at his apprentice alike so many time before. Once again he was about to bless her with his gift, with the prophetic sight that had left so many of his enemies shattered and broken.

Sharp towers watched above the remains of Mygeeto after hundreds, if not thousands of years had passed by. Upon the highest, on a broken throne, rested a woman in a marvelous black dress, her fangs a prominent part of her appearance. To her the galaxy was merely a chessboard, and people merely pawns to be sacrificed. Her power was nearly unparalleled, and none of the insects on the surface dared to even think about resisting her. With a raise of her hand she could make empires tremble, and with little more then a thought all but the most powerful bowed before her.

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"I'm implying that you're not seeing it for my perspective, not that you're dumb."

At least that's what Natalie meant to say. It was all fine for him to say break your chains but Natalie was still very much limited in her thinking processes. She saw nothing wrong with staying how she was because she was still lacking the knowledge of what greatness was ahead of her, if there was anything. Also, she wasn't a very ambitious person, at least to the degree that [member="Darth Abyss"] probably wanted her to be. The most ambition she had ever wanted to achieve was making her company more powerful, which has already happened.

For now, she was content.

She felt the growing darkness that she had felt earlier that day and many times before and simply allowed it to consume her with a prophetic vision, intrigued to see exactly what he thought she would become.

Mygeeto.. She wondered why she ever established anything on that planet. Looking back, she really had no actual connection to it, no emotional ties and at the time the only thing going for it was the low property prices and knowing diddly squat about creating a corporation, she relied on her sister for most of the knowledge. While she could appreciate being a supreme ruler, the architecture seemed out of place for her own tastes, though discussing Abyss' aesthetic tastes probably wasn't what he wanted to show her.

Natalie snapped back to reality.

"Fine. Can we just get started on whatever needs to be done?"

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Out."

The words weren't aimed at [member="Natalie LaForte"], but at the Necromancers that still remained within the room, watching the process between master and apprentice with a mix of fanatic believe in their Prophet and academic curiosity. Upon the command of Abyss the group lined up, walking out of the room, each with a short bow towards their leader before disappearing from sight.

Then the husk simply descended to the ground, his strange metal reflecting the ghostly light of the green flames around them. Once again he had taken his meditative stance, and only his right that offered the book that had rested on his belt to his apprentice.

"Read."

When Abyss said read, he meant it. Not a page, not a portion but the entire thing from start to end. Would she ask a question he would simply remains silent, would she try to leave guards at the entrance would raise their weapons and send her inside again.

When the said it took patience and discipline, he meant it. The Tome of Twisted Ink was not an easy read, and many of its secrets would remain locked away from his apprentice's mind. Yet it was all part of the training, to grasp the unknown and unnatural one had to do as he said, and take a leap of faith.

Obviously Natalie could also attempt to use any of the spells in the book, and Abyss would not intervene. They had told her the dangers of doing so, but her willingness to take that risk was something entirely up to her.