The Soul Keeper

I knew that voice. It belonged to the same Ereth that killed the contestant in the semi-finals and saved my life.

As he continued with his words, the air grew heavier. "We welcome you to our humble halls, travellers from the Beyond. Allow us to congratulate you on your triumph."

Humble? There was nothing humble about this place. It took some effort to keep my expression neutral.

"We thank you," Erik stepped forward. My heart skipped a beat – that was not what we had planned! I was supposed to do the talking, not him. He knelt at the foot of the steps leading to the thrones. Naturally, we followed his lead.

My heartbeat quickened as I felt the air around us fill with magic. What was going to happen now?

"Paladin of Rohir, Wayfarer, Warrior, Rogue," He hesitated for only a fraction of a second. "Keeper."

"Before we bestow upon you our blessing," A female voice sounded. Despite her low voice, her words seemed to silence everything around us. I could barely breathe as her power filled the room. "We wish to give you a task. One to save our world from the plight that are the Demons."

I flinched despite seeing this coming. I had not expected her to be so blunt about it. "They are ruining this world – killing our people, cursing nature itself with their hostile powers, turning the very earth itself against us. While our Divine Pillars keep us safe here in Baile Chailce, the villages in the outskirts of our lands are forever in danger."

I could hear the pain in her voice. I could hear how she suffered with her people. What she said was crystal clear to me.

"And I know," She said, her voice rising a little bit as she stood up. "You've suffered too. Those like you – your fellow travellers from Beyond – have also passed away at the hands of those who'd kill only for their own enjoyment."

I flinched. The image of Alex, kneeling by her sister's dead body flashed across my eyes.

"So, we ask of you, help us cleanse our world from the filth that is demons." She stepped forward and descended a single step. I held my breath as her gaze fell on Erik. "You will help us, will you not?"

I clenched my fists as Erik nodded. "Of course, Divine." He said as he lifted his head a little. I could see it in his eyes – he was captivated by her words. I forced myself to remain motionless and expressionless. Perhaps this was for the best – if she were to become Erik's motivation, he might even stop constantly picking fights with me.

"I knew you'd say that." She said with a smile. She turned her back on us and approached her throne. "Allow us to bestow our gifts upon you." She said raising her hand a little. Before five of the Divines, the floor began to glow as a familiar mark appeared.

"Wayfarer." A soft, bewitching voice sounded. One of the Divines stood up. "Come."

Samantha visibly flinched, then slowly got back up on her feet and climbed the steps to the Ereth Divine. I could see her shaking hands. As soon as she stepped on the mark on the ground, they both disappeared in a flash.

As the teleportation mark vanished, another Ereth spoke. "Warrior, come." Vincent stoop up quickly and approached the Divine. They also disappeared in a flash of light.

I couldn't help but feel nervous. I had warned them enough times already – I didn't think any of them would do or say something stupid.

"Keeper." I flinched. It was the woman who had spoken before. I forced myself to remain calm as my heart tried to jump out of my chest. So far, things were going as we had assumed they would – with the exception of Erik being the speaker, of course.

I slowly got up and approached her. With each step I took towards her, the more difficult it became to move. I stood before her, and only then did a teleportation mark appear beneath my feet.

Light enveloped me. With a flash, I no longer stood at the throne hall of the Divines. I found myself in a library. It was massive, with perhaps hundreds of thousands of books lining the shelves.

"Your allies will be given weapons and tools that we hope will aid them in the coming battles." The Ereth Divine spoke. I directed my gaze on her. She was standing near the only desk in the room. "But I highly doubt the esteemed Keeper of Souls would prefer a weapon."

She turned to face me. Her power rushed over me like a wave, leaving me gasping for air.

"How you came to be, I do not know." She continued as she slowly approached me. It took effort just to remain standing.

I cursed at myself. Why had I taken such a huge risk? Even if everything went according to plan, I couldn't see myself getting out of here unscathed.

"But I am glad that you're here, before me now." Her power spread, covering the entire room. She stood right in front of me and lowered the hood of her cloak, revealing her face.

I flinched. How...? No, I had to be mistaken. Something like that was impossible.

She had long, crimson hair and bright blue eyes. Her pale skin completed her look perfectly. Her horns were tilted towards the back of her head.

"I must say, however," She said as she reached out with her claw like hand. I motioned to step back but found myself unable. Bright blue tendrils that were the same colour as her eyes sprouted from the ground, preventing me from moving. "This is quite the joyous occasion."

She gently touched my chin, forcing me to look at her. Her bewitching voice clawed at the back of my mind. So, this was how she talked to Erik and the others just a few minutes ago. She used her magic to compel them – to make them want to do what she asked of them. They'd do anything for her approval.

The only reason it hadn't worked on me was because my mind was protected by Asher's power and my training back at home. Yet, now I could see clearly how she'd played Erik like a fiddle.

"You see," She said with a bewitching smile. She slid her hand towards my throat before her grip tightened. Her claw like nails pierced my skin as she spoke. "I was saddened to see the previous Keeper pass away, despite all of my efforts to save him."