The Soul Keeper

It was clear how relieved he was just from the tone of his voice. I smiled. "Yeah. Somehow."

"Hello!" Mona suddenly chimed in. She waved at Lucius, then showed me a bright smile. "I'm glad your friend is ok!" She once again turned her attention to Lucius. "Hey, Kai said your other friend wasn't well. Where is he?"

Lucius opened his mouth, then glanced at me. I nodded, "She healed me too."

"Oh." Lucius said hesitantly. "Um, he's over here," He gestured us to follow him. 

"He trusts you so much!" Mona said as we climbed the hill. I chuckled. "And I trust him."

"That's what we need in a world like this." She said with a smile and glanced at Laura and Theresa. "We have a similar kind of trust as well. I'd never let anything happen to them, and I know they would do anything to protect me."

As I found myself at a loss for words, Asher entered our field of view. Mona gasped as soon as he saw the unconscious man. "Oh my, that's not good." She ran towards him downhill, sliding the last few meters. With no consideration for her own safety at all, she knelt besides him and touched his forehead. "He's burning up." She looked at me wide eyed. "Since when is he like this?"

I hesitated. "Yesterday evening." I replied. "He fell asleep, saying he didn't feel too well. We couldn't wake him up the next morning." I made a vague, meaningless gesture. "Something was wrong before then, though I can't really tell when this started or why."

"Oh, isn't this similar to what happened to that girl?" Laura chimed in. She glanced at Theresa, who nodded. "Does look like the same thing."

"What girl? What happened?" I asked, my voice filled with worry.

"Some girl was affected with a rather dark spell." Mona explained absentmindedly. "I think it was demonic magic – she stumbled upon it in some old ruins. She was a sorcerer and was extremely sensitive to all types of magic." Her voice faded as she carefully opened Asher's eyes and inspected his pupils.

"Mona healed the girl." Laura continued in her place. "It wasn't an easy process though. It took a toll on Mona and the girl only recovered after a few days."

Theresa sighed. "And she wasn't in nearly as bad a state as your friend." She opened her inventory and looked through it. I averted my eyes – I didn't want her to think I was prying.

"I'll need some help." Mona said as we waited in silence. "Laura, help me out. Kai, you too please." 

We both knelt besides her. "What can I do?" I asked. She smiled. "I can see the connection you two have, so I need you to try and reach him through there. In the meantime, Laura and I will cleanse him."

I flinched. How did she know we were bound by magic?

"Come on!" She said, pinching my arm. "Don't get lost in thought now."

"I'm ready." Laura said, raising her hands and allowing her magic to gather there. I sighed. "Lucius, keep watch."

"Yes, sir." The young man said, then climbed on the hill. I could see him lie on the grass – if anything approached from that side, he'd see them before they saw him.

I closed my eyes. 

"Asher!" My voice echoed in the silent waste of our minds. I called out to him, again and again. I could feel Mona and Laura's magic gather around us. It felt like the cool breeze under the afternoon sun. Warm, yet cold. Relaxing, yet alarming.

"Asher?" I called his name again.

"Not like that." I heard Mona's low voice whisper in my ear. "You have to reach him. Go and punch him in the face and drag him back here."

"Mona…" Laura's disapproving voice sounded.

I furrowed my brows. I hadn't quite figured out what she wanted me to do. How does one drag someone somewhere mentally?

After thoroughly confusing myself with dumb questions, I gave up on understanding Mona's words. Instead, I did the next logical thing – I sent a soul to his mind.

I chose the phoenix, because since our souls had melted together, it was the one I could actually use the most. I watched it fly over the empty, black waste separating our minds and disappear in the darkness. Or at least that's what I felt was going on. 

Moments passed, then I felt cold fingers pinch my cheek. I flinched and opened my eyes. "What…?"

"It's done." Laura said with a smile. My eyes widened as my glance darted towards Asher. 

The blonde wizard was still asleep, but colour had begun to return to his face. I couldn't hear a trace of his shallow, sharp breaths anymore – he was in deep sleep, taking deep breaths.

"So," Mona said with a grin. "Did you punch him?"

I chuckled awkwardly. "I… don't think so?" I mumbled. "I don't really know what I was supposed to do."

"Don't mind her." Laura said, chuckling. "What matters is all three of us succeeded and he will be fine."

I breathed out a sigh of relief, then looked both of them in the eye. "Thank you, we'd have lost him if you hadn't helped." 

Mona giggled. "Happy to help, Kai." She stood up and dusted off her cloak. "We should let him rest, there are still a few hours until dawn." She glanced at me. "You were headed towards Baile Chailce too, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, I wanted to check up on the others." 

"Then how about we set off together? You know, strength in numbers and all that?" She smiled. I couldn't refuse even if I wanted to. And honestly, I didn't want to.

"Sure, I'd love that." 

"Then, let's sleep." She said with a brilliant smile. 

Soon, we were all ready to head to sleep. While I did want to stand watch, I was too exhausted for it. Instead, it was Theresa who offered watch over us as we slept. 

I knew that trusting these three was naïve and that I could regret it later but… Both Lucius and I were exhausted. I hadn't slept in two days while he had carried Asher for hours. 

We fell asleep soon after. 

Come morning, I woke up with a cold touch on my cheek. "Wakey-wakey, sleepy Kai!" Mona's cheerful voice pulled me out of my dreams. I saw her bright green eyes as soon as I opened mine. "Mona?!" I exclaimed. She sprinkled some water on my face as soon as she noticed my surprised and confused expression.

"Stop teasing him Mona." Laura said with a sigh as she once again grabbed her long braid and pulled her away. "Good morning, Kai." 

"Good morning." I said, still thoroughly confused, and wide awake. "Oh right!" I exclaimed. "Asher?" I asked as I shot up and turned my glance to where the sorcerer was asleep last night. I panicked as I saw that spot empty, save his crumpled cloak.

"I'm here." His voice sounded from behind me. I leapt up and turned around and only breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him sitting by a fire, a cup of… something, in hand.

"He hasn't healed completely." Laura warned me as Mona struggled to free her braid from the blonde woman's grasp. "We will need plenty of rest stops along the way – he shouldn't overexert himself."

"Thank you, Laura." I said with a smile. Then, I turned my attention to Asher. "Asher, let us know when you feel even a little tired, ok?"

He chuckled. "I'm not that weak." Though, a following coughing fit quickly disproved his words. "Damn it." He mumbled as his cough subsided. 

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." I said with a chuckle. 

"Same goes for you." Lucius' voice sounded as he came and sat by the fire. "No more fighting demons solo."

I couldn't help but laugh – he had every right to be angry about that. "I know, I know." I said, still smiling.

"Hah! I'm free!" Mona shouted suddenly as Laura's grasp on her long braid slipped. She ran towards us and hid behind me with a giggle. "Such good friends you have, Kai." She said, pinching my arm. 

"The best I could wish for." I said with a smile, then glanced at Laura. "Uh, so, when should we set off?"

"After breakfast sounds nice." Theresa chimed in as she opened her inventory and started rummaging through it. "I'll prepare something real quick."

"Oh, let me help you." Asher got up to help her prepare while Laura approached me and Mona. "So," She said, her gaze shifting between me and the girl hiding behind me. "Mona."

Mona giggled. "What?" Her playful voice made me smile as Laura rolled her eyes. "You do realise that you can't use him as a shield forever, right?"

I felt Mona's hands on my shoulders. "Maybe I can, who knows?" She giggled again.

"Uh, so, what's going on?" I asked, somewhat confused. "Laura?"

The blonde woman chuckled. "She's a druid, the way she gains power isn't through killing, but through giving life. If she is to become more powerful, she has to perform her daily ritual."

I couldn't help but be curious. In a way, what she had to do was the exact opposite of what I did to gain more power. "What kind of a ritual?" I asked, turning to look at Mona. Her expression soured. "It's boring!" She protested. "All I do is stand there and cast a spell!"

I chuckled. "Sounds much more fun than going around in a murder spree." I glanced at Laura, who nodded with a faint smile. "Could you show the ritual to me?" I asked at Mona. 

She clenched her fists and jumped up and down, like a little child. "Damn you Laura! Stop bewitching him with your words."

"I did no such thing." Laura replied, raising her chin. She almost seemed offended. Almost. I could see the smile she was trying to hide. 

"Mona, stop being lazy and do your thing." Theresa said, almost absentmindedly.

"You're all so boring!" Mona said, clearly annoyed. She stormed off to the top of the hill. Laura chuckled. "Come then," She said, urging me to follow her. "I know she says it's 'just a spell', but it's quite the spectacular view."

"I'm looking forward to it." We stood not too far away from her as Mona raised her hand in the air. I felt a cool breeze as she began casting her spell.