The Soul Keeper

Even though his words weren't intended for me to hear, I couldn't help but feel relieved. Despite my goal-oriented approach to things, I was scared of losing my sense of self. I didn't want to stop being me. Ever. 

Asher's words seemed to have ended their conversation, so I once again focused on manipulating the winds around me. Just like my flames, this also used a little bit of mana. Despite my limited mana pool however, I wasn't worried – the amount of mana used was negligible.

By the time we arrived at Baile Chailce, I had figured out how controlling wind worked. Of course, I couldn't do anything more than creating a slight breeze, but that was better than nothing, to say the least.

"Now," Asher said as we landed in the woods close to the city gates. "I'm not going to enter the city – I'll go back to the keep." He glanced at me. I nodded; I knew exactly where he was talking about. The place which was protected by the Well of Souls – my predecessor's home, or at least that's what we assumed.

"When do we meet up?" Lucius asked. I shrugged. "I'll be with Erik and the others. Where are you going?" I knew he was going to meet with his own people – the same ones who fought by his side in the tournament. 

"We have a safe house outside the city. They're probably waiting there. I'll be in touch though. Just let Victoria know when you guys leave the city. She has ways of contacting me." The young swordsman grinned. 

"Alright, I'll do that." I said with a chuckle. "In that case," I said, taking a deep breath. "Let's meet again soon." 

"Let's. Remember," Asher said with a faint smile. "I'm quite literally a thought away."

I nodded. With that, we bid our farewells and each of us went in a separate direction. I couldn't help but feel a little sad. I did enjoy spending time with these two and I knew I could count on them when it came to life and death situations.

I shook my head and made my way to the city gates. There was no point in wasting time thinking about things I couldn't change. I passed through the gates without issue and slowly made my way to the Divine's palace. 

"Kai?" A familiar voice called my name. I turned towards the voice's source to see Laura. 

She smiled and approached me. "I didn't know you were back!"

"I just arrived," I said with a forced smile. Had Mona told her about what happened?

"Oh really? I was just about to leave the city. Talk about luck." She chuckled, then her expression turned more serious. "Listen, some things happened the other day. I don't have the time to explain everything, but…" She told me the same events as Astrid did, about the situation that developed when the players had their meeting.

"Sounds like things got pretty ugly towards the end there." I commented as she finished recounting the events. She nodded and glanced at the Ereth citizens going about their lives. "The guards reacted immediately and so did one of the Divines. She was furious. A bunch of quests were given to anyone that was still there and we were threatened with retaliation if we didn't complete the quests."

My eyes widened. Astrid must have left the hall, along with Erik just in time since she didn't say anything about this. "So, is that why you're leaving?" I asked. 

"Yeah," She nodded. "I have to deliver a whole bunch of medical supplies to a town on the frontier. It's not too dangerous since Mona and Theresa will meet up with me over at the river." I felt a little relieved to hear that. The river was only an hour's walk away from here and the area was pretty well guarded by Ereth. After the river was where the wild, dangerous lands began.

"I wish I could come along to help," I said with a bitter smile as I instinctively touched the earring Divine Matriarch Aelith had given me. "But I have some things I can't put off either."

Laura chuckled. "It's fine, you don't need to worry. I'm just glad I got to see you; we've been worried ever since… Samantha passed away." Her voice trembled a little. She hesitated toward the end, almost as if she were scared I'd break apart right then and there.

"Thank you." I said, forcing a smile. "I'm fine though, thanks to all of your support. All three of you have helped me more than you are aware." 

She reached out and squeezed my shoulder. "I'm just glad you're holding in there." Her gaze wandered off for a moment. "I should get going. Let's all meet up when we're back."

"Yeah," I said. "Let's do that."

After she left, I hurried off to Aelith's palace. If I kept her waiting for too long, she could decide to give me more tasks. And right now, what I needed was some time to spend with my friends. I needed to keep Erik and the others safe. Somehow.

As usual, the Ereth guards led me to the throne room, where I was once again teleported to Aelith's library. I opened my eyes as the bright light of the teleportation sigil faded, only to find Matriarch Aelith standing by the windows.

"The castle has been purified." She said with a soft voice. "Well done."

I hesitated. This wasn't how our meetings usually went. "Does that mean you'll leave Erik and the others be?" 

She chuckled. Her long, crimson hair fluttered in an inexistent wind as she slowly turned towards me. Her bright blue eyes seeming pierced my soul as she slowly stepped towards me. "Oh, don't you worry." Her bewitching voice threatened my mind. I quickly averted my eyes, was she doing this consciously?

As I forced myself to focus on the present, I felt the souls within me stir. I didn't have to think too much to figure out what was going on. It was Rhia and the demons who had died with her at Forlorn Castle. I could feel their hatred and wrath. I pushed their feelings and power aside and forced my mind to remain clear and my own.

"You've done what I asked you to. I tend to keep my promises – your friends are in no danger from me." A wicked smile flashed on her face as I gritted my teeth. "I'd like to ask," I said, taking a deep breath. "I've heard of some ill will towards Erik." 

She chuckled. "I've noticed some… unrest, the other day." Her gaze focused on me. "I promised to not harm them, Kai Friseal. Not to protect them." 

I clenched my fists. I don't know why I'd hoped for something different. "I understand." I said, forcing myself to remain calm. "In that case, if there is nothing more, allow me to excuse myself." It took a lot of effort to remain calm and speak at least somewhat formally.

"You may, a room has been prepared for you." She approached me as I quickly stepped back. 

"I'd rather spend the night in the city-" I began to speak, but she cut me off. "I shall see you again tomorrow morning." Her deadly gaze was enough to make me fall silent. Not yet, I told myself. I wasn't strong enough to defy her yet.

A sigil appeared beneath my feet. Light enveloped me and soon, I found myself in the throne room. 

"Keeper," An Ereth guard spoke as I opened my eyes. "Please follow us." I nodded; it wasn't like there was anything else I could do. 

We walked through the hallways that reminded me more of labyrinths rather than a palace and eventually arrived at the room I was given. The Ereth opened the door and closed it once I was inside. I could hear the sound of a key turning in the lock.

My shoulders dropped. It wasn't much different than last time, yet it bothered me much more tonight. Probably because this time, my mind wasn't filled with sorrow. I looked around the room, only to notice that it was the same room as before.

"Great," I mumbled as I sighed. The sun had set a while ago and I was honestly quite tired. I glanced at the white bedsheets, then at the bathroom. I hadn't gotten the chance to clean myself through all the chaos and battles, so a warm bath sounded wonderful.

I hesitated, then shrugged and decided to go ahead with it. 

A while later, I lay on the soft bed, staring at the ceiling. I had to face Erik and the others tomorrow. I had to make sure they understood the severity of the situation. It wasn't something I looked forward to.

I took a deep breath and sighed. Thinking about tomorrow was useless. Instead, I opened my status panel and checked the development panel. It was the same as before. 

"Damn it…" I mumbled. I needed more power. More power to not have to cower before Aelith, more power to protect Erik and the others, more power to kill the Demon Lord. I checked the other panels of the interface absentmindedly. Suddenly, something caught my eye. 

I navigated to my skills panel. Beneath the usual blue text, a new line was written. 

'New skill available – Soul's Aspect.'