The Soul Keeper

After that day, after the talk I had with Fetheion, his attitude towards me changed. Whenever he saw me, I could see bitterness in his smile and hear sorrow in his words. 

No matter how much I tried, I never learned more about him. The next few days, I spent mostly sleeping. We would eat, drink, then he'd stress I had to go rest. I think that was the most annoying part – not having the physical strength to do anything, thus giving my mind all the time, it needs to wander around.

It drove me crazy. I needed exercise, be it magical or physical. I needed to do something to keep my mind busy, or I'd always find myself lost in the past. Yet, whenever I told this to Fetheion, he'd insist I must never, ever forget my past. We had a few fights, or, well, heated arguments where I could do nothing but storm off in anger.

Eventually though, I gave in. 

And when I did, he asked me to talk about my past – what my home was like, who I was before ending up in this world.

I think he enjoyed it. He would have this… almost nostalgic expression as I talked. At first, I thought it reminded him of his own home and family – if he had such things anyways. But later on, I started to believe that there was still something else to this. Yet, no matter how much I tried, I couldn't find out what that was. He was a bad liar, but he was good at avoiding a subject, or straight up not answering questions.

I was relieved more than anything when he finally let me leave this place. My powers were still locked – no matter how much I tried to, I couldn't convince him to unlock them – but at least I could train outside. In this alcove, hidden amongst the mountains and beautiful forests. 

So, I did the only thing that made sense. I trained. The first few days, I couldn't even last for more than a handful of minutes. Then, as time passed and my body continued to heal and regain its previous strength, my abilities began to return to normal as well.

Sometimes, I could see Fetheion watching me from the shadows. At first, I ignored him. Then, I asked him to join me if he was so curious about sword fighting. He seemed almost shaken when I asked him but refused.

So, I trained on my own, perfecting the techniques Mother had taught me, trying things that I had seen Aoife do. 

All in preparation for my revenge. I wasn't looking at the world through rose tinted glasses anymore. 

I knew that revenge meant going up against the divine that orchestrated everything. And possibly Aelith too. I knew that it meant possibly making an enemy out of Erik and Vincent, maybe even Victoria. 

I knew that it meant taking two lives. Real lives, belonging to real people in the real world.

I was fine with that.

"Kai," I heard Fetheion's voice as I landed on the ground from my backflip. "You're pushing yourself again." The tone of his voice made it clear that he disliked my actions.

"I'm fine," I said dismissively. "I'd be much better if you unlocked my powers though." A glance at him was enough to know he was going to refuse. 

"You know why I can't do that." He said, his already faint smile fading completely. "Anyways, you should get inside." He glanced at the sky. "A demon scout is flying this way – I'd rather they not see you."

My eyes shot up as I looked at the sky. "You don't have protective barriers?" I asked as I hurried to the entrance. Getting spotted now could spell my doom.

"I do, but better be safe than sorry." Fetheion followed me inside as he spoke with a lower voice. "Some demons seem to have the ability to sense such things. I'd rather not take that chance."

I nodded. I think I knew what he was talking about. He led me to the library, where we once again sat on the couches. I had come to find out that this place was exceedingly small. There were only three rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and this library. 

"How much time passed?" I asked as I picked a snack from the bowl on the low table. 

"Since you woke up?" He asked. I nodded; I had lost track of time. "Twenty seven days."

I sighed. "So, I've been 'dead' for four months now?" I shook my head – this was such a ridiculous situation. "What about Asher and Lucius? Have you told them that I'm alive?"

He nodded, a bitter smile on his face. "They know, but they're keeping it hidden."

"Thanks," I mumbled after a moment of hesitation. I felt horrible for keeping everyone else in the dark. Erik, Vincent, Mona, Laura and Theresa… Not to mention Rina and Alex. I gritted my teeth. Why was it taking so long to heal and regain my strength?

"You seem bothered by something." Fetheion tilted his head. I could feel his blue eyes piercing me. It was disturbing. 

"Just thinking of my friends." What else could I say?

Silence covered the room. There was much to talk about, but neither of us was prepared for it. Neither of us wanted to speak.

"It's safe now." He finally broke the silence. "The scout passed, so you can go back to training if you want to."

I was already up on my feet. "I'll do that." I motioned to reach for the door but stopped just before my fingers reached the handle. "what about you?" I asked with a mischievous smile. "Care for a spar?"

I could see it in his eyes. He desperately wanted to spar. Yet he once again shook his head. "I'll pass." 

"Suit yourself." I said with a shrug and left the room. Only after I closed the door behind me did I let my shoulders drop and my smile disappear. Why did he refuse despite wanting to spar so much? What was he hiding?

Once I stepped outside, I unsheathed the sword hanging from my hip. Honestly, just the weight of it was somewhat reassuring. Despite the practicality of simply summoning weapons out of thin air, I still preferred this. Though, I couldn't imagine how one would carry a scythe like this. 

I shook my head. I didn't have my scythe anymore – that Divine had taken it. Instead, Fetheion had given me this simple sword for now, while also promising to find something more suited for my style. 

I glanced at the weapon. While it wasn't anything fancy like my scythe or the weapons I'd seen others use, it was much more familiar. It had a simple blade, and its hilt was wrapped with leather. It looked just like the weapons we used back at home.

I stopped when I reached the centre of the open area and changed my pose to a defensive posture. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I could feel the cool breeze touching my skin and blowing my hair back ever so slightly. I could feel the earth under my feet. I could hear the birds chirping.

Then, I moved. My motions weren't especially fast, nor were my swings full of strength. Every move I made, ever muscle I moved was deliberate. As I flowed from one stance to the other, I imagined my family's training hall. How I'd try to copy Aoife, how I'd try to be like her, move like her. 

I had tried doing that until Uncle Eion showed me I had my own skillset, one that differed greatly from that of my sister. Only then had I truly begun to learn and progress. Only then did I start to walk the path Mother always wanted me to.

Soon, my muscles began to hurt. I was pushing myself to my limit, and then further. My lungs began to burn as they craved for more air. I kept going for a little more, and only stopped when I couldn't go on anymore. Exhausted from the effort, I lied down on the still dewy grass. 

"That felt good," I whispered as I allowed my body to rest.

It was almost time; I could feel my strength increase every day. Soon, I could leave. First, I'd have to collect souls to empower me. Once I had done that, I could go after Alina, Joshua and the Divine they served.

An almost wicked grin slowly appeared on my face. They weren't going to get away with this.

My grin disappeared moments after, as I noticed the birds weren't chirping anymore. I quickly rose to my feet as some rustling sounded from the treeline surrounding this place. The bushes shook and then, a familiar figure covered in way too many leaves stepped out of the shadows.

We froze at the same time. Then, a smile spread across her face like the sun dawning after a long night. "Kai!"