The Soul Keeper

Rina let out a high pitched scream as my feet touched the ground. She stumbled back and nearly fell to the ground. Alex was quick to catch her friend with her tail, though she also stared at me wide eyed and with her mouth agape.

"Oh no, he turned into a ghost!" She said after a split second of silence.

"You were dead!" Rina shouted.

"Wait – a ghost?" I asked in confusion. "Seriously? That's your conclusion?" I couldn't help but laugh as I spoke.

"But you died!" Rina protested. "How are you still alive?" She was somewhat pale – maybe I shouldn't have surprised them like this. "Even Alina and the others said you had died!" her voice trembled.

A quick glance at Alex showed she wasn't faring any better either. "Is it really you?" She asked as she took half a step towards me. "You're not an illusion, or a shapeshifter or something, are you?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm not. It's really me, Alex."

"Prove it." Rina said as she stopped Alex from taking another step. Despite her trembling voice and teary eyes, she wasn't letting her guard down.

"Well," I mumbled, trying to find out how to prove it. "You told me you two never got along well, and a thunderstorm and a burnt dish was what finally made you two get along." Was that enough? Or did she need more?

"It's him!" Rina shouted. She began running at me, but before she could reach me, Alex did. I felt my ribs being crushed as she hugged me tightly. "You idiot, we thought you were dead! We had a funeral for you, and we mourned you!" 

"Can't… breathe…" My voice was but a whisper as she squeezed me to death. When she let go of me, I needed a few moments to pull myself together.

"How did you survive?" Rina asked after giving me a much gentler hug than Alex's. My smile slowly faded as both she and Alex looked at me with curiosity and worry in their eyes.

"You two were headed somewhere, let's go and I'll tell you on the way." I didn't want to remain this close to Stonepatch Village. I couldn't risk getting spotted, not yet.

"Well, we were just scouting the area," Rina said as she opened her interface to show me her quest. 

'Scout the area north of Stonepatch Village, dispatch of any enemies.' 

"That's rather vague." I said as we slowly began walking north. "I remember the quests being much more precise with the locations and number of enemies."

Rina shrugged. "Well, it's been like this for a long time." She glared at me. "Never mind that, what happened to you? How did you survive?" Of course she was curious, how could she not be? But how was I supposed to explain everything when even I couldn't see the whole picture still?

Before I told them anything though, there was something I wanted to know. "Before that, is your sister ok, Rina?" I asked carefully. I knew my question would only remind Alex of her own sister's death, but this was something I wanted to know.

"She's fine." Rina said with a somewhat bitter smile. "She's still shaken up – I don't think she'll ever be the same person again – but she's alive and safe." She glanced at Alex. "We actually don't leave the town much because we're still worried about her." She fiddled with her hair.

I nodded. Staying with the young girl was probably the best thing they could do. And that only made me feel worse. Did I have the right to drag them away from her?

"Now stop avoiding the question and tell us how you survived!" Alex insisted.

"Well," I said, taking a deep breath to gather my thoughts. "There actually are thirteen Divines."

I told them as much as I could. I told them about Alina and Joshua's betrayal, about how the Divine had me killed, about how Fetheion saved me and how I lost most of my powers. But I didn't tell them what death felt like. I didn't say anything about the cold void filled with nothingness. I didn't tell them about how I relived some of my memories only to nearly forget them.

Because I knew that if I did, Alex would probably break again. She had already lost two people she cared about – her sister and Samantha. And she thought she'd lost a friend – me – too. I didn't want to add any more to her already heavy burden.

As I spoke, their expressions changed from surprise and confusion to horror and fear. It didn't take long for our steps to slow to a halt. 

"Alina wouldn't do that…" Alex whispered. "That girl was broken down by Samantha's passing – why are you blaming her?" 

"And why would you blame the Ereth and the Divines?" Rina added. "The Demon Lord is our real enemy here."

Taken aback, I couldn't find the words to speak for a moment. Did they not believe me? Did they not trust my words? Would they rather follow Alina and her Divine?

"I-"

"This is wrong on so many levels!" Rina shouted. Her elevated voice startled me. "What the hell really happened Kai?" Her voice cracked. "Tell us the truth!"

I clenched my fists. "I am telling the truth – why would I make something like this up?" The souls within me stirred in response to my anger. I had to take a deep breath to calm them down. "Alina was my friend – I trusted her! Why would I make up lies such as these?"

Rina shook her head. I could see from her wide eyed expression and trembling hands that she simply didn't want to believe me. 

"And no one else was there?" Alex asked after a moment of heavy silence. "Just you, that Divine, Alina and Joshua?" She shook her head. "And an earthquake conveniently trapped Erik and Vincent in a cave, so Mona and Asher had to stay back to save them?" She sighed as her tail swung around nervously. "You know what you sound like, don't you?"

I sighed. "The earthquake wasn't 'convenient', it was planned." I said, rolling my eyes. "They made sure I'd be the only person to follow them into that ruined building, and being the idiot I am, I fell for the trap."

Silence followed my words, only broken by the distant chirping of birds.

"I'm sorry, Kai, but I don't know who to believe anymore." Rina said, shaking her head. "I'm glad you're alive – I really am. I couldn't be happier." Her voice trembled. "But you're not making any sense, Kai. Alina and Joshua have absolutely no reason to kill you." 

I wanted to scream. Why wouldn't they just listen to me? Why didn't they believe me?

"Don't you get it? They tricked you! Lied to you! How god damn difficult is it to understand that?" I shouted. "Are you seriously going to side with them?" 

Silence once again followed my words. I took a deep breath after some time passed. "I will meet someone who knows what happened." I pointed towards the mountain pass. "We'll meet in the Torchlight woods in two days. Come with me, then you'll know I'm not lying or making any of this up."

Maybe bringing them to a meeting with Luhen wasn't the best idea, maybe I should have gone on my own. I wasn't sure – I just wanted them to believe me. They were both people I trusted, and their distrust towards me hurt more than they probably realised.

"Who is it?" Rina asked after a moment of hesitation. 

"Luhen – he owns a store in Stonepatch Village." I glanced towards the distant mountains. "If we're to make it on time on foot, we should probably get going."

Alex hesitated. I could see it in her eyes – the fear. 

"Alex?" I asked after a few moments passed. "Rina?"

Both women seemed reluctant to follow me. They simply didn't trust me anymore. My shoulders dropped. "I see." I took a deep breath. "I guess I was mistaken." I glanced towards the village. "Can you at least do me a favour and not tell anyone else that I am still alive?"

They glanced at each other, then Rina spoke. "If that's what you want, then sure. We can keep a secret. But Kai-"

"No, stop." I said as I stepped back. "I'm glad you are ok, and I'm glad we got to talk again, but I don't think we'll meet for while, so let's just say goodbye here, ok?"

Rina's eyes widened. "Kai-"

"I'll get us all out of here, so just survive. Take care of each other, don't take any unnecessary risks." I glanced at the sky. The sun was at its peak. "And don't stand with Alina and Joshua."

"Wait – what will you do?" Alex asked as she reached towards me. My wings appeared as I stepped back to avoid her. "I'll survive." I said with a bitter smile. "Take care."