The Soul Keeper

We stopped in our tracks as a familiar figure stepped on the stairs. I drew a sharp breath as Vixia raised her head to look at us.

"Ah," She flinched. "I hadn't expected to find either of you here," She said after a moment.

"And neither had I," Fetheion took a step forward in a desperate attempt to hide me from her view. He seemed just as startled as me. "What are you doing here, Demon?" He asked with a much more aggressive tone than I would have expected of him. 

"I could ask you the same, exiled Divine." She glared at him, her eyes shining purple. 

"I paid respects to my friend and purged his tomb of a foul beast." Fetheion clenched his fists. "Clearly it lived here for a long time. Do tell me, why have the demons let it be?" 

Vixia furrowed her brows. "Are you so shameless that you can ask such a question with a straight face?" She hissed through her gritted teeth. "Knowing full well it was your kind to curse the beast so none could approach the tomb!" She added, her demonic magic crackling around her.

I instinctively stepped back. A fight between these two was not something I was looking forward to. 

"And why would I not have a straight face?" Fetheion laughed. "You speak as if I am responsible, right after acknowledging I am on exile." I noticed the shadows around us grow ever so slightly. "Make up your mind, demon. Do you blame me or not?" Despite his mocking voice, I could see how tense he was.

I felt Vixia release her magic. A whip made of flames appeared in her hand as she pointed at me with her newly formed weapon. "Oh please," She said, clearly fuming with anger. "You dare speak while he is right there?" 

I clenched my fists. Despite Fetheion's calm appearance, I could see he was everything but that. A battle between those two could ruin this place, and Vixia could alert other demons. Actually, now that I thought about it, had she really come here alone?

Where was the old demon and Delthur? How come was he not here?

"Is that how it is now? Will you simply blame me for everything just so you can avoid having to accept those that defeated your kind are to blame?" Fetheion made a vague gesture towards the south east – the general direction of Baile Chailce. "Can you do nothing without the Keeper to protect your kind?"

Vixia's expression twisted with pain. "You-" She stopped, almost as if she were trying to stay calm. She suddenly stepped back and before I even noticed what was happening, I noticed her whip lashing at us.

"And thus, you resort to violence." Fetheion's voice was calm once more as he blocked the whip strike with a shield of darkness. "Should I kill you?" He asked. I froze in the spot. His words had startled me, not because of what he said, but because of the coldness in his voice as he spoke. "Should I let you rest within the new Keeper of Souls?" He tilted his head ever so slightly.

"He is nothing but an imposter!" Vixia shouted as she stepped back even more. With each step she took backwards, Fetheion followed with his own steps ahead. "And you know it just as well as I do!" Vixia continued.

Her words stung a little, but she wasn't wrong. Fetheion, on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered by her words at all. "That didn't stop you from trying to get him, did it?" The Divine's voice echoed. "Who is the hypocrite now?" He asked with a wicked smile.

"Does he know?" Vixia asked, turning her glare on me. "Did you know this man was one of the first to come to our world?" She asked, pointing at Fetheion. "Did you know he killed hundreds of us, farmers and workers – those who hadn't even touched a weapon in their lifetimes?" 

I couldn't help but glance at the Divine. I remained silent and forced my expression to remain as it is. My lack of reaction seemed to push Vixia to the edge. "He is not the guardian angel that you think he is!" She shouted.

"I never claimed to be." Fetheion said. "I told him everything, clearly and without holding back. I know the truth would be your greatest weapon, demon." With every word he spoke, Vixia's expression twisted. "I knew if I lied to him, I'd only lose his support and he would never accept my help." He took a deep breath and pushed a loose strand of hair aside. "He knows everything he needs to know."

For some reason, I breathed a sigh of relief. There was still much I didn't know about Fetheion and even now, I wasn't sure of whether to trust him or not. If I didn't need his help, would I still return to his house and share what I learned?

I wasn't sure. But the fact that Vixia hadn't spilled any great secrets that changed my view of him drastically made me feel much more at ease. In a way, she had accomplished the very thing she was trying to destroy.

"Does he?" Vixia asked. Her hair and dress fluttered in the wind. "What about your sister? Have you told him about her? About what happens to those who defy your Divine Matriarch?"

I glanced at Fetheion. I wasn't stupid enough to speak right now, but I was somewhat intrigued by her words. I knew Fetheion had a sister once upon a time, but for all I knew, she was no longer on this world. Those were the exact words Fetheion had spoken as he told me about her. 

What was so important about his dead sister that Vixia felt the need to bring her up?

"Leave her out of this, Demon." Fetheion's expression darkened. I could hear it in his voice – he wasn't pleased about where the subject headed. "She is long gone, never to return. Ages passed since then and it is irrelevant now." His hand instinctively went to his hair. 

I furrowed my brows. I had noticed him fiddle with his hair when he was nervous before. I took a mental note not to bring up his sister in future conversations. It seemed to be a very sensitive subject for him. Thinking about it, I would probably act the same way if anything had happened to Aoife.

"Oh really?" Vixia didn't seem to care about it though as she continued to push the subject. "Are you sure she's irrelevant?" Her gaze turned on to me. "Don't you think he should know what exactly he is risking by siding with you?"

"He knows what he is risking." Fetheion raised his voice. "And it is not more than he would risk if he sided with you or your ruler."

Vixia laughed. "Keep telling yourself that, Divine. But really," She chuckled. "Are you delusional enough to think you could be remotely as dangerous as our Lord?" She tilted her head as her lips formed a wicked smile. "Has the darkness effected your mind that much? I wonder, when will you crawl back into that disgusting light of yours?"

I glanced at Fetheion. What did she mean by that? Was the power he took from the world – his darkness – harming his mind? I wanted to ask him about it, but now wasn't the time. I learned much more by letting these two argue. I just hoped that argument didn't turn into a full scale battle. 

"You're a fool if you think so." Fetheion said. "I know I'm no match for your Lord. No one is, not even Divine Matriarch Aelith." He made a vague gesture. "Which begs the question – why are your people so… passive? With such a powerful leader, I know you have the ability to crush Baile Chailce and kill Aelith, so what is it exactly, that you are waiting for?"

I glanced at Vixia as she avoided meeting either of our gazes. Was the Demon Lord really strong enough to fight against Aelith and the other Divines and win? He certainly seemed incredibly powerful – even time itself seemed to obey his command, after all – but to take down Baile Chailce, while it is supplied with power from that Divine Pillar… Wasn't that a bit much?

"That is for him to know." Vixia said calmly. "Now," She glanced at me. "I had come here to pay my respects, but since he is here, I will be taking him along."

I flinched. "Uh, no, I don't think that's going to happen." I had no intention of going with her.

"Yeah," Fetheion nodded. "Not going to happen."

"I didn't ask for permission." Vixia said. "Now-"

"And I don't care." Fetheion cut her off. "You know I'm stronger than you. I don't intend to kill you, but I won't hesitate to do so if you even so much as try to harm him."

Vixia laughed as she took a small, black object out of her pocket. "I know I can't force you to know anything." A wicked smile appeared on her face. "But he can." She broke the object in half.