The Soul Keeper

Three cloaked figures were walking towards the building. If it weren't for one of them carrying a tower shield and wearing plate armour, I wouldn't have recognised them immediately.

"They're insane!" Rina whispered as we watched them cross the grassy area and approach the building. "Mona was right."

I shook my head. "Under normal circumstances, Victoria would never, ever take such a huge risk. Something must have happened." Victoria was a smart woman. I still trusted in her common sense and judgement. And because of precisely that trust was what made doubts surface in my mind.

What had made her take such a risk? Was this a trap by Aelith or another Divine?

"Kai?" Laura shot me a quick glance. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head. Since when had I started showing my thoughts as much? Everyone was constantly noticing it when I had the slightest worries of doubts. "I just wonder what made them hurry as much."

The blonde woman didn't seem too convinced, but she let the subject go, which I was thankful for. "I should get some towels for them." She said with a sigh after a few seconds of silence. She headed upstairs in a hurry.

"Care to open the door, Kai?" Rina asked. I shook my head. "No, you guys should welcome them." I hesitated. "Let's not scare the hell out of them as soon as we open the door." 

Rina chuckled, then gestured at Alex. The tall woman just laughed and headed for the door. And not a moment later, we heard the loud, clear knock.

Alex took a deep breath, then opened the old, sturdy wooden door.

The sound of rain filled the room as Victoria stepped inside, immediately followed by the other two cloaked figures. I stepped back a bit and made sure I was hidden behind the supporting pillar.

"Alex." Victoria's clear voice sounded. She lowered the hood of her cloak. "I didn't expect to find you here." She glanced around, then her gaze focused on Asher. She showed a weak, tired smile. "May we come in?"

"Please," Asher said with an emotionless expression. He probably had similar questions to mine in his mind. "Vincent, Erik." 

Laura descended the stairs just in time with three towels in her arms. As Erik and Vincent removed their cloaks, it became clear just how bad the storm was outside. 

"Uh…" Erik mumbled. "We should probably change into dry clothes before anything."

Victoria quickly nodded. "Yes." She said, then glanced at Alex. The tall woman showed them the unused room next to the kitchen, and they quickly took turns to change into dry and comfortable clothes. By the time they were done, Mona and Theresa had returned as well.

"Looks like everyone is here." Erik mumbled as they took their seats by the small fireplace. I had taken the chance to walk up the stairs during the little chaos to keep myself hidden. It was Asher's idea – we had gotten the chance to speak briefly as they changed.

"I guess you could say that." Laura said with a kind, professional smile. Now that I knew more about her, I could appreciate her ability to navigate such tense social situations with grace even more. I guess being rich also brought its own fair of challenges that fostered such skills. 

Though, a glance at Erik quickly made me rethink that. Sure, Erik had always been popular and well liked, but he lacked the grace Laura had. Her posture, composure, tone of voice, everything was calculated, practiced and were clearly part of a formula that she knew would work.

"Why did we gather here?" Erik asked without hesitation. His bluntness surprised me. As did his self confidence as he spoke. "A war is about to start – a war that can give us the opportunity to get revenge on the demons." He raised his fist to his heart. "You guys should understand better than anyone else why we can't afford to miss this chance."

Laura spoke with a calm voice. "You wish to take this chance to fight and kill the Demon Lord, with the support of The Divine Matriarch and the other Divines." 

"Yes." Erik said with a straight face. A single glance at Victoria's expression was enough to show how much she wanted to just blurt everything out. I clenched my fist. It pained me to see Erik and Vincent believe Alina's lies.

"Erik," Asher joined the conversation with a heavy tone of voice. "It's not quite that simple. There are some things you need to-"

"What's not so simple?" Erik cut him off. The annoyance in his voice only rose as his glare darted between Asher, Laura, and Victoria. "The Demons are evil and killing the Demon Lord will send us all back home." He clenched his fists. "Or do you guys actually believe that the Demon's aren't evil? They killed Kai, remember?"

I flinched. While I did expect my name to be mentioned, I was still a little surprised. I bit my lower lip. Was it ok to show myself yet? Could we trust Erik and Vincent hadn't fallen into the grasp of Aelith and the other Divines?

"As if forgetting such a thing is possible." Asher said with cold voice. "Erik, which Divine do you serve?" He asked, seemingly attempting to change the subject.

"Rohir, the God of Vengeance." Erik replied as if he were reading from a book. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Asher narrowed his eyes. I could feel his magic – he was trying to figure out whether the Divine was currently watching or monitoring Erik in any way, shape, or form. 

Thankfully, he knew what to watch out for – I had told him about the earring Aelith had given me all those months ago, and how it allowed her to be aware of me. A few seconds passed as Erik glared at Asher impatiently as he waited for a response.

"He's clear." Asher finally spoke up.

"What?" Erik asked. Vincent took a deep breath as if he were about to say something, but Erik suddenly stopped him. "What does that even mean? Are you even listening to me?" I could see how agitated he was.

"No," Asher said with a blank expression. "I was checking something. It's done, but I will still not listen to you – you will listen to me." The blonde sorcerer stood up and raised his voice. "There is much you don't know – important information that has been kept from you and everyone else in this game."

Erik's expression turned darker. I could see how much he hated this already. "What the hell are you even talking about?" He asked, also standing up. While he towered above Asher, the blonde sorcerer was still the one dominating the room.

"I am talking about the Divines you have been serving for the last several months." Asher replied with a calm expression. Unlike Erik, he wasn't nervous at all. He knew these three posed no real threat to us anymore – from the moment he had found out the Divine wasn't watching.

"All I need to know," Erik glared at everyone in the room. "Is where they hell you guys have been while we fought so many monsters to make sure the inquisitors could create the Divine Pillars." He was seething with anger as his gaze slowly scoured the room.

I clenched my fists. I had thought it was players who aided with the creation of the Divine Pillars – I had even theorised that Alina had the power to create them. Not the golden structures, but the magical formation that made a Pillar into what it was. I hated being right about at least the first half of that. 

Asher also seemed disturbed. While he hid his fists under his cloak, I could almost see how his knuckles were white from clenching them. "You're not listening!" He hissed through his gritted teeth. It was rare to see him as angry as he was now. 

"You are not listening!" Erik shouted. "Where the hell were you?" He asked, looking everyone in the eyes. "Where were you when the Divine Matriarch promised to avenge Kai?" 

I flinched. It pained me to see them fall for such a lie. And it filled me with wrath to see how far Aelith was willing to go just to rally people up. How dare she?

"Avenge Kai?" Lucius spoke up. "Do you really believe that?" He asked as he stepped forward. He had been quiet and patient up until now, but I could see how angry he was to hear those words. "Do you seriously believe that Aelith wanted to avenge him? Are you so naïve to fall for the simplest trick in the book?"

"What trick?" Erik asked, "Her champion died! Of course, she wants to avenge him, why wouldn't she want that?"

I glanced at Asher. Was he done yet? I really wanted to go there and punch Erik in the face. Could I show myself yet?

I didn't think so as his magic was still present around them. What was he searching for? My question was answered moments later as Erik suddenly flinched and held his head. "Damn, that hurt." He mumbled.

"I don't think you understood anything that was said." Asher spoke up. "I don't think you have been, for quite some time. They messed with your mind, as they did with the mind of that little girl." 

He glanced at the stairwell, where I was standing. "They lied to you – to everyone."

I took a deep breath. So that was what he was waiting for. And that was also my cue. I walked down the stairs and out to the open. 

"Hey guys," I said with a bitter smile. "Been a while,"