The Soul Keeper

At midday, I walked out of the building and laid on the grassy fields. As the sun burnt my eyes, I closed my eyelids and let the warm sunlight shine on me.

We had come up with a plan, it had taken almost half a day to do so. Soon, the sun would begin its descent, and at dusk, the war would begin.

"One more day," I whispered to myself. One more day, and we would be free. 

Hopefully.

That part was what worried me the most. What if Asher was wrong? What if freeing the soul of my predecessor wouldn't make the Ereth 'lose' the game, and we wouldn't be kicked out? What if we became stuck in here because we didn't side with the Ereth?

I sighed. It was too late now anyways. We had given the Demon Lord a huge advantage over Aelith and her armies by destroying those three Divine Pillars. I had decided to go through with this anyways, there was no point in pondering or worry about 'what if's' now. 

Instead, I wanted to focus on what I could change. Ever since we returned with Fetheion, the field of flowers and the cliffs he didn't want me to approach had been at the front of my mind. 

After about half a second of thinking, I decided to just ignore all caution and jumped up on my feet. As I took on the form of the corrupted demon, I quickly opened a rift and stepped through.

A cold breeze welcomed me as I stepped out of the rift. The starsnatchers gently swayed with it all around me as my gaze wandered about.

It was the first time I came here alone, without being in any hurry or without looking for someone. It was a beautiful place, though I think I preferred the solemn shine of the starsnatchers under the starlight, instead of the entire valley being washed in sunlight. It felt more natural that way, more fitting.

With slow steps, I walked north, to where the valley met with the cliffs of the mountains. What was there that Fetheion didn't want me to see? 

What came to my mind was this place being the resting place of his sister. But I saw no structure, there was no grave, no tomb, not even a small gravestone anywhere. Was I wrong?

I clenched my fists as my steps carried me closer to the now not so distant cliffs. A though – a possibility – gnawed at the back of my mind. I clenched my fists and quickened my steps. Could it be? Was I right?

I hoped I wasn't. 

As the distant cliffs became clearer, my gaze focused on the only area that looked different.

"Damn it." I whispered as I stared at the markings on the cliff wide eyed. 

They were the exact same markings as that photo. 

"What the hell, Fetheion?" I whispered. The thought of going back to ask him about this crossed my mind, but I quickly pushed it away. He had intentionally hidden this from me until now. Even if I confronted him about this, I didn't really believe that he would tell me anything useful.

Instead, approached the cliff. 

As I got closer, I began being able to see the markings more clearly. While these were identical to the ones I saw on the photo, I was also noticing how detailed the pattern actually was. The photo barely did it justice.

The closer I got to the marked cliff, the stronger the magic around me became. The whole valley was already brimming with magic, yet the area right before me seemed to be the richest.

And moments later, I figured out why as I walked into a barrier and found myself flying. As I fell amongst the flowers with a thud, my mind went blank.

"How did you not see that?"

A faint, somewhat familiar voice echoed in my mind. I blinked a few times and then rubbed my aching forehead. 

"It was right in front of you, and you walked into it." The voice seemed to be growing more distant with each word.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked as I looked around. While the words echoed in my mind, this wasn't telepathy in the same sense as what Asher and I had once. 

The voice didn't respond. Instead, I felt a soul sleave my chest. As I watched, it circled me, then formed a shadowy figure before me. As I recognised it, my eyes widened.

"Dorith?" I asked in shock. "What – how?" My heart was racing as the legendary demon of old chuckled. His laughter then subsided as he noticed my alarmed and hostile expression.

"You're scared." He stated.

"How do you expect me to not be?" I replied as I prepared to call upon my power. Was he going to attack me? How had he even gained consciousness? Why was he talking to me? Could my magic even do anything to a soul?

He hesitated. He almost seemed confused. "Well, I didn't think I was being hostile." He mumbled after a few seconds.

"You're supposed to be dead!" I exclaimed. "And your soul is supposed to be unconscious!" I took a step back, and he matched my step. "What do you want?" I asked with a darker tone as I tried to calm myself.

He hesitated again. "Not much," He said after a while. "It would be nice if you didn't step away any further." He said as I took another step back. "This place is sacred," He explained as he noticed my confused expression. "It's the focal point of our world's magic."

"Right." I mumbled. It certainly felt like it. 

"Right," He repeated. I furrowed my brows – the more time passed, the less see though he became. His form became clearer and easier to see. I could even see the spark of life in his eyes now. "So, the more we stand here," He pointed towards the marked cliff. "The more power I gain."

I flinched. "What makes you think I want that to happen?" I hissed through my gritted teeth.

"Well," He made a vague gesture towards me. "You're still using my form."