The Soul Keeper

"A god damn stupid deal is what this is." I grumbled as I flew high in the skies.

"Your ability to grumbled is remarkable." Dorith's voice sounded. "I didn't ask for too much, did I?"

I rolled my eyes. He hadn't asked for too much, sure, but that didn't change the danger of the situation I could potentially find myself in.

"There," I pointed towards three shining pillars in the distance. The lights of Baile Chailce weren't visible yet, but we could clearly see the fields where the Demons would soon clash with the Ereth. 

"Satisfied?" I asked after a moment of silence.

Dorith remained silent as he scoured the area below. "It's a tough fight," He finally said. "Sure, the Lord is strong, but I do wish they had some more assistance." He glanced at me.

"No!" I exclaimed. "No way, don't even think about it."

His eyes narrowed as I protested. "Why not? It would be good practice."

I shook my head. "No. As far as Aelith and the other Divines know, I'm dead. We're keeping it that way. I'll get plenty of practice tomorrow and we are not taking any chances with this."

He sighed. He seemed disappointed more than anything.

"It's annoying how stubborn you are." He finally said, clearly giving up. "But fine, I get it. I can see your point. A little."

I breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, I had feared that we'd have another small fight. And having one of those up here, so close to the Ereth Pillars would be nothing but stupid. And reckless.

"Are you satisfied?" I asked after a short while. Dorith hesitated, then nodded. "Let's go back then." I mumbled as I created a rift and stepped through it.

The sound of flowing water welcomed us as I stepped out of the rift not too far away from our new base.

"The magic in this place is weak," Dorith grumbled. "I'm getting sleepy."

"Save your strength for tomorrow – remember our deal." I quickly said. 

"As long as you make to visit the valley before the battle, I'll be fine." He chuckled. "I'm looking forward to some battle."

I sighed. "And here I am, hoping that we can get this done quickly and quietly." 

He laughed. "Well, I'm off to sleep."

"Wait!" I said just before he disappeared. "My predecessor's name. Can you tell me what it is?"

Dorith's expression darkened. "Once he walks upon this world again, he can tell you." He disappeared, leaving me alone and confused.

What did that even mean? What was it about his name that made it such a huge mystery? Why was it a secret that only the Keeper could tell?

I sighed, then walked through the woods to the nearby building. My mind was filled with more questions than ever, and now, worries of losing myself had been added to that chaos. 

One more day, I told myself again. Repeating that phrase calmed me down a little as I pushed the wooden door open and stepped inside.

Asher was laying on the couch, browsing one of the panels of his interface. His ears perked up as he heard the door close behind me and he glanced at the entrance. "Where were you?" He asked as soon as he noticed me. "We looked around for you but…"

"I needed some time for myself." I said with a faint smile. "There was something I wanted to talk to Fetheion about. Where is he?"

Asher shrugged. "Last I saw, he was talking to Mona." He gestured towards the kitchen. I raised my brows as I thanked him. What could those two have to talk about, I wondered. 

Yet, the only person in the kitchen was Mona, who was busy brewing some tea. 

"You're back," She said as I stepped through the door. "I was a bit worried. Where did you run off to?"

"Just needed some time to clear my head," I lied. "I wanted to ask Fetheion about something, do you know where he is?"

The cheerful druid giggled. "You just missed him. He said he wanted to give Erik and Vincent and edge in battle. He was asking me about their abilities and stuff. He left after I told him what I knew." She tilted her head slightly. "What was it that you wanted to ask?"

I couldn't tell her about the photo. Not now – I couldn't have anyone have second thoughts. We couldn't afford to be conflicted and we couldn't afford to have other things in our minds. "Well, I'll be looking inside the Divine's palace for the soul, right? I'm fairly sure Fetheion has at least a few guesses as to where Aelith may have put it."

Mona pondered a while. "Wherever it is, it can't be somewhere easily accessible." She mumbled. "I'm glad Fetheion is here to help us but I don't think the Divine Matriarch would have told any other Divine where she hid something like a soul."

She had a point. Aelith had already proved that she didn't trust the other Divines one bit. She probably had even less trust for Fetheion before his exile.

"Um, Kai?" Mona hesitantly spoke up. I blinked a couple of times and focused on the present. "What is it?" I asked as I noticed her hesitation.

"Do you think we can go for a walk?" She looked away as she spoke. "There is something I want to talk about."

I raised my eyebrows. "Sure, we can go." What was all this about, I wondered. 

"Why don't you wait by the river?" She asked as a smile spread throughout her face. "I'll be right there as soon as I'm done with the work here." She vaguely pointed at the food laid on the countertop. "It won't take long." She added as she noticed my glance.

"Sure, I can do that." I said with a smile. I headed outside, towards the shallow, yet wide river.

I sat by the shore and watched the sun as it began to set. Tomorrow was the decisive day. We had to be ready. I took a deep breath, the glanced behind me as I heard footsteps.

Mona was walking towards me with a straw basket in her hands. She smiled as she approached – a smile as pure and lively as her magic.