The Soul Keeper

Sweat ran down my back as my weak muscles threatened to give up. I clenched my teeth as I held my form. 

A week had passed since I had last spoken with Mother. She and Aoife had left the next day for a far away competition, leaving me mostly alone in the house. 

Aoife had spoken with me before she left, though I could see her pity in her eyes, and it was painful. I cut that conversation short – I didn't need or want her pity. 

My leg gave up and I collapsed on the floor.

"Damn it…" I mumbled, panting and out of breath. I had been training every single day since they left and seeing so little progress was painful.

I forced myself to get up and walk a lap around the large training hall. Then, I grabbed my towel and wiped my sweat off. My legs were shaking from all the effort. Time, I told myself. It will take time.

I headed to my room to wash myself and rest. 

I was getting dressed after a warm bath when my phone vibrated. My heart skipped a beat when I heard the sound – was it the summons Inspector John had been talking about?

I quickly finished getting dressed and grabbed my phone. I unlocked the screen and quickly checked the text.

It was from Aoife. She had sent me a photo of her, holding a golden medallion. I breathed a sigh of relief as my legs gave out. Sitting on the bed, I quickly sent her a congratulatory text, then sighed and lay on my back. 

Aoife and Mother wouldn't return for another two weeks – the tournament she was partaking in would take them through several different countries. I knew Aoife was going to bring back every single trophy, but still, seeing her holding the medal and smiling did make me happy.

I glanced at the sword hanging on my wall. Soon, I'd be able to hold it properly again. I longed to feel the weight of a metal blade. I missed it so much – the thrill of battle, the danger and risks involved. The sheer excitement before the first clash of blades…

My days passed, filled with training and sleep. I didn't have the will or strength to do anything else. As the second week ended, I could feel my muscles slowly returning to a shadow of their former selves. 

Of course, I was still week – any disciple here could beat me without breaking a sweat, but even this little progress was more than enough to lift my spirit. It felt like my efforts weren't in vain, like I had a chance at returning to my former self once more. 

Though, some people didn't seem to be quite so thrilled about my recovery.

"This can't be healthy, young master," The lead instructor protested at the start of the third week. "I've never seen anyone rebuild their muscle structure with such speed before." She pointed at my arms and legs. "Look at yourself – you lack the mass to support the muscle! You're still so thin and pale, Kai."

I shook my head. "I'm eating as you told me to, I'm drinking the right amount of water, I'm getting plenty of rest." I glared at her. "And I'm training hard. You can't expect my recovery to go the same as those who had to take a break because of some wound or something – my situation is completely different, and you know it."

She gritted her teeth. "At least take a short break. We should have you checked up at a hospital." 

"No, stop. Please," I sighed. "I'd rather not go to a hospital now. Look, I feel much better, if I feel like anything is wrong, I promise I'll seek medical aid and you'll be the first to know it." I watched her expression change. She was clearly still worried, but my words did seem to calm her down a little at least.

She sighed. "Fine," She finally said. 

I grinned. "Alright – let's begin!" 

That evening, I collapsed on my bed exhausted and completely drained. I fell asleep early, still feeling the satisfaction of making progress.

The ringing of my phone woke me up from my nightmares not long after. My eyes half closed, I looked around in a hurry and picked it up.

"Hello?" I mumbled, slightly confused that I didn't recognise the number calling me.

"Kai Friseal?" A somewhat familiar voice sounded. It was a young woman's voice.

"Yes, that's me." I said, more confused than before.

"Oh, thank god I found you. You have zero online presence – so annoying!" The voice complained.

"Right…" I pushed myself up to a sitting position. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name…" 

"Oh!" She shouted. "Whoops, right, my bad. It's me, Laura." She giggled. "Mona's friend, the blonde one. Remember?"

My eyes widened. "Laura – of course I remember, how could I forget?" I shouted. "But… how did you even get this number?" The phone was my old one, but as far as I knew, very few people had my number.

"Believe me, it was a challenge." She paused. "Or so I'm told." She chuckled. "I'm relieved to hear your voice though. I've contacted almost everyone else, but it was near impossible to find out anything about you!" She sighed. "The United Nations has everything about you and the rest of Erik's group tightly under wraps."

I raised my brows. "Have they now?" I mumbled. Why would they care so much about our secrecy alone? "What about the others? Could you contact them easily?"

"I did – I already knew Theresa and Mona, and finding Rina and Alex wasn't too difficult." She hesitated. "You're the only one I can contact from Erik's group though."

I sighed. "It's to be expected – I don't think most of them were even conscious when I came home." 

Silence lingered for a moment before Laura broke it. "Listen, Kai." She said hesitantly. "Did they make you sign some documents?"

I chuckled. "More like a whole lot of them." I sighed. "I'm guessing everyone had to sign them?"

"Yes." Laura's voice dropped. "They didn't exactly give us much choice." Her words lingered for a moment before she spoke again with a more cheerful tone. "But anyways, tell me, how have you been?"

I chuckled, and we started talking.