The Soul Keeper

I returned home that evening, a while after sundown.

"Kai!" Aoife shouted as soon as I stepped through the outer gate that led into our settlement. "What happened?" She asked as she ran up and hugged me.

"Nothing," I said with a weak smile. Exhaustion had set in already. "They wanted to do some more tests to see if I'm ok. Just making sure of things, basically." 

My words seemed to calm her down a little, though I could tell she was somewhat unhappy about it still. "I was so worried when I couldn't find you when I came back." She said with a weaker voice. 

"Sorry, Aoife. I wanted to be here to congratulate you." My smile widened. "Congratulations, sis." I hugged her.

"It's fine," She said after I stepped back. "I'm just glad that you're back already." She fiddled with her brown hair. "Mother won't be back for a while though." She added after a moment's hesitation.

I furrowed my brows. "Why? Where did she go?"

Aoife shrugged. "She just said she had something she needed to get done. Said she'll be back in a few days, at best." She waved her hand dismissively. "It's probably stuff related to one of the other, overseas disciples, so I wouldn't worry about that." She glanced at her watch. "It's getting late – how about dinner?"

Her words reminded me of how hungry I was. "Oh, yes, please." I said as I touched my stomach. I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. "I'm starving!"

Aoife laughed, then we went inside. I went up to my room for a change of clothes while Aoife prepared something to eat. 

I changed into something more comfortable, then went to the bathroom to wash my face. The mild headache the chopper's loud noises caused hadn't disappeared yet. 

I looked at the mirror as I did every day. Crimson hair, blue eyes, pale skin. That was me alright. No longer did I see the silver hair, pointy ears and purple eyes that glowed in the dark. 

I suddenly felt dizzy as I stepped back into my room. Losing my balance, I had to hold on to the doorframe to avoid falling down. 

"Fuck…" I blinked a few times. Was I really so exhausted that just standing straight was a challenge now? My head stopped spinning after a short moment and carefully let go of the doorframe, only to jump in terror as I glimpsed a tall person's shadow with the corner of my eye.

"Who is it?" I shouted as I immediately turned to face the person, only to see… nothing. There was no one else in my room. No one stood by the round window by the bookshelves. 

I looked around – hallucinations? No, they hadn't found anything in the tests they did mere hours ago. It must have been exhaustion, it couldn't have been anything else.

After unsuccessfully tying to convince myself, I decided to call Inspector John if it happened a second time. It was better to be safe than sorry, and I had learned my lesson – when someone offered help, it was a waste not to accept it.

"What took you so long?" Aoife asked as I stepped into the dining room.

"I think I'm more tired than I thought." I mumbled as I pulled the chair and sat down by the table. "I felt dizzy for a moment. And this headache isn't helping either."

Aoife's expression was one of worry, though she chose to remain silent. We soon began eating as the low noise of the TV filled the room. I glanced at the screen a couple of times as we ate in silence. Weather reports, news… Things I didn't want to hear. 

"Oh, hey." Aoife mumbled. "Isn't that OTHERWORLD's CEO's house?" She asked, pointing at the TV a short while later.

I flinched. "Erik's house?" I asked as I looked at the screen.

'And today, we have received confirmation on Logan Gallagher's arrest, currently pending for trial. Logan Gallagher is the CEO of OTHERWORLD, the company who produced the two thousand PORTAL devices that trapped its players in its game world for the last six months.' The reporter's voice rang in my head as I watched. On screen, they showed Mr. Gallagher's picture. 

'He and the other executives of OTHERWORLD have all been arrested and are not allowed to contact anyone but their lawyers. His son, Erik Gallagher – his only living relative – has refused to return to their mansion in the heart of London. In fact…' I stopped listening as soon as a bird's eye view of the mansion was put onto the screen.

"Wow, that place is huge," Aoife mumbled. "You've been there, right? What does it look like inside? And…" She tilted her head. "What's that construction." She glanced at me, then flinched. "Kai, what's wrong?"

I couldn't take my eyes off of the construction. Right in the middle of the garden, mere meters away from the front door of Erik's house, a massive, golden structure was being made. A structure that was identical to a Divine Pillar.

"Fuck." Was all I could say as all blood was drawn from my face. "Why on earth are they building that thing?" I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. A god damned Divine Pillar was being constructed in the middle of London!

"What's wrong?" Aoife asked again. "It's just some-"

"It's a replica of a Divine Pillar." I breathed out as I scrambled to find my phone. 

"What the hell is a Divine Pillar?" She asked with justified confusion. I had never told her of what transpired in the game after all.

"We had to destroy every one of those to get out of the game," I said as I finally found my phone in my pocket. "I need to call Inspector John."

I tapped on the screen and started the call, my eyes still fixed on the TV screen. The camera angle had changed – we could see the Pillar in much greater detail now. "It's almost completed." I mumbled.

"Why is it golden though?" Aoife asked, her voice still full of confusion. I shrugged. "They were made from pure gold inside the game, why not here too? The Gallaghers are as rich as a person can be."

I heard Inspector John's voice in my ear as I spoke. "Kai? Who is rich?" He had heard the last few seconds of our conversation.

"The Gallaghers. Listen, Inspector, I just saw it on TV – the thing they're building in the Gallagher Mansion's garden is a Divine Pillar. It's identical."