The Soul Keeper

At the door stood a tall man, perhaps at his mid-thirties. He looked just like Mother and resembled me as well, with those bright blue eyes. His crimson hair was in a long braid.

"Uncle Eion!" I exclaimed, forgetting all of my troubles for a short moment. I ran up to him and hugged him.

He laughed as he shuffled my hair. "There, there," He said with a soft voice. "I didn't know I was missed quite this much!"

"Shut up!" I chuckled. "Of course I missed you – I haven't seen you in so long!"

He breathed out in relief, the chuckled. "Yeah, it's been quite some time." His voice turned somewhat bitter. "I'm sorry I couldn't come here earlier." 

Mother sighed. "You were busy, and we all know that. No need to apologize, Eion." She glanced at me, then Aoife. "Aoife, please set the table. Let's eat."

My sister rushed to do as Mother asked while I finally stepped away from Uncle Eion. "Where were you anyways?" I asked as we headed to the dining room. "I tried calling you and all, but I couldn't reach you."

Uncle Eion made a vague, dismissive gesture. "All over the place, my phone broke at some point, I've yet to replace it." He chuckled, but then his expression turned bitter again. "You've grown so thin and pale, Kai." He spoke.

I nodded. "I'll get better with time. I've already started training again, so I'll be fine." My words didn't seem to give him any peace of mind as his rather worried expression remained unchanged. 

"You worry too much, Eion." Mother's sharp voice startled us. "He is my son. He will be fine."

I chuckled nervously. Had Mother just placed her trust in me, or in herself and her genes? I couldn't quite figure it out, and I decided to just ignore that confusion for now. It didn't matter at all.

Moments later, Aoife came inside with the still hot meat pies. "I think these turned out really good!" She said as she also pulled her chair closer to the table.

Uncle Eion was the first to grab a bite, and it was clear from his expression that he loved it. I chuckled and took a bite as well.

Soon, we were done with our food. As Aoife and Mother cleaned up, Uncle Eion and I walked around to the back of the Dojo, to a spot we often came in the past.

"It's still alive." He said with a soft voice.

A large tree stood there. Its bark was completely charred, and no plants grew around it at all – not even grass or weeds. Yet, the tree itself had perhaps half a dozen green leaves gently swaying in the wind. 

"Yeah," I smiled. "It survived, somehow." 

This was the tree lightning had struck all those years ago when I was little. "I was sure it had died, then and there." I mumbled.

"I told you though," Uncle Eion shuffled my hair. "You can do anything as long as you put your mind to it, didn't I say it then?" He turned his gaze on the tree again. "Of course, it will need plenty of time before it's all green and lush again." He mumbled.

"That's fine," I stepped on the moist earth and gently touched the trunk of the charred tree. "There is no rush. I'm in no hurry." I glanced at Uncle Eion. He fiddled with his long braid as he watched me. 

I shook my head as someone else who acted the exact same way came to my mind. The resemblance was certainly uncanny. 

"What is it?" He asked. I just shrugged. "Nothing – I'm rather tired is all." I lied. I didn't want him to know of everything that happened in the game. Of everything I had done. Of the lives I thought I took.

"I don't think this is just you being tired, Kai." He commented. "I think there's more to it. What happened?"

I hesitated. "Just… I haven't been sleeping well, so I'm constantly in a daze… sort of…" My voice faded. He could probably tell this wasn't the real reason either. "Sorry, I should probably rest more."

He shrugged. "You can do whatever you feel is right. If you want to train, then do so. No need to apologize." He glanced at his watch. "I promised your mother, so I should get going. We'll talk again later, ok?"

I nodded absentmindedly, and he hurried off. 

I stood there for a while, looking at the tree. While it meant little to Mother and Aoife, and probably to Uncle Eion as well, it was especially important to me. Like a testament to my ability – to my dedication of keeping the tree alive. Now, it was a symbol of my success.

I don't remember how long I had to struggle before it showed its first signs of life. Was it a year? I think so. No more than two for sure. When it first grew a green, living leaf after the incident, I was overjoyed. Over the years, it somehow hung onto life, each year growing ever so slightly stronger.

In a way, we were the same. Now, I was struggling to regain my old strength as well. And this tree was the perfect reminder and example: One step at a time. Recovery couldn't be rushed. And I think that applied for mental recovery as well.

"I still hate this though," I mumbled as I decided to heed Mother's words and try to process all those memories that didn't belong to me. One step at a time. One memory at a time.

After a while passed, I decided to go for a walk in the woods. The weather was surprisingly lukewarm, and the gentle breeze was quite relaxing. As I walked out of the front gate, I exchanged a few words with some of our residents. 

When I was finally outside and among the trees, I took a deep breath. The smell of wet earth and fresh grass lingered in the air. I walked absentmindedly, without paying much attention to my surroundings until I heard a sharp voice.

"No. And that's the end of it!" Mother hissed. 

"This needs to happen, you know it just as well as I do." Uncle Eion's voice was calm, yet I could hear a hint of urgency in it. "The human mind isn't made for this!"

"That's of no relevance. I am not letting any of them near this place, or my family. And you should steer clear as well, brother." Mother's voice rose sharply. "He is just fine, and we need no help!"