The Soul Keeper

"You seem much better." Uncle Eion commented as we ate. I nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, I slept for a couple of hours." I replied as I nibbled on a piece of meat.

"I can see that," He chuckled. "Some colour returned to your face."

"It really did," Aoife said with a huge smile on her face. "Finally got rid of those nightmares, Kai?"

I shrugged. "I guess so." I finished my meal and sipped on some water. "Even just a couple hours of sleep did wonders though, that's for sure." I glanced at Uncle Eion, who was smiling. Then my gaze lingered on Mother, who had a rather sour expression on with that frown.

She noticed my gaze but didn't react at all. I sighed internally, she was clearly annoyed about something, and I knew better than poking around.

"I'm still somewhat tired," I said as I pushed my chair back. "I'll go to sleep early today." 

"Good night!" Aoife said cheerfully as I bid them a good night and headed back up to my room.

I could hear her and Uncle Eion chatting and laughing downstairs. I pushed the door to my room and stepped inside, a faint smile on my lips.

That smile shattered as I noticed the pair of purple eyes glaring at me from the shadows over at the corner. I could faintly see the silhouette wreathed in shadows. 

"Who are you?" I hissed as the door closed behind me. The silhouette didn't reply, it stood there, unmoving, and silent. "Why don't you answer me?" I shouted. Clenching my fists, I stepped forward, only to notice that the silhouette was, in fact, moving.

My eyes widened with recognition as I could finally make his face out from the shadows. "Keeper?" I whispered. I had suspected it was him before – I even told Mother about it. But to actually see that pale face… 

"What do you want?" I asked, stepping back. "It's over – I'm out, and you're not real!" I turned my back on him and headed to bed. "Leave me alone," I grumbled before falling asleep.

Once again, the nightmares came, only to stop halfway through the night. I woke up with the first lights of dawn. My gaze immediately turned towards the spot where the Keeper's silhouette stood yesterday evening. 

I breathed a sigh of relief when I couldn't find him. I stretched my arms, then climbed out of my bed and glanced out the window.

A creak sounded from the stairwell as I headed to the bathroom. I dashed to the door and opened it, only to come face to face with Uncle Eion.

"Whoa, Kai. Slow down." He said with a surprised expression. "What's wrong?"

"What are doing here?" I asked with an almost aggressive tone. 

Somewhat taken aback, Uncle Eion shrugged. "I was on my way to wake you up." He smiled. "What's wrong, Kai? You seem rather on edge. Did something happen?"

I glared at him for a couple of seconds before sighing. "No, nothing happened. I was just surprised to see anyone at my door this early in the morning." I stepped back and let him inside. "What are you doing up so early, Uncle?"

He grinned. "I'm itching for some swordplay." His grin widened. "Care to give it a go?"

I hesitated. "Uhh," I mumbled as I looked away. I didn't feel up to it. I knew I'd end up blundering, there was no way I could even hope to keep up with Uncle Eion. 

"Come on, what's the harm?" He shuffled my hair. "My sister is asleep too, so no one is going to criticize you either." 

I sighed. "You know I'm weak right now," I said with a shrug. "I can't keep up with you." 

"You don't need to keep up with me," He motioned me to follow him. "Come on, it's just some basic training anyways." He grinned again. "You'll never get any stronger if you don't try, am I right?"

He had a point, as much as I hated to say it. I did need to get used to holding a blade once more. "Fine," I sighed. "But nothing too strenuous – I don't want to push myself too far."

Uncle Eion grinned. "Sure, we'll just do some light training first." We walked down the stairs and headed outside. Not a soul was awake so early in the morning. We grabbed a pair of swords from the training room and walked through the centre of the settlement.

"The weather is great," He said as we headed to the gate. "Reminds me of when-" He stopped himself. I raised my eyebrows and glanced at him. 

He was fiddling with this hair as we looked around. "What does it remind you of?" I couldn't help but ask. "It's just normal weather here."

There was nothing special about the weather. A mild, cool breeze, newly rising sun, and a few clouds. It wasn't too hot or cold, and there was absolutely nothing special about this weather.

"Ah, never mind." Uncle Eion chuckled. "Nostalgia struck me is all." We walked in the woods for a while before arriving at the opening by the cliff. There was a large stretch of grassy flat land before it ended in a rather deadly cliff.

"Well, this place seems nice." Uncle Eion said with a grin. 

I shrugged. It didn't matter too much. "Sure, why not." I unsheathed my sword and took my place across the field. 

The wind blew my hair back and tugged at my clothes as I turned my back to the cliff. I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks down below. That and the rustle of the leaves was all I could hear as we off.

I lowered my posture, bending my knees and holding my sword with both hands. I could feel the leather wrapped hilt touch my skin. It felt real – just as real as it did in that game of death. The sunlight reflected off of our blades as we glared at each other.

"Ready?" He asked.

I nodded.