"Let's split up to find her faster," said Komi.
"Great idea. And once one of us finds her, we'll send a message in the group I'm about to create," Juan added.
"Alright! But I don't have your contacts," I said.
"Come on, give them to me quick!" Juan replied.
So I gave him my ID, and he added me to a group. It felt weird to be in a group chat without seeing Katia's name in it... but at least, she was still with us. Except now, we had to find her.
"Alright, let's go!" I shouted.
"I'll check all the hallways in the building. I know them by heart," said Juan.
"I'll search the dining hall. I know a lot of people who usually hang out there," said Komi.
"Perfect, I'll go outside, around the house and into the forest," I said.
"Be careful-there are traps all over the forest," she warned.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I replied.
Honestly, I had no idea how I was going to manage. I couldn't even control my powers. Sure, I could activate them, but beyond that, I was clueless. I hadn't even been able to keep it together the day we met Katia in the classroom, I reminded myself.
"Okay, let's move. She's got to be around here somewhere. Check every nook and cranny," I said.
"Yes!" they both replied.
I took the box with me and, just like we planned, we all split up. A few minutes later, on my way out, I overheard two men talking.
"So, what do you think about an Spirit joining us?" said the taller man.
"If you ask me, something smells fishy. Nothing proves she wasn't sent by the Spirit King," the other man replied.
They had a point. Nothing did prove she hadn't been sent by the Spirit King himself, I thought. That's when I started to wonder: what if she really was an enemy, sent here to spy?
"And that Marvens kid... he's strange. I sense a powerful dark Spirit inside him."
A dark Spirit? What were they talking about? I asked myself.
"Yeah. My power lets me see the energy people emit. And Marvens... he has two completely opposite energies," the shorter man said.
Two opposite energies? I really wanted to ask him more, but it was obvious they saw me as a threat too. I had to wait until they left before I could keep going. They talked for a good ten minutes, which slowed me down a lot. Once they were gone, I ran for the exit.
Outside, I saw Sabrina sitting, gazing at the sky.
"Sabrina?" I called out.
"Marvens, is that you?" she said.
"Have you been sent on a mission since last time?" she asked me.
"No, not yet. And you?"
"Yeah, I went to exorcise a Spirit with a friend-Blade-Whisper."
"Did it go well?" I asked.
"Actually... no," she said sadly.
She was still sitting, looking up at the sky. I couldn't see her face.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked gently.
"Well, during the mission, we encountered a Class A Spirit. He was really strong. Thankfully, he couldn't kill us from a distance-not strong enough for that. Still, using both our powers-telekinesis and fire-we managed to defeat and exorcise him. But... to finish him off, my friend had to sacrifice herself. She died at just seventeen," she explained.
Sabrina began to cry. I didn't know what to do, so I sat next to her and wrapped my arms around her, softly repeating, "It'll be okay" three times.
"I'm sure she wouldn't want to see you crying like this," I told her.
"You're right. I shouldn't cry like this," she said.
She wiped away her tears and looked at me.
"You know, ever since then, I keep asking myself what the point of all this is. Why are we half-Spirits and not just normal humans? Why can't we live like everyone else? And why do Spirits insist on attacking us? Why not make peace?" she said.
She was absolutely right. I still didn't understand why I became a half-Spirit, or why Katia turned into a full Spirit. I kept thinking-if only we'd gone to the library that day, none of this would've happened.
"Yeah... things would've been so much simpler," I said.
"Tell me, Marvens... what would you have done if they'd chosen to execute your Spirit friend?" she asked me.
"You were there. Everyone was there... I think... I think I would've left without telling anyone. I probably would've gone back to live with my grandpa. Or maybe... maybe I would've wanted revenge. I might've joined the Spirits," I said quietly, staring at the ground.
"But hey... what matters is that she's alive. I don't want to think about what could've happened. All that matters now is the present... and the future. You're right. Thank you, Marvens, really," she said, letting go of me.
"I'm heading back to rest now. I need to think about what I'm going to do next," she added with a small smile.
"Alright, Sabrina. Take care!" I told her.
That conversation hit me hard. I realized that if I hadn't met Komi that day, I never would've seen Katia again. She would've died during that exorcism attempt. I wouldn't have met Juan if the master hadn't decided to put Katia's fate to a vote. The rainbow comes after the storm, after all. And now, I know these three will always be there for me, I thought.
"Alright, time to get moving!" I shouted.
I headed into the forest. That's when I remembered what the small man had said:
["Yeah. My power lets me see the energy people emit. And Marvens... he has two completely opposite energies."]
Did that mean... the Spirit inside me still had consciousness, and was just staying quiet? I wondered.
As I walked through the forest, I heard a rustling of branches.
"WHO'S THERE?" I yelled.
No answer. I cautiously approached the source of the noise. As I got closer, I saw Katia, crying.
"Katia, are you okay?" I called out, running toward her.
In that moment, I completely forgot there were traps in this forest. One struck me right in the head. My last sight was Katia's blurry face. My eyes began to close.
"MARVENS!" Katia shouted-at least, I think she did.
My hearing was fading, my vision going dark.
Am I going to die like this? I thought.
My eyes shut.
When I opened them again, I was in a pitch-black place, with only one tall man in front of me. He looked exactly like my new body-except without any of the half-Spirit features. He looked at me with a smile.
"Welcome to our energy," he said.
"Our energy? Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm the Spirit who shares this body with you," he replied.
So... the little man was right. That second, opposing energy... it was his.