Every window in the living room was fogged up, and two busy bodies shuffled around carrying various items. Not much time had passed since the death of the Beast, so there was still a chance to save him. His breathing was ragged, the taste of rust filled his mouth, while his world remained dark.
Aiden's muffled groans sent shivers through Meilin's body. 'Poor Aiden...I can't imagine what it's like to have so many souls inside you...' She held his hand close to her heart, a short prayer snapping off her lips.
The clouds thundered, rain splashed against the roof, each beat sounding like a pair of footsteps stomping to bring the house down. It has been a long time since the fog vanished, but the pressuring feeling of 'something' remained in the background.
"Lyra! How long until that tea will be ready??" Meilin snapped at her companion, who was rushing to slice all of the ingredients into small pieces. Her blade slid through every ingredient like it was air, all falling into the pot. "Five minutes!"
The two juggled words through screams from across the house. Ryn, however, sat in the corner. There was nothing she could do for Aiden. Not cook, not clean. She had no experience in comforting or incantations that could reduce pain. She was purely brought into this world for worship and battle, neither was applicable in this situation.
In the time they had fought the Beast of the Sanzu, she had replaced the door, which now quietly shut behind her. The cool air bit her skin. Earthy aromas tickled her nose; each step through the marshland brought her closer to the edge of the clearing. Her eyes gleamed over the house, the soft lights of the candles managed to add life to the house, and fire danced at the window sills.
Her chest squeezed tightly, gripping the fabric of her chest; she dared not turn around again. It was a weird pain; no wound was inflicted, but a single glance at Aiden's pained face ripped through the skin, the flesh and even the bone protecting her heart. 'I have grown weak.' She whispered to herself while navigating the forest.
From her satchel, she retrieved a flashlight. The electronic light hummed in the quiet forest. In truth, she had another reason for coming out. Of course, it was the beast. And it didn't take long to find it. With a small knife, she began carving at the scales.
A string tugged at the end of her lips; it was a strange sight to behold. The cold girl who never showed an ounce of emotion now had a smile plastered on her face. Though the pained feeling never vanished, it was quickly overshadowed by a much more primal feeling. Avarice. "I see. This will all sell for so much at the guild. Good job, Ryn!" She mumbled to herself as she continued to viciously carve the beast. This was the only chance she would get after all, soon, it would reincarnate.
=========
Time flew by. Faster than she had anticipated. The house was still in a state of panic as Aiden refused to wake up. Lyra and Meilin continued to search for ways to fix Aiden's affliction. And Ryn had carved out every piece of the beast that could be sold; only its flesh remained, and even then, she wanted to nab it for a quick buck. But her bag was full, even her extradimensional satchel had limits.
Just before she got up, a faint glowing sigil caught her eye. Her fingers traced the circle, spirit essence grooves were engraved in the beast's flesh, and the pattern was... "siphoning power-"
"Hey there, I am a little lost. Do you mind helping me out?" Her head snapped back. A tall person draped in a black tuxedo with a venomous aura stood behind her, his hand brushing against her shoulder lightly. But the pressure was immense. Getting up was a chore, one that a mere priestess found almost impossible, but alas, she managed.
His face was rather plain, but it did look a little familiar. In a more mature way. Before she could speak a word, the man stretched his gloved hand out. "It is a pleasure meeting you, though I don't suspect we will see each other again." Sweat lashed down her back; his words held a cascading weight that crushed her entire will to defend herself. Her heart beat hastened, her hands shook, and Ryn's bones were replaced with jelly.
She had faced yokais with razor-sharp teeth, claws that could cut steel and spit that could melt stone, but something about his smile was too much. Or perhaps it was his gaze...
"There is no need to be scared. I am not here to hurt you. As long as you don't tell anyone we met, and you give me directions out of here, I will even give you a reward!" He clasped his hands together before pulling out a small wooden box. A gold plate had words in a foreign language engraved into it. "So what do you say?" He smiled from behind the box, his eyes hidden by it. Oddly, what tugged at her mind was eased; his eyes had an allure. A maddening one.[1]
"I see. Very well. To get to the nearest village, you have to head north-west, where buses run from early morning into late evenings. I am certain there is an Inn you could check into." She pointed in the general direction. But lurking in the darkness, she could make out a second pair of eyes. Its presence was stiffling, but familiar. Both challenging and predatory. Before she could peer closer, the gloved man pulled her chin toward his; now there were only a few inches separating their two faces.
"Thank you very much. And here you go." The box quickly plopped into her hands. Her gaze shifted down. The grooves tickled the bottom of her fingertips.
"Make sure he takes all of it."
Snap
"How did you know-" But he was gone. She was once again all alone.
=========
The trek back was short, but the bag was considerably heavier than earlier. Creaking hinges alerted the girls. "Where. Were. You?? How dare you leave us while Aiden suffers?"
Before Lyra could start as well, Ryn handed the small box over. A thick spiritual pressure clung to the box. At first, she was hesitant to hand them over. But it was for Aiden's sake,
Inside were three orbs, kind of squishy if you applied some pressure. "These are for Aiden...feed him one."
Meilin wanted to ask questions, but they had run out of ideas on how to help the boy, so anything new was worth trying. The ball rolled down his throat. And, nothing. The sweat still poured. His eyes still twitched beneath his eyelids, and the muffled groans continued to linger in the air.
"Seriously, why did you expect that to work-"
"WHERE AM I!"
[1] If you know, you know.