Avice’s eyes fluttered open. She found herself lying face down in the grass, the entirety of her front was soaked from the morning dew. She tried getting up, but once again, her body wouldn’t listen. She was way too exhausted to even move. Birds chirped as they flew overhead. The soft and gentle wind breezed past her, the coolness of the air pricking her skin. I’m alive, she thought. Avice wanted to smile. She wanted to feel that she had accomplished something by escaping death for the second time in a row. But when she thought about how both of those times were very precarious situations in which she could’ve legitimately died, she couldn’t muster any joy. Especially when the image of that blackened, vile creature came to mind once again. She shivered.
Her lips quivered. She ground her teeth as she choked back the tears coming to her eyes.
I can’t cry… Her chest swelled in pain. A huge weight pressed down against her chest. Not yet.
“God dammit...” she whispered to herself.
“Hello there!” Avice’s heart jumped. She raised her head, and floating mere inches in front of her face was a big green, floating ball. Initially, she felt confused, but after a couple of seconds passed, she had the sudden urge to take the ball and smother it into the ground. But, as if reading and completely brushing away her negative thoughts, it continued saying, “I must admit, Lady. I didn’t think you had it in ‘ya.” It swayed side to side. “Takin’ down two of the monsters I’ve asked you ‘ta within one day? That’s pretty dang impressive if you ask me.”
She narrowed her eyes. Two? She thought. So that must mean those three succeeded. Avice’s lips curled into a tiny grin. She heaved a sigh of relief. In the moment, sure, Avice was focused on her and her alone. After all, there wasn’t a point in sacrificing herself for other people she hadn’t even properly met yet. But still. Avice glanced to the ground. Why do they think I did it? Why is this Spirit so sure that I did it?
“However, just because you’ve done all of that don’t mean your jobs over yet,” it said. It swirled down to get in front of her eyes and it glowed brightly. She shut her eyes as it said, “Once the monsters are gone, the bandits are next got it?” Avice bit her lip. Another grueling task right after the monsters? She felt like she could handle humans better than those monstrous freaks of nature, but in order to beat them, she’d first need to defeat the remaining monster. And when it came to mind once more, her heart thumped. Her focus was brought back to attention when the Spirit laughed boisterously. “And after those bandit thugs, you’re still going to have to find the Cowl!” It cackled louder. “Gods, thanks for playin’ along Lady. We don’t get a lotta fun ‘round these parts unless them Eldreds come along.”
“Fun…?” Avice grumbled. “This is all fun to you?”
“Damn right. Now good luck defeating them. Just don’t die before we’re satisfied.” The Spirit flashed lightly, and it disappeared, leaving the space where it was empty once again.
Avice gritted her teeth. These damn things… She mustered up all of her strength, clenched her fist tightly, and slammed it against the ground. The soft thud filled the silence. She stumbled getting up, using her hands to stabilize herself as she stood. Her chest beat quickly, and her breath was getting short. I’m so weak, she thought. Can I even beat that monster? Can I even live on to fight those bandits? She brushed back her hair, her hand trembling. Why is this happening? Her heart sunk into her stomach. Her eyes clouded, and she collapsed down to her knees.
“Excuse me,” a small, young voice whispered in her ear. She turned slowly to see what it was, and floating to her right was a very small green orb, gently floating up and down. “Welcome back,” it said. Avice’s eyes widened. “Ah, I see, you don't recognize me. I was there at the human settlement. The location where you awoke, Milady.” Her mouth opened and closed, trying to figure out what to say when the Spirit circled around her and said, “Please sit still. I will provide treatment for your wounds.”
Avice scowled. "Why?" she asked. "What do you want from me?"
"Nothing. I only wish to heal you," the Spirit said.
She scoffed. "Heal me, huh? How do I know you won't mess my body up?"
"You just have to believe me, Milady."
Avice stared at the ground. What were the merits and demerits of taking the Spirit up on its offer? If it does, she could potentially be completely healed. It hadn't revealed its motives of doing so, which was the reason why Avice was so reluctant on accepting. And if what her gut was telling her was true, then this Spirit could be joking around and could potentially kill her. How? She didn't know. But that doubt in her head was all that she needed to prevent her from taking the help.
"If you desire to get out of this place alive, then you need me to help you," the Spirit said, sensing her hesitation.
She glared at it. The Spirit had no reason to be talking to her in the first place. After all, every other Spirit that she caught glimpses of were yet to make conversation with her. And now that she thought of it, the Boss Spirit wanted fun from her. So she couldn't expect that this small Spirit to kill her and potentially be punished by its higher-up.
“Okay,” she said weakly.
The small Spirit slowly went around her body, revolving and repeating the same actions over and over again. Her aching and tired muscles were soothed. The botches of blood and tears in her skin gently closed up one by one. “Wow…” she whispered. A familiar and pleasant feeling encompass her. She believed that she had recognized it, but she couldn’t put a finger on what or how. As she glanced down, she was pleasantly surprised to see how much was healed. However, not everything was completely cured. Various spots around her body were riddled with bruises and scars.
More of them, she thought.
“I intended to heal as much as I could,” the Spirit said exasperatedly. “But I’m afraid that I’m too weak to fully heal you.”
“No, no, this is fine. I’m grateful for this, really,” Avice said with a forced smile. She took a deep breath and stood up, this time without using her arms. She hopped lightly, and when her feet touched the ground, her ankles stung. She winced.
“I apologize, Milady,” the Spirit said. “But you must rest as much as you can for now.”
“Thank you…” she said.
She gently sat back down and looked up at the Spirit. It floated silently side to side, almost as if it were staring at her. She narrowed her eyes. There was something about this Spirit. There were a lot of things she was rather curious about. Such as why the Spirit healed her, or why it was helping her, and why it seemed to be going against its boss’s commands. Instead of focusing on any of those, however, she chose to ask the one important question that crossed her mind.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” she said. “Why are you being really nice to me?”
“Mother once told all of us to be kind to those who use magic,” it said. “Normally I wouldn’t bother helping you because of what you look like, but you can see us. That is enough for me,” it said.
Avice bit her lip. “Even if I was responsible for killing dozens of innocent people?”
“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. Friend or foe, I must be an ally to all who can see us.”
Friend or foe? She turned her gaze back to the ground. This Spirit seems smart, she thought. Maybe I can get some more information out of it. “What did you mean by ‘what you look like’?” she asked. “What’s so different about me?”
“You look like a Human, Milady,” it said. “Yet you can communicate with Spirits. If I had seen you in so much pain and yet you couldn’t see me, I wouldn’t have helped you.”
“And what’s with this ‘Milady’ business?” Avice continued. “Why are you talking so politely?”
The Spirit kept quiet as it floated side to side. “I cannot say. Mother forbade it. Would you like to ask me anything else?”
Avice’s eyebrows went up, and she sighed. “Thanks,” she said. “Now I know at least a little more. I think.” She stood up. “So you guys aren’t big fans of Humans, then. I kind of understand that. No, I very much understand that way of thinking,” she said. “So if I ask you to heal that guy over there, then you’re not gonna do it?” She asked, pointing a finger to Dall.
“If it is your wish, I would be able to heal him. Howev-”
“Nope, nope, nope.” The Boss Spirit appeared next to the small orb. “You’re not touching that thing without my permission,” it said. “And who the hell’re you? What’re you doing in my territory?”
“I’m a free Spirit,” the smaller one replied.
When it said that, the Boss Spirit floated backwards a little. It was quiet for a few moments when it rose up and got closer to it, saying, “And? It doesn’t matter if you got Mama’s blessing. Answer my question.”
“I just came to see the newly awoken one. I want to see if what I hear is true.”
“What you hear?” The Boss asked. Its focus shifted to Avice. She recoiled backwards as it inched closer. It flipped away and circled around. “Bah like I said. Doesn’t matter. Just don’t you dare get in the way of our fun, got it? ‘Cause unlike you, we’re usually bored around here being stuck around Humans.”
“Understood. I won’t interfere with your desires.”
“And you,” the Boss darted in front of Avice. Its bright green shade darkened. “You’ve cheated a little bit.” Her heart raced. So they did find out, and now they’re going to make me take down two more instead of one… Crap… But to her surprise, the Spirit said something different. “Now that Mr. Free Spirit here has helped you out, you’ve gotta take out the last monster within six hours.”
“Six hours?!” Avice yelled.
“Mmhm, that’s right. You fail to do that, and you can count your pal over there dead, got it?”
Avice’s nails dug into her palm. “Screw you…”
“As long as you make it fun, you’ll have guaranteed passage out of this forest. Good luck now. We’re watching.” With those words, the Boss disappeared again. Avice’s stomach churned with fury. Her cheeks were flushed red, and her heart was jumping out of her chest.
“Those bastards,” she muttered. “Y’know what, I’ll kill that monster.” She grabbed Dall’s sword that had been lying down in the grass, her nose twitching. “I’ll show them. I swear I’ll get at them.”
“Milady, wait.”
“No! I’m sick and tired of this. I want a full victory. No running away right after I win,” she declared. She marched towards the edge of the clearing. Dall’s sword clanged behind her as she dragged it through the mud. “I won’t be a laughing stock again. I know this is my chance. I’m not gonna let it go… to…” Her breath and heart stopped at once. Everything went silent altogether. Then, a piercing, ungodly screech shook her core.Her legs trembled, and sweat dripped down her cheeks.
For at the very edge of the clearing were eight, bright red balls shimmering in the darkness. The monster emerged from the blackness, revealing its disgusting body.
She hadn’t seen the beasts appearance until now. And now that she had, all hopes residing in her were dashed.
Hovering in the blackness of the forest were eight beady, shimmering red orbs. The layers of trees in front of them cracked and were split into pieces. The wood creaked and groaned.The ground shook violently, the nearby wildlife scampering to get away. Four blackened appendages reached high in the sky, rising high above the treetops. Its disfigured, jagged legs cut trees in half and pierced the ground below. As it lumbered closer to her, it revealed its sharpened, dark yellow fangs dripping with a thick, black substance. Avice trembled and she dropped Dall’s sword. The monstrous beast chattered its fangs together. To her, it was practically laughing.
Avice screamed.
The Spider lunged out towards her, the acid flying behind it as it soared through the air. Before it could touch her, its bulbous body slammed against an invisible wall. It shook its head, recoiling from the impact. It slammed against it again and again, trying to figure out what was stopping it from taking its prey. It snarled at Avice and crawled backwards into the dark.
“I… I…”
Bright flashes of green, white, and blue flickered in the darkness around the spider, and she could hear hundreds of young voices crying and screaming for help. Avice tried covering her ears, shutting her eyes, yelling to block out the noise, but everything she tried was all for naught.
I can’t do it, she cried in her heart.
“I'm trapped. This is it,” she muttered. “I can’t win.”
“Oh, hey there lady,” the unsavory voice of the Boss Spirit entered her ears. Her nose twitched as she turned to glare at it. “Ooh that’s a nice look. Hey, you better listen. I’m changing the time limit. Instead of six, you’ve got four. So you better get to work pretty soon.”
“Why…?” Avice asked weakly.
“It’s sucking up the other Spirits, and it’s getting stronger. So it’s now or never,” it said. “I can’t exactly lose too many of them, got it? I don’t want Mama getting mad at me when she wakes up.”
“I hate you,” she cursed, her tone dripping with malice.
“Doesn’t matter. Just take care of it for me.”
“What if I die?! Huh?! What will you do then?!” she yelled. “What’s the point of me even doing these things when you can’t even take care of it?!”
“Who said that I can’t?” the Spirit’s voice lowered. “I’m perfectly capable of getting rid of that thing. So if and when you die, I’ll just eliminate it,” it said. “But I’m here for a show, and we’ve made a deal. So chop chop, make it work.” Avice’s jaw dropped.
I can’t believe this…
“How about this, lady,” it said, floating towards Dall. “I’ll heal him just a little more so that he can wake up. All for you. Who knows, maybe he can help you out, or maybe he’ll be a total waste of space. Either way, it could be a funny sight seeing his face if you fail.”
It snickered and popped away.
“W-Wait, what do you mean?!” Avice yelled at the empty air. She scowled and clenched her fists. “You can’t play with me like that! Are my emotions a toy for you, too?! You damn bastards!”
Her voice grew louder and louder as she continued to scream at nothing. Her eyes were swelling with tears, and as soon as the last word left her lips, she coughed.
“Dammit,” she whispered. Telling me they’d heal Dall. All of this would be for nothing then… “They definitely wouldn't do something like…”
She turned around and her voice was caught in her throat.
There was Dall, gently waking from his sleep.
His head lifted slightly, and he blinked.
“Ava?”
“Quite an interesting way of doing things around here,” the Free Spirit spoke quietly as it floated above Avice’s head. It had been there for a few minutes, as it went to the other realm when the Spider revealed itself. However, instead of a floating green ball hovering in the air, there was a green young boy dressed in fine clothes. It rubbed its hand against its chin pensively. “Very different from the Sectors to the West.” It had more to say to itself when something popped nearby.
“Bah, you’re still here,” the Boss Spirit said. It appeared right where it had left Avice. This Spirit, however, retained its ball form, albeit the larger among the many. “You, tell me your name. Surely if you’re a Floater then you’ve gotta have one.”
“Mother identified me as Elyu,” the Free Spirit responded. “What of you? You must have a name if you’re in charge of a Sector.”
“Nope. Don’t got one,” the Boss said. “All of that crap that happened however long ago was right after I was given my title. So I couldn’t get Mama to name me,” it said. Its color flashed a dark green. “If only that freak didn’t appear, I could’ve become a Floater. Then I would’ve gone all around the continent getting to see what the big deal was with all of Mama’s favorites,” it grumbled. “But now I’m just stuck here in a forest that only a very few non-humans go through.”
“A terrible thing that is, indeed,” Elyu said. “But you have all of this nature to yourself, don’t you? Isn’t this enough?”
“Thousands of years of just nature would drive anyone insane,” the Boss hissed. “Not only that, the weaker Spirits around me are too young and inferior to even remotely keep up a conversation with me… I’m surprised I haven’t entirely lost myself, yet, honestly.”
“So you realize you’re demanding quite a lot from this young lady?”
“I just want some fun, Elyu.” The Boss sounded exasperated and tired. “Until the day Mama comes back, I’ll sit tight and wait. But any day now I can feel that I’ll go crazy.” The Boss looked down at Avice’s quivering figure. “But yeah. I probably shouldn’t be sending one of the very few people I can communicate with to their own death.”
“You shouldn’t be sending her to her death in the first place.” The Boss looked inquisitively to Elyu. “She’s one of them, you realize.”
“Doubt it,” the Boss said. “For as long as she’s been here, there hasn’t been a pull.” It circled around her head. “I had my suspicions when she spoke to me, and that she didn’t have any other non-human features, but that was all. Yeah, she had violet eyes, but anyone can fake those nowadays. Maybe she received a blessing from someone higher than me. Maybe she’s got the blood of a Westerner. But as far as I can tell, she ain’t an Aldrian.”
“I saw what she did at a human settlement that was destroyed. Our flame brothers and sisters were drawn to her almost immediately. Even I could feel the pull at times,” Elyu said.
The Boss remained quiet. It sighed and said, “Well I don’t. So until I do feel it, I’m going to have this girl be my entertainment.”
Elyu smiled wryly. “Do as you wish.”
