Chapter 15
After we woke up we cleaned up, and then headed back to the city our walk, a pilgrimage of somber silence towards a coming war.
Once we arrived at the city the people were normal going through their everyday routine not knowing that a war was coming in following weeks, that at best will leave most of them broken and grieving and at the worst all of them will die. While we were extremely solemn, this duality almost caused me to break out laughing and shouting at the top of my lungs like a crazed seer and a doom prophet about the end of the world.
I imagined my self standing atop a house shouting at the top of my lungs and the people passing by me looking at me with pity in their eyes, as if I had lost my mind and began preaching my delusions.
I chuckled at the image that I conjured and both Pera and Murtok looked at me as if I am crazy, Pera because of my laughing and Murtok because he knew what I was thinking about, but after a bit he admitted it was a funny thought.
We finally reached an entrance for the underground tunnel. However, when we had just stepped of the ladder a voice from behind us shouted, "Halt, who are you? And what are you doing here?"
I turned around and found a group of soldiers that worked under Vos. So, I answered them, "My name is David, I know Vos and want to meet him. It is urgent."
I could see that they did not believe me and that they wanted to capture me, but at that moment I saw a flash of recognition in the eyes of the leader of the group, and he quickly spoke up in my defense, "lower your weapons," he told his comrades, "I remember him he used to come here a couple years ago and he does know the general." At that the rest lowered their weapons and gave us apologetic smiles. Then the leader continued giving me a silver fox badge he told me, "I apologize but we cannot escort you to the general. But you can use this and no one will stop you. If you don't remember where he is or can't find him you can show this badge to any soldiers and they will lead you to him."
"Thank you for all the help. But I have to go, as I said what I have to say to Vos is quite urgent."
He nodded at me and told me to hurry. After we went around the corner and the light of the torches that they were lighting up the cave, I saw the ghosts that I had run away from.
Suddenly Pera asked me, "are you okay? You look pale… even paler than usual."
So, I honestly told her, "The reason I stopped coming down here the day I met you, is because my powers were getting stronger and the stronger my powers get, the more lingering souls I can see. Since, they like the darkness as it is the closest, they can get to the real realm of death this entire cave system is like a giant tomb that houses thousands of souls. Since my power just received a massive increase, I can now understand what they are speaking as if I am speaking to you, and there is nothing that separates us. When I left, I could barely make out a single word out of a hundred, so you can imagine my surprise, when I was ab…"
Just as I was about to finish speaking a ghost of a women no older than 20 touched me, and the moment it touched me I was pulled into a memory. I was a maid cleaning a noble's house. As I was cleaning the lord's bedroom I stumbled upon a locked chest hidden behind a cupboard, I knew that I should not touch or even acknowledge its existence so I quickly put it back and just I was about to move the cupboard back to its original position my luck turned. The lord came back to his room and saw me moving the cupboard I wanted to explain and tell him that I meant no harm and that I would not say anything, but before I could say anything he crossed the room in an instant and wrapped his arms around my neck, in a gravelly voice filled with contempt, disdain and killing intent he said, "a bitch like you should not be allowed to live. To think they would send a slut to spy one me." I wanted to beg him to release me, that I was just a simple maid that stumbled upon something that she shouldn't have. But his hands robbed me of the ability to breath let alone speak. As the air in my lungs ran out, I started to suffocate and I lost my ability to hear the vile words he was spewing, and the ability to see him. Then my life flashed before my eyes then darkness consumed me and left me only with my feelings, feelings of regret and fear. Then everything I was feeling changed I was no longer afraid nor did I regret any part of my life, I became angry, angry at the noble chocking me for simply doing my job, angry at the world that forced me to have a job like this just to be able to live, and then angry at the Holy Father that he allowed such vile people to live and prosper while the rest of us suffer under their vile hands.
Suddenly I remembered who I am, I am Kathinox child of the beyond and I am not some maid. When I came back Pera was looking at me worriedly as I had just stopped talking and moving, and I felt the pride Murtok took in what just happened and all he could say without the seal tightening, who finally know one purpose of your powers. And I understood, I just gave Pera a look that told her that I was fine, I saw that she didn't believe me but I didn't have the time to explain to her right now. As I turned around I saw that ghost whose memories I lived through hugging her legs on the ground as when she passed me not only did I live through her memories but she also remembered everything after being consumed by hate and anger for more than a hundred years.
I went to her and sat down beside her reached out my hand, and just before I touched her I coated my entire body in my powers so I could touch her and pulled her into my chest. I started whispering, "it's okay Mary, it's okay to hate the world and everyone in it after what happened to you." I could see Pera looking at me concerned wondering who I was talking to but I couldn't speak with her now, I had job to do, a purpose and a calling that my powers brought to me. So, I continued, "but it has been a hundred years, the noble that killed you has long since died, and the Banished will not let his deeds go unpunished."
I could see that I caught her attention as she hugged me tighter afraid to lose my warmth after all the coldness she has been steeped in since her death, she didn't care that I was alive and could speak to her all she cared about was the warmth of life. So, I told her in a soft voice, "the person that killed you is already dead, but all of this anger you hold on to it is causing you more harm than good. You were a good person when you were alive, and good people should not be punished, so why do you punish yourself? Do you not want to be with your brother again?"
In a soft ethereal tone that anyone but me would not be able to hear she hesitantly said two words, "my bother." At that moment I felt some of her anger leave her as memories of her younger brother who she had taken care of all of her life came back. I pressed on knowing that I was on the edge of success of what I didn't know all I knew was that I must help her, "yes, your brother it has already been more than a hundred years since you died so don't you think that he is already on the other side. Searching everywhere he could reach for his sister wondering what happened to her, hoping to hug her one more time."
After me saying this all her remaining anger and hate left her as if they had never existed. In a fearful tone she told me, "but I am afraid. I don't know what to say to him if I meet him again. I left him when he was still a child and he never knew what happened to me. So, what if he hates me for not being there to take care of him."
I understood her concerns but chuckled at them and she looked at me as if I violated her trust but just said, "do you think your brother will hate you for something you had no control over. And what if he hates you, you have all the time in the world to make it up to him. You will not die again, you will not have to work, so you can spend all the time you want making it up to him until he remembers that he is you brother again. But let me tell you what I believe, I believe that he would be so happy that he could see you again that you would go back to the way it was before, only this time he might be the one protecting and taking care of you."
She quickly grasped my ideas and gasped in a small cute voice, "I can't die again," as if she had grasped the truth of the universe not a fact that is in front of her face. But then she once again became fearful and asked me, "but it is always cold and dark, is it the same on the other side? Will I be this cold for the rest of time?"
I answered her questions in a tone full of confidence that no one could refute, "you know, once when I was a child, something tried to grab me and send me to the other side and I saw it, the land beyond. Let me tell you what I saw, I saw forests and deserts, I saw mountains and seas, I saw humans and animals of all kinds, some I still don't know what they are. It was a world full of color and ironically life, and since you were a good person in your own life I know you will be sent there and not to get punished, and I am here with you until you step to the other side."
I seemed to have convinced her as she stopped looking afraid and seemed eager to go and meet her brother. So, I stood up and pulled her up, the moment that she stood she stopped being invisible and looked at a gasping Pera, still holding my hand she said, "you have a good man here, you must never let him leave. I know I had my regrets so make sure you don't have any," Pera nodded still not knowing what she was seeing.
Mary looked at me now full of confidence and said, "it's time for me to go, I would like to meet you again someday and introduce you to my bother. But make sure I don't meet you anytime soon, the more you delay the better."
With that she took a step and disappeared, as if she had never been in this plane of existence. I was happy for her and for me, since for the first time when I saw the doors inside of me grow bigger, I was happy, and I started thinking that maybe my powers are not just a curse but also a blessing. I finally knew that even though I could cause harm I could also help by using my powers and now that I knew how and what to do, I will keep doing it and search for more ways I can help using my powers. The ghosts that I had been previously afraid of, I started seeing them in a new light, I saw that they are creatures that deserve pity and not fear but I also knew that I could and would help them in the future for as long as live, and maybe even after I die.
When Pera asked me what just happened I told her everything. Seeing me so happy and animated while talking about my powers for the first time since she met me, she was also happy for me. So, we continued our trek to find Vos but this time we were filled with dreams for the future after the war, not just the dread of what was to come.