The walk back home was quiet, neither Layla or Hayel spoke much. Only occasional conversations of people walking towards the village and a few children laughing could be heard. A few people happily greeted them too, but didn't stay long enough to converse with them.
Hayel and Layla walked slow. They forgot to bring a lantern, however since Hayel warned Layla if there was some sort of a hole in the path, it wasn't a big problem.
They followed other people's lights as they walked, they knew the path quite well, however it's still better to be sure which way other people are walking, after all it's not impossible to accidentally walk down a wrong path.
There was a light breeze this night, making the air a bit chillier than usual but not enough to make it feel cold. The Moon dimly illuminated the path, the stars shining bright in the vast sky above occasionally stole their attention as they walked.
There were a few guards patrolling on this path, making sure that the people walking back weren't attacked by an animal or a monster.
Sometimes only one or two would be here, if any, but because of the festival, The Order decides to send a few more guards here every year.
It wouldn't be a happy festival if tragic things happened during it.
Since they were walking slow, it took them a bit more than an hour to get to the village. After walking Layla home, Hayel slowly made his way towards his house.
There were still a lot of people out in the village, drinking, eating and having fun. It was not as lively as in the city or as lavish, but it definitely seemed more homely, more peaceful.
But there was a certain loneliness Hayel felt, not sure why.
And as he saw his house, certain problems emerged in his mind.
Is it going to be a peaceful night? Hayel is not sure.
'If I can sense those beings through my ability, there must be a way to protect myself against them, right?' Hayel wonders, the thought of those things making him a bit nauseous.
'What else did I feel except that midget with a thing for heads… Was I really so afraid I couldn't feel anything else or was there nothing else? Should I try again? No, no! What if something happens again? But it's not like I can just avoid it forever, what if there really is something that will help me?'
As he walks inside the house, feeling anxious, the first thing he does is he lights up the candle. The fork is still on the table, not saying anything.
Feeling troubled, he continues wondering if it's a good idea to explore his ability again. He knows that at some point in life he would do it, but will he survive until then?
Dying now or dying in a few nights doesn't make that much of a difference, after all he doesn't know when those beings are going to decide that it's his time to go.
Maybe it will be in a few hours or a few years, it's really uncertain.
Hayel, despite the gnawing fear, decides that he will do it now. Sometimes it's better to take risks, right?
Closing his eyes while sitting on a chair, he focuses on his ability. The feeling starts getting stronger, more pronounced.
Colder and emptier too.
If he had a heartbeat, Hayel is sure it would be beating so fast right now, it would make him wonder if he will have a heart attack.
Not having to breathe makes it a bit easier for some reason, maybe because he doesn't have to focus on it to calm himself down. But it makes him wonder how he is going to calm himself when his emotions grow too strong.
"…Hayel…" something whispers, making Hayel flinch.
'Calm down, calm down, search for something that will help you, come on…'
Desperately trying to focus more on his ability, he starts feeling more and more lost inside it.
It's like having a second pair of eyes, you 'see' everything around you inside a certain range, but everything definitely feels more unnatural.
"…Hayel…" Something whispers again, this time a bit louder. However, Hayel doesn't 'see' anything around him yet, which helps him maintain a fragile calmness.
His body starts feeling a bit numb, the details of his surroundings more pronounced, like the way the legs of his chair have certain scratches on them which he never paid attention to.
It forces you to 'see' everything, the tiniest movement would disturb this stillness so loudly making it possible to pinpoint it's exact position, it's exact course of motion.
And truly, nothing escapes his 'sight'. Just at the edge of his ability above him, he feels something shaped like fingers.
"…Hayel…" This time, it doesn't whisper, it's voice low and unnatural. Fear warns to overwhelm Hayel completely, but he desperately tries to stay as calm as possible.
"Open…your…eyes," the thing says, weirdly it's voice feeling less eerie than the ability itself.
However Hayel doesn't listen to it, he tries to focus more than ever to find something to help him, completely desperate.
'The thing is on your fucking ceiling, do something!'
Maybe because of fear or maybe because there is truly nothing else to it, Hayel doesn't find anything yet. He starts feeling more and more helpless.
"Open…your…eyes!"
And as if something possessed him, Hayel opens his eyes.
Everything is in black and white, no color from the warm light of the candle, only a white color illuminates the now grey and black room.
Petrified, his eyes wander to the ceiling.
There on a barely illuminated place, a creature so ugly Hayel doesn't know if he should laugh at it or die from fear, is holding itself.
It's short torso, long legs and long arms make it disproportionate, it's weirdly human like face makes it terrifying, it's eyes seem as if they are about to fall out of it's sockets.
To make things worse, it's quite close to him and Hayel cannot remain calm anymore.
Dread whashes over him.
And as if his chair caught on fire, he jumps up and sprints towards his bedroom.
He hears a thud behind him as he is opening his bedroom door, he rushes in and violently closes it as he hears fast footsteps like that of a child behind him.
Something short crashes into his door as he desperately holds it closed with his whole body. Hayel starts to breathe deeply, wondering if it would help him calm down a bit. His horrified expression and the shaking of his hands do not match his weirdly calm breathing.
The terrifying creature stays there behind his door, it cannot see him, at least Hayel hopes so, but he can still 'see' it, his ability not going back to the state like it was before he tried to explore it.
And then the thing unnervingly, weirdly steps back outside of his range of 'sight'. Hayel doesn't know if it truly left, he doesn't hear anymore footsteps.
And that's how Hayel stays the whole night, his back pressed against the door, his eyes wide staring at the window.
Having no clue how to unfocus his ability.