Chapter 9
The next seven
days I stayed with Jen in her shrine. Castial and Raven would come and visit me
every day and tell me all that was going on. My Uncle and Alex didn’t come to
see me not even once.
Though I was
glad that Alex didn’t visit because things would’ve become very awkward between
us seeing as he loved me or my past self but what excuse did Uncle have. I
could understand he was feeling guilty but I still wanted to see him. I’d hope
for my Uncle every time anyone came to pay a visit.
Jen didn’t
like Castial entering her shrine and Raven couldn’t because it was a sacred
place so we’d meet outside most of the time.
Raven and I
became good friends mostly because my Uncle would send him to check up on me on
his behalf.
It was the last
day and I went with Raven to the lake of the water fairies to learn the balance
of water but instead of teaching me that the fairies started flirting with
Raven who unusually didn’t respond to them.
From what I
picked up in these few days Raven was a guy who could possibly flirt with
anything that has the word female written on so this was very strange. He kept
looking at the direction of the forest of darkness with a hurtful expression.
I asked him
if he was alright.
He looked at
me with pain ‘can’t you hear that?’
‘Hear what?’
I asked trying to listen. It was that song the same song that I heard the last
time when I found the forsaken place. It was more painful now. It was intense I
could only hear ait a little and my head started to ache so no wonder Raven had
such a tortured look on his face. He was a half demon so his hearing abilities
were far greater than that of mine. Poor thing he must’ve been suffering all
this time.
I wanted to
do something to end his suffering. Then I remembered the last time I went and
visited the song stopped.
And I also
wanted to visit the oracle’s-my body once. I asked Jen and Castial many times
but they refused to take me there.
I figured if
I asked Raven now he’d take me and then I could put a rest to my restless mind and
stop Raven’s suffering.
Raven was
against the idea but he couldn’t say no to me. He asked me to climb on his back
and I did. Raven jumped as high as a baboon and ran as fast as a cheetah. He jumped
from one tree to another faster than I could blink.
We reached
the mystical garden in less than ten minutes. Raven couldn’t go any further
because the voice was so loud.
I went to
the forsaken place and stood there outside the building for a while. I needed
some quiet time.
When I
opened the door Alex was there. It was awkward just as I predicted. He had the
same sad expression he had the last time he visited and when he saw me he tried
to smile.
I couldn’t
smile back even if it was only for the sake of courtesy. I overlooked him and
went straight to the casket. I tried to open the lid by myself but it was too
heavy.
Alex offered
to help but I didn’t want any from him so I ignored him neither the less he
helped me.
Though I’d
seen it before it was still scary. Everything was the same but something was
different. It felt like the body would spring to life at any second. I touched
its hand thinking I’d be able to make some connection with my past self.
Suddenly the
body opened its eyes. Its eyes were hollow like a void. It got up and when it
saw me its eyes started to glow, two long sharp fangs came out and before I
could do anything it had already bitten me.
The pain was
unimaginable as if someone was not only sucking my blood but also my soul from
my body. I screamed out of agony.
Hearing that
Raven quickly came to my rescue but he couldn’t get close. Something was not
letting him enter. Alex being there wasn’t of any help. He just stood there
stunned and frozen.
I had made
up my mind no one was going to help me. I was done for. And just when I thought
all hope was lost a spin of white flames appeared beside me and inside was Jen.
She tore the
fangs from my neck and pushed the body back in to the casket and Castial
quickly shut the lid.
A white
thing came out of the casket and entered me. I could feel my life returning. I
lost my balance and Jen grabbed me.
Castial
helping me with my wound while Jen was lecturing Raven. Alex hadn’t yet
recovered from the shock of seeing his dead lover’s body spring back to life.
Jen was very
angry and now that she was done with Raven it was my turn ‘This is why I told
you not to come here again’
‘Did you
know this would happen?’ I asked
She didn’t
deny it ‘Yes. The last time I brought you here I could feel something like this
would happen if you returned’
‘So what
does this mean?’ I didn’t get it.
She
explained ‘The body has been inside that casket for so long that it now has a
longing for a soul’
‘My soul….’
I finished the sentence.
She
confirmed it ‘Yes’
She told us
why this happened because even when the soul departed the body wasn’t set free.
It wasn’t buried or cremated which made it unable to accept its own death.
The thought
was scary. I felt bad for it.
I asked Jen
why’d the body bite me?
She said it
was to suck my soul. That was something that I’d never heard before. I asked
Castial out of curiosity ‘Why do vampires drink blood and Alex, he’s a Phantom
why does he drink blood?’
He couldn’t
answer it but Jen had the answers ‘because they need a lot of energy and blood
is the purest form of energy and human blood was the finest. Right Castial?’
She looked at Castial with disgust.
She finished
her sentence ‘And Alex needs blood to fight the temptation from your blood and
plus he went in to a battle that day and got drunk after that. He couldn’t
handle his drink so he ended up reviling his true identity’ She was getting
tired of all his mistakes now.
My neck was
bruised very badly so Jen took me to the elixir fall. The water could actually
heal. Raven laughed and criticized ‘You’ve seen so much these few days and yet
this amazes you’ he shut up soon enough when Jen gave him a look.
Everyone was
worried about me so they stayed back. Jen let everyone enter her shrine which I
thought was nice of her. Castial thought that if we left Alex alone something
bad would happen so Castial dragged him here.
They thought I’d be in too much shock but
after finding out that my daddy was a Phantom and I an Oracle nothing in this
world could phrase me.
Honestly I
was more worried about Alex, who hadn’t recovered yet from the shock of seeing
his dead lover’s body come back to life in front of him.
My Uncle
couldn’t stay away anymore after hearing about what happened so he rushed to
Jen’s shrine.
When he got
there everyone excused us and left the room.
‘You don’t
have to do this’ he said looking guilty.
But I had to
‘I do’
He tried to
convince me otherwise ‘no you don’t. Everyone’s here to protect you. You don’t
need to learn how to unleash your Oracle powers if you don’t want to’
‘Are they
going to stay with me forever’ I asked knowing the answer.
‘Of Corse’
He didn’t hesitate to answer.
I told him
why I needed to learn how to unleash my powers ‘That many be so but I want to
unbind them daddy. I want to set them free. So I’ve decided to learn my own
powers so that I don’t need anyone else. I plan on leaving the Phantom Valleys
as soon as I graduate and at that time I want everyone to move on. I want to
live a free life daddy even if I have to fight every second for it for the rest
of my life’
He kept
quiet and the next question made my heart melt ‘Are you goanna sever all your
relationships even with your daddy?’
Just the
thought made my heartache ‘Of Corse not!’
He calmed
down ‘I’ll support you then’
‘Thank you’
I couldn’t say anything more
When we
walked outside to everyone I knew they heard every single thing I said because
their faces were gloomy.
I told them
that I meant every word I said and that I really did want them to move on. I
wanted them to forget the past but I couldn’t ask for something like that so I
told them I was sorry that they all had to suffer so much because of me but I
was ok now.
I asked them
to leave Alex and me alone. I asked Alex to take us somewhere where we wouldn’t
be heard. He gave me his hand and I took it. In a fraction of second we were
under the tree of salvation.
I let go of
his hand as soon as we got there so he had a very rejected face. He wanted to
check if my injury was properly healed but I moved away. His rejected feeling
was getting stronger.
He asked me
not to say it.
I knew I had
to ‘I’m sorry Alex...’ He wanted to stop me but I continued ‘I’m sorry I made
you wait for me for a thousand years, I’m sorry you had to sell your soul to
the devil, I’m sorry I made you go through so much pain and lastly I’m sorry
that I couldn’t love you like I did in the past.’ And with the end of the
sentence he paused.
He was
reluctant ‘It’s not your fault that I…..’
I didn’t let
him finish ‘It was still because of me’
He didn’t
have a reply.
I announced
‘Alex I want you to be free. No I’m setting you free.’ And without a word I
left him there alone.
I’d been living
in the shrine for so long that I knew my way around the forest very well. I
reached the shrine by sunset. Everyone was waiting eagerly. When I returned
alone they started to question me.
I told them
that I’d set Alex free and though he’d need sometime alone right about now.
Raven
sarcastically remarked ‘The dude’s been in love with you for more than a
thousand years. Do you really think he’d give up that easily’
Raven was
right but right now at that moment I didn’t want to think about that. Tomorrow
I was going to return to school and I wasn’t beating on it but hopefully a
normal life. I wanted to celebrate for some reason. I just wanted to set loose.
Forget everything and just party.
I asked Jen
if we could do it and Raven was also seconding my suggestion. Jen didn’t say no
and seeing it was past sunset we agreed to a Bar-B-Q.
Everyone
gathered things and if you’re having a Bar-B-Q with a half breed angel, a half
demon, a deity and a Phantom gathering things was easy.
Castial was
on the grill and Raven was sitting beside him finishing any meat before it
reached the table. My Uncle was playing with the fox kids and Jen was keeping
an eye on everyone.
I kept
looking at the bushes hoping Alex would come but I knew he wasn’t going to. But
something was there. A light white thing passed that way and I unconsciously
followed it hopping to catch it before it was out of sight but it was too late
the white thing was already gone.
I kept
looking at that stars asking where Alex was now.
The answer
came from behind me ‘He’s at the forsaken place’ Jen had somehow read my mind.
‘How do you
know?’ I asked.
She told me ‘I
placed a charm there so whenever anyone entered I knew. Just like today when
you went there without telling me. I knew the instant you entered the building
but it took me some time to get there because something was blocking me’
‘The body’ I
guessed and a deep silence fell between us.
She broke
the silence ‘You don’t have to put up a strong front at least not in front of
me.’
I wasn’t
‘I’m not holding it in’
She wasn’t satisfied
‘ok then maybe you should start processing your situation before it’s too
late’.
Before I
doubted myself but now that it came out of Jen’s mouth I was sure I was coping
the best I could ‘I’m really ok and it’s alright I can cope whenever I want to
but now is just not the time. And it’s not like I am goanna die anytime soon.’
I said it sarcastically without realizing it.
I quickly
controlled the situation ‘Plus the tea helps so I’m goanna need a lot of it’ we
started laughing at that.
‘Let’s
return’ she said ‘before Raven finishes all the food’.
Raven
replied from there ‘I heard that’.
She teased
him ‘You were meant to’.
I Shouted
‘Let’s drink till we drop!’ but my Uncle was against us drinking so I had to
rephrase it ‘LETS party till we drop!’.
Raven handed
me a glass of juice and after that I blacked out.
~END of Chapter 9~
