Awakened by Spirits: CHAPTER 2
Read the Prologue and Chapter 1 first.
Lane found herself inside a room, its memory familiar but distant. Most of it was blurred, but she’d been here before. A long time ago. This was…
My home, right?
Her childhood home.
She looked up and stared at two people sitting in front of her. A soft mist covered their faces as they had breakfast and discussed what they would do. Lane could choose.
Anything she liked. It was her birthday, after all.
“Park! Park! See fishes,” she said with a big smile on her face.
The man before her had auburn hair with dark streaks and copper eyes. Though blurry, he looked familiar. The warm sound of his laughter fired up a memory deep in her mind, causing a wave of happiness to pour over her. In a split second, she knew who he was.
Her father.
“Great! It’s decided then. You only need to put your shoes on. Then we can go.”
She waddled into her bedroom, returning with her favourite shoes. “Here, Daddy. Put on! Fast!”
“I’m going to grab you a jacket in case you get cold.” Another voice filled the room—her mother’s. Another delightful wave washed over her.
She turned around. An elegant woman with a blue dress and silvery, wavy hair joined them.
“Is everyone ready?” her father asked. “Let’s go, then.”
They all stood up and walked to the park.
She screamed.
Lane woke up with a jolt, her head pounding. She couldn’t remember what had happened before falling asleep, but the dream with her parents still resonated in her mind as if she was still in it. Why had it played again? The last time had been years ago.
Her surroundings sharpened. She was lying in a bed, but not her own. Her room at the orphanage was her little sanctuary where she could escape the side looks and whispers. This one was four times its size. The only similarity was the bed, closet, and mirror. Everything else was different. The desk where the mirror rested was a luxury she had never considered having. The walls weren´t made of naked stones but painted white and smooth—at least, those that weren’t made of glass. The one to her left and the one facing her bed were almost entirely windows, framed with intricate wood-carved sculptures of flowers and tiny animals, all painted by delicate and precise hands.
“You’re awake! Great!” Lane startled and looked to the right. There hadn’t been anyone there a second ago, and she hadn’t heard a sound, but somehow, a girl was smiling at her with her big, curious green eyes. Her straight, brown hair was pulled back and fixed in a bun, except for a little strand she kept playing with. “By the way, thanks for dropping all your little friends at our doorsteps. We’ve been working like crazy because of you.”
Lane couldn’t process what was happening. “Who are you?” she asked, taking the girl in. “And where am I?”
“Well, you’re in your room, and I’m…Wow! What are you doing?” the girl asked as Lane tried to get out of bed. “Calm down. You just spent three days sleeping. Take it easy. Don’t stand up too fast. You need to eat first.”
Three days? How? What happened? Try to remember! Her head was spinning. To hold her balance, she pressed her arms against the bed.
“Ouch!”
“Yeah, your shoulder will take a while to heal. You’re lucky nothing else happened to you. They would have shredded you to pieces if we hadn’t gotten there when we did. You just stood there, right in front of the barrier. It was weird.”
“The barrier?” She didn’t know what the girl was talking about, and the more she spoke, the dizzier Lane felt.
“You know, the barrier around Shuutin? The one keeping humans and demons away,” the girl said mockingly, but when no signs of understanding followed, she added, “You don’t remember, do you? That can’t be good. I should get a healer to check on you.” The girl hesitated before turning towards the door.
“Wait! I’m fine. Don’t go.” The girl happily obliged. “What…do you mean by demons?”
“You know… The things following you the other day.” The girl’s eyes narrowed, never leaving Lane. “You had a bunch of them coming after you, remember that?” A vivid memory came rushing back.
“I…I was running from them. There were like fifty of them…”
“More like ninety.”
“Ninety?”
“Yeah.” She grinned from ear to ear. “I got, like, ten of them, and there was still plenty left. I’ve never killed so many at once. It was kind of cool, actually. And a good practice.”
Lane stopped hearing what the girl was saying, her hand lifting to her right shoulder. “I started feeling funny after the bite. I fainted, didn’t I?”
“Eh… yeah… Gulgath do that to you. I’m surprised you’re already up.”
“The what now? You mean the worm-like creatures?”
“No…” The girl looked worried. “How hard did you hit your head? The worm-like ones are the Karazak. They are annoying but harmless, especially in larger groups since they become slow and predictable.” Lane’s gaze narrowed, and the girl continued, “But Gulgaths? Those with two sets of arms and legs? They are the ones to look out for. They’re dangerous. They have poison that paralyses you.” The last words sounded more like a question than a statement. “That’s why you’re still dizzy. The substance hasn’t left your body completely yet.” The girl waited, allowing Lane to process the information before asking, “Does it ring any bells?”
Lane shook her head. She recalled seeing other creatures than the Shadow Crawlers, or Karazak as the girl called it, but that wasn’t the question. She wanted to know if any of it sounded familiar.
It didn’t, and not for the reasons the girl thought.
“Well, no need to worry. We’ll make you as good as new. Especially since demons normally don’t gather around in such big groups and go after someone like they have a debt to pay. You’re in luck! We want to know why they like you so much.”
What was Lane meant to say? The girl was kind and helpful—traits that had never been directed at her by people younger than herself.
“Every five-year-old knows all this. You probably know it too. The poison mixed in with the impact of the fall is just messing with your head. You’ll remember it in no time. Don’t sweat it.”
“I…I don’t…I…”
The girl didn’t know who Lane actually was. She thought she was one of them, whatever that was. But one thing was clear. The girl could also see the creatures and knew more about them than Lane. From what she could gather, there was at least one more type, one worse than what she was used to. How many more existed? She needed to learn as much as possible before they figured out she wasn’t one of them and kicked her out like everyone always did. The information would be valuable for her to survive on her own.
“Diana, what did I tell you?”
Lane jolted at the sound of a male voice, sending another sharp wave of pain through her shoulder. At the entrance stood a young man, seemingly frozen in time. He wore the same black outfit as Diana, but on him… With his pale skin and dark hair… It only pronounced the emerald green of his eyes.
His gaze, stern and stoic, locked on Diana. “I told you she needs to rest.” It shifted to Lane, sending shivers down her spine. Every inch of him aired authority, from the stillness of his stance to the deliberate movements. No sign of hesitation or weakness.
She swallowed.
“Hi, I’m Kage Akuma. Welcome to the Keep. You have some clean clothes in the closet. Use them. Get dressed, then eat. I have some questions to ask you later today.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned to leave.
“Wait, what? You have questions? For me?” Lane asked, surprised. Kage stopped just at the threshold of the room and turned around. “Sorry to disappoint, but I think you know more than I do. There’s nothing I can say you don’t already know.”
“I don’t know what happened before you got to our doorsteps. You’ll tell us everything once you’re feeling better.”
“Seriously?” His tone didn’t agree with her. Who did he think he was to order her around? He didn’t know her. “I don’t have to tell you anything,” she barked, trying to stand, but the dizziness returned, forcing her back down. “I just want to go my own way.”
He would never fall for her lies. It was better to leave before they sent her away. At least that way, she’d go on her terms. She wouldn’t be rejected.
“You can’t even stand up. Eat and gain strength. Diana will show you around the place. I’ll find you later to resume our talk.” Kage turned to leave. Again.
“I’m fine,” she snapped, staring at the back of his head.
His demeanour told her she was nothing more than a nuisance he wanted to be done with. The sooner, the better. That same look had been plastered on the faces of every villager from Stanlow, but for some reason, seeing it on someone who didn’t even know her pissed her off.
“Sure. Stand up,” he said after meeting her gaze.
“Kage…” Diana mumbled.
“No. She says she’s fine, right? So, let her stand up.” Without taking his eyes from Lane, he added, finger pointed at Diana, “without any help.”
Eyes locked with his, she slid to the edge of the bed. The warm embrace of the afternoon sun provided the strength her muscles lacked. With a deep breath, the dizziness melted away. In one motion, she stood, proud she’d shown this Kage guy she wasn’t as weak or pathetic as he made her sound.
“Perfect. Diana, give her a tour.” Without saying another word, Kage turned around and left. This time, she was too baffled by the lack of warmth and sincerity in his voice to interrupt him again.