Shadow Beings

28. Home

Peace filled the air, and all I heard was the wind whistling in my ear. A tear glistened in Holly's eyes and she wore a smile on her face. I sensed a long held tension finally be relieved from her mind; I don't think she was that afraid of what others felt about her but was rather conflicted with her emotions. Her perception of herself struggled to stabilise, always in conflict. After all, her parents perished in a fire caused by demons.

I understand guilt all too well.

"Thank you," she whispered, and the wind moved around her, almost playing with her hair as she softly chuckled. The breeze continued to blow, its sound resonating within the silence around us.

"I believe there is something I have that belongs to you."

Evelyn took out the key from her pocket that was wrapped in a soft cloth, reaching her hand out towards the open air. The wind gently picked up the key, taking it towards the tower as it slowly disappeared from our sight.

"Thank you, Evelyn," Zephyr's voice was like the whisper of a flute. The temperature around us dropped a little to cool our minds, though I somehow felt the action was specifically meant for the bubbling ebullience within Evelyn. The two seemed to have formed a connection that I didn't quite understand, but it spread a sense of life that could give hope to anyone, no matter how dejected.

"I would be happy to show you around the valleys, especially one place in particular that I think you will like."

Evelyn grinned immediately with a look of surprise. "Really?"

In response the wind gently pushed Evelyn towards the direction of a higher ground, guiding the girl through the valley.

I stretched my arms and laid on the grass, sensing the energy that ran through the ground, through the network of the land. With my eyes closed, I felt the water from the grass gently seep into my skin. The familiar pulsating circle appeared in front of me, so black with a slight tinge of unsettling green - negative afterimage of the sun. However, the zeal of the land that now became a part of mine spread an aura of absolute darkness in the place, the distinction of the black circle fading away. A sense of freedom filled me as I was no more within the reaches of its gravitational force, but I had to return to Reality for it was there that my duty lay.

I opened my eyes to see Holly gazing into the horizon. I adored the peaceful look that always sat on her face, the sparkle in her eyes that reflected the glistening water.

"Sit down, Holly, you'll feel better."

She crossed her legs in a shy manner and sat on the ground with a smile. I got up from my side and did the same, turning my head towards the sky.

A vibrant sun filling the blue sky as brilliant as my weirdo friend... perhaps it seemed happier now, at this moment, as compared to the moment we first entered.

I closed my eyes, unable to stare at that brightness for too long and it confused me. Being a shadow-trapper was one thing, but as an Angel shouldn't all natural light be of comfort to me...? Just like that key?

Holly closed her eyes, her aura quietening as it invited the environment to fill in, all that information propagating to her. A small smile tugged on her lips, her fingers intertwined with the neat blades of the grass. She let some time pass before opening her eyes, then looked at me with her soft glow calmer, yet with a deeper energy.

"Audrey... Do you think that the spirits of the, um, 'dark' lands are bad? Like the Land of Destructive Tenebris?"

I was surprised by her question. Her smile tried to hide how wary she was of my answer, but I felt a sense of trust pervade her aura.