Afterlife - A Horror Story

8 - Faded

?̳̙͙͕̜̑̈́́̎̍?̛̛̞̫͚̜̤͂̍̔?͎̮̥͚̦̐̾̈́̕͞

———

I awoke around midday. Which was strange. I usually wake up around sunset.

I got up and looked around. Sunlight shone through me, flooding my dark room with light.

I felt it. A calling, pulling me towards the door.

I got up, walking silently out the door. It was like my feet were moving without me wanting them to.

Panic flooded the back of my mind, but I remained calm as I basically carried myself out the door. I didn't want to go out into the daylight - it's harder to keep hidden than at night. But I stretched my wings and flew to another part of the neighborhood in broad daylight, anyway.

I stood in front of what looked like an old, run down train track. Two train cars were there - one was completely on its side, derailed, while the other still stood. The door was closed, but I phased through it easily.

Inside, and white spirit waited. Blackness covered his front, part of his hand, and most of his wings. His eye was black with a white pupil, and the other was a red scribble. He smiled, his teeth black as his wounds and razor sharp.

"Glad to see you could make it," Gradient said sweetly, "I have something I need you to do for me."

———

XYAN

———

"Aiko? Aiko, where are you?"

I was running around the house in a panic. Aiko was nowhere to be found. She always stays with us, why would now be an exception?

It's been a few days since Gradient's disappearance. I haven't seen him since, and I'm really not sure if that's a good thing. And now Aiko's disappeared. Why is everything so chaotic lately?!

"Xyan, what's wrong?"

Praxus was entering the library, where I was currently searching for Aiko.

"Aiko's missing," I sighed, "I can't find her anywhere, Akhet hasn't seen her, and with Gradient also wandering around the neighborhood, who knows what trouble she could get into.

"Hey, calm down," Praxus said. He wrapped his tail around mine comfortingly. "I'm sure she's just messing with us, hiding somewhere."

I sighed. "I hope she is. I don't know where else she would be."

"We'll figure it out," Praxus assured, "We'll find her."

Akhet very suddenly burst into the library, her eyes wide.

"I found Aiko. Follow me!"

I shared a worried look with Praxus before we sped down the stairs.

In the main living room, a distressed Aiko was laying on the floor. Her yellow form was flickering and more transparent than usual, and her eyes were struggling to stay open.

I immediately rushed over to help the child ghost up, kneeling down to hold her close to me.

Aiko groaned slightly as she looked up at me.

"Xyan...?"

I sighed in slight relief. At least she was responding.

"Aiko, are you okay? What happened?" I asked her, attempting to stay calm.

"I don't know," she said weakly, "She said I could go see Gwadient... and he... I don't know..."

Aiko was drifting in and out of consciousness as I held her.

"Who said you could?" I asked, "Who did this?"

Aiko didn't respond. She was still... well, obviously she wasn't alive, but her spirit was still present. Yet it seemed like just barely. She was unconscious, if that was the word for it.

Akhet looked at me, worried.

"I'll bring her to my room to take care of her."

I nodded, and allowed her to take the flickering spirit from my arms.

The two rounded the corner, and went out of sight.

———

I visited them later, where Akhet was keeping a careful vigil over Aiko's faded form.

"How's she doing?" I asked her.

"No better, but no worse either," Akhet replied.

"At least she's not deteriorating," I sighed. I kneeled down next to the bed and gently put my hand over Aiko's. I saw her eyes open slightly before they gently closed again.

"You think Gradient did this?" I asked Akhet.

"I'm sure of it. He's the only one who even could do this."

"But... who was the one that took her to him that she mentioned?"

"That... is one question I can't answer."

—————

AIKO NOOO

GRADIENT WHY DO U DO THIS >:(

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