Under my Shell { a bowserxluigi fanfic }

Chapter 25: Soul Eater

I watch the sphere of light bob up and down matching breaths footsteps. Lada was just a couple feet ahead of Breath, and I just mere inches away from Breath. Breath was spending an immense amount of energy and concentration, not only on examining our surrounding and Lada. But the light he magically conjured I'm assuming it takes concentration to keep it lit.

"Stop." Lada mutters but it's loud enough for both Breath and I to stop. She turns around, her torch like tool illuminating her face. "This cave." She pauses, her sudden silence clawing into my mind driving me close to madness. "A village elder told me this cave has always been forbidden. He told me back when he was a child you could hear a weird noise in proximity to it. This noise sounds like, if a corpse were to open its mouth. And with a glimmer of life produced a last sound that lasted an eternity." My breathing has shortened, and my nerve was on edge. It's as if my body was clawing at itself trying to run for the exit.

"So, you want me to take the lead." Breath says, in an annoyed yet calm tone. How can he manage to be so calm, is he not feeling the same dread in the air as me. I can only assume that Lada, once portraying a foundation based in courage, now unable to move on can also feel it.

"If you don't mind." She says with a sigh of relief, almost like she was happy she didn't have to say it herself. With a sigh, Breath pushes the light off of his hand causing it to float on his left, beside his head. All of a sudden, the energy in the cave shifted. Lada, who was, when we first met, something to fear. Now, it's as if we were equals. The tattered handkerchief that once concealed her face dropped with a swipe of her hand as she walked closer to me. Under all that bravado she was just a scared little farmers girl, unless that's what she wanted us to think. Huh... if only Breath could hear my thoughts right now, I'd imagine he would be impressed. I know he's came to the same conclusion as well. No way the Legendary Breath of Death would fall for the helpless little farmers girl act after the aura she admitted when she first made her appearance. I don't think something like that is possible unless one, you've seen things, or.... you've killed somebody.

"Lilly, stay behind me. If anything happens..." he pauses before turning his head over his left shoulder glaring right into my soul. "DO NOT RUN!" His body stays tense for a couple of seconds before I notice his chest move up and down again, his posture relaxing a bit. His next words were quiet and soft but still as stern as they needed to be. "If you run, all you will do is put distance between you and I and that would make it harder to protect you." All I could do was nod in response. That must have been enough for him though, as he turns his head forward before pulling his spear out. His stance changed from a mere explorer of dark caverns to a warrior who was ready to be attacked by anything... ready to kill anything. He proceeds forward. Lada and I exchange a brief glance before we both follow in suit behind the brave Koopa.

"You must be pretty important for a speech like that" Lada whispers to me as our footsteps echo in the dark. I hadn't noticed before, but she has a nice soft voice, unlike Daisy's, whose voice seemed to be as sharp as a knife digging into her victim's ear drums. Perhaps I hadn't notice before because this is one of the first real sentences she has said, before all it has been were those weird one-word statements. She smelled like dirt, grass, hay, and oddly enough Lavender.

"Maybe... Lada, was it?"

"Yeah...?"

"So, do you really think a Vampire took your grandmother?" We talked but neither of us dared to look away from Breath in front of us.

"I have a feeling; most would assume that she would be dead as it's been many years since she disappeared. But I can feel her, I know for a fact that she is not dead. I cannot prove it, it's just a feeling. How else would she manage to stay alive all these years if it wasn't for something out of our conception of the world." I cannot argue with that, all the time Mario has been missing or close to death I also had that same feeling. I wonder what would give us that ability, that connection? 

"Stop." Breath muttered. All of a sudden, I didn't smell the dirt or Lavender scent that Lada provided but instead stale old blood. Then in an instant, a giant whoosh swept into us and the surrounding cavern. A ghastly fire seemed to explode on the wall in weird symbols. My eyes widen as fear struck my blood cold. I read this in a book before, like a scarlet flame the sigils will ignite. The fuel being the ancient stale blood that runs through the demon's heart. This means the resting place of the beast is nearby. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the sickly source of light but once they did, I spotted what seemed to be a gathering of people just a couple feet ahead. It seems the others eyes must have adjusted as well, Breath backed up to be a few inches in front of us. Lada on the other hand started to weep, falling to her knees taking one last look at the bodies in front of us before her chest shook violently and words began to come out in puzzling forms in between her sniffling and tears. 

"Gr... grand-" she looked up at me, tears welled into her eyes showing me the purest truest part of her soul. "Thats my grandma...." I exhaled the breath I subconsciously held as Lada struggled before looking over to Breath. Even he looked confused, afraid even. Lada's soft cries must have been enough for the group of bodies to notice us. I watched in horror as they turned directly towards us. Their mouths a gaped as they released a cry starting softy, like barley a sound until all in unison, they groaned out one note. This must be the sound the Village elder reported hearing. I knew exactly what these were. Unlike the fictional vampires who are portrayed to thirst for blood, real ones consume emotions and souls. These.... are nothing but empty husks, they have only a sliver of soul left to keep them alive but not enough to truly live. Lada was right, her grandmother was alive but not truly.

"Let's go!" Breath yells out to us getting ready to sprint for the exit.

"Lada come on!" I yell for her; she stumbles to her feet managing to bring back the same aura she had before. It must be a mechanism she has to bring emotions out of things. She wipes her eyes with her sleeve before we all take off in the direction of the exit. I don't think we were being chased but we all had this feeling of uneasiness. Like if we were to stay for even a moment longer something terrible would have happened to all of us. What is all of this, I thought my biggest concern would be the Assassins sent after me but all of a sudden, there is a real Vampire and somehow it all seems to be connected?

My lungs seemed to be caving in on themselves; my legs came to a halt once I was a couple feet away from the entrance of the cave. I take a deep breath of the air around us before my breaths stopped being so rapid. I looked around at the others. Breath seemed to recover quicker than both Lada and I, but Lada was faster than me. Their bodies must be used to it, with Breath being a Royal Guard and Lada.... doing whatever she does.

"Come with us back to the castle, King Bowser would like to hear of this." Breath states firmly, id assume he expected some back lash but instead Lada simply nodded her head.

"After what we just saw, the only way I would feel happy is if I was behind castle walls..." She leaned down rubbing her calves before standing up straight and walking closer towards me. Breath also advances to me. 

"I haven't used this in a really long time, and I know he hates it but honestly, we don't need to risk walking in this forest at night. Just stand back both of you." he says before pulling a small blade from his spear. Lada and I both back away, my mind wanders. What could he be talking about? What has he not used in a long time, that blade? Who hates it....? I watch Breath taking a deep breath closing his eyes before slicing his wrist. My eyes widen in shock expecting the blood to fall with a heavy thud onto the floor but instead he slowly moves his cut wrist in the air. I watch as his blood flows upwards as it begins to spin in a circle. He quickly exhales bringing his wrist back down. A feint scream can be heard coming from the blood, one Breath finished his wrist movements there was Kamek. Right in front of us, on the floor.... covered in blood. Lada and I both stand shocked at what we just witnessed. This must be the forbidden magic Mario was talking about. He uses blood... that guard earlier.... he wasn't just using some magic force to move him around he was using his own blood against him. "I'm sorry dad, I wouldn't use it if it wasn't urgent, but we need to be teleported home instantly." This was the first time he called him Dad around me. I know it's not biological, but I remember Kamek took him in when he was younger. He must have gotten used to calling him that.

"You don't frighten easy...." Kamek states giving us all an uneasy chill before he looks around to all of us. "Come on now, gather around and we'll go." Lada and I quickly rush to Breath's side. I watch as Kamek flicks his wand and instantly I feel a sense of relief just being away from there. 

And away from Breath....