The Exorcist and The Boy Spirit

Spirit 1-

      
      Chongyun creeped forward into the forest, he felt the presence of a spirit. He had to be cautious... he didn't wish to make his presence known. He placed a foot forward, and the next, and the next, breathing slowly. In his mind he recited, don't breath too loud, don't walk too loud, don't talk at all, don't let your presence known. A quote from his favorite book, The Legendary Adventures of a Young Exorcist, it was his favorite thing in the world. He had always wanted to be an exorcist, but because of his curse, though many will call it a blessing, he was stuck. He would never be able to get any more than a few feet close to an evil spirit without it staggering away, and that frustrated him. It became the source for many tantrums, sleepless nights, and years worth of jealousy. Once, he had put peanuts in his cousins birthday cake because he had announced that he was going to become an exorcist. This, of course, sent his allergic cousin to the hospital immediately. He was a good kid, he could've kept his acts a secret, he could've lied and gotten away with it, but he was incredibly guilty. So he fessed up, and this never happened again. But once he received that book just a few months after, it all changed. His ambitions grew and nothing could talk him out of perusing his dreams, though many tried. He held this series close to his heart, so close, it felt as if every breath he took was for it.

   Chongyun snapped out of his thoughts as he felt the presence fade away, in a hurry, he staggered around on his feet, his eyes shooting in every direction. It was gone. He whispered under his breath, hitting the palm of his hand on his skull over and over, "you did it again, you did it again..." he rested his back on a tree, laying his sword next to him, his body slid down the trunk and plopped itself on the ground, sending a few critters scurrying away. He let out a breathy sigh, he convinced himself that he needed a moment to rest, though he just wasn't sure if he could look at himself in the mirror.

He wallowed in his self-pity for a few pathetic moments before his ears picked up the sound of faint crying from nearby. He quickly got up, and as he did, he felt it. The faint presence of a spirit. He was so caught off guard that when he grabbed onto his sword, his hand slid straight off the hilt, sending him crashing to the ground, bumping his head on the way. He whimpered and tried to pick himself back up, in hopes that the spirit, somehow, hadn't heard him and he still had a chance to catch up to him. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, holding his head, it felt as if the room was spinning and his vision was blurry. As his eyes gradually focused, adjusting to his surroundings, he can make out a figure standing in front of him, with paper white skin and icy blue eyes piercing through him. He screamed, trying desperately to grab onto his weapon, yet his hand kept slipping, and the figure kept getting closer.

He felt his back hit the trunk of a tree and he prepared himself to be swallowed whole by the monster, never to be heard from again. But, instead of a looming dark presence and the piercing pain of several sharp teeth digging into his skull, he felt two cold hands place themselves on his cheeks. He opened an eye and his vision focused to find a young man with pale white skin and a worried face.

  "Are you okay?" The boy spoke with a soft voice. Chongyun stopped moving, he could've even stopped breathing and he wouldn't have noticed until he was laying dead on the ground. He whispered with as little strength as he had in his lungs "w-who are you?" His voice sounded meek and weak that it almost seemed whiny, yet the boy smiled at him, a warm smile in contrast to his freezing hands. The touch was everything Chongyun needed, he had started feeling really hot and the cold skin of the boys palms on his own made him melt in his hands. "I'm Xingqiu, I don't know where I am, I just woke up here... and- i don't know where i am" there was a glossy and tired look in his eyes.

Chongyun stood up and extended his arm towards him, "I'll help you!" The boy took his cold hands and held Chongyun's, "do you know in what direction your house is?" At this point, he had disregarded all possibility that Xingqiu could be a spirit, i mean, the presence he felt from his wasn't even close to strong enough for a spirit, surely he was just a lost kid. He looked around and pointed in that direction, "i think i recognize that path... it looks a little more worn than i remember, so I'm not sure.. but.." Chongyun noticed the worried look on his face and he held both his hands, looking into his eyes, he smiled as to comfort him. "That's a start, we'll find your house, i promise!"