Hell [Sequel]

1 - Whispers

[Xyan]

The young, playful spirit giggled as she ran through the moonlit forest, weaving through the trees that stood towering over her. Her warm yellow glow contrasted from the cool silver beams of the moon shining down into the wood. The leaves were just beginning to change from their lush, green summer peaks to the warm browns and reds and yellows of autumn with the turn of the season.

It was peaceful. And I was grateful for that.

I took a deep breath, air filling inside of me before leaving at my long exhale. We didn't need to breathe, necessarily, but it was simply a habit that crossed from our past lives. My tail was intertwined with that of the spirit next to me, Praxus, who held my hand tightly as if I would disappear if he let go. I didn't mind - and I didn't blame him.

Silently chasing the childlike spirit through the trees was a taller one of varying shades of red. The smile on her face showed her laughter, even if no sound escaped her mouth. I could imagine her playfully taunting the child in her mind, to which the child giggled and defied as she hid behind a tree. The older spirit snuck up behind her, surprising her by picking her up and hugging her. The child squealed, laughing.

My eyes swept the clearing, and they locked on the absentminded face of a dark indigo spirit standing nearby. He was leaning against a tree, his expression unreadable and almost forlorn as he watched the two play. Kaen - he was a newer spirit, found a few months ago by Akhet and Aiko. He was... mysterious, to say the least. I barely trusted him at first - though I don't trust many these days except for the spirits within our small colony of four. However he deemed himself fairly trustworthy, enough so that I was somewhat comfortable speaking to him.

We'd come here after exploring the wood a bit, the Esprit forest living up to its name with us roaming under its leafy coverage. Aiko had started running around, so we decided to stop and let her play in the clearing we'd come across.

I found my eyes still drifting about the area, settling back on Kaen. The spirit was still watching Akhet and Aiko play, tail swaying contently from side to side as he stared off with a distant expression and his hands in his hoodie pockets. Still he had that unreadable look in his eyes, his thoughts blocked from his face by a wall of thick muck.

Praxus noticed my staring. "What's wrong?"

I jumped a little bit, having been zoned out for those few seconds, before I replied with a sigh. "Nothing, nothing. Just... you know..." I gestured subtly to Kaen. Kaen didn't turn to me, confirming he'd probably not noticed me.

Praxus glanced in the spirit's direction before nodding. "I understand. But I think if he wanted to kill us, he would've done it by now. No reasons for waiting."

"He did just that." I refused to utter the subject of my words. Praxus stiffened slightly, giving my hand a small squeeze.

"Well... yeah, he did, but I think Kaen's fine," Praxus shrugged. "He hasn't done anything to lose our trust."

"I guess you're right," I sighed. I gave Kaen a sideways glance before turning back to Akhet and Aiko, not realizing that Kaen had returned the look after I'd turned away.

Akhet stopped chasing Aiko for a moment, looking up to the sky and then looking over at me. Her voice rang in my mind as she told me,

"The moon's setting. We should be getting back."

I glanced at the heavens above, noticing that, indeed, the purple hint of dawn tinted the eastern horizon where the half moon was beginning to take rest. We had decided not long before to head back home once the night began to dwindle.

"Alright," I acknowledged her. "Let's get going then."

Akhet gave me a smile and, catching Aiko and informing her they needed to leave, began to fly off with the child unsteadily flapping beside her. Kaen, suddenly realizing we were leaving, quickly took flight as well. I followed, assuming Praxus was behind me.

However I ceased to feel his presence by my side.

A few feet into the air I finally noticed his absence, and turned around to look back at the clearing. Praxus stood there, staring off into space. I couldn't see his face, as his back was turned to me.

"Praxus!" I called. No response.

I tried again as I began to fly down to him. "Praxus!"

It was only when I landed behind him that he suddenly reacted, jumping in surprise and staring at me with a startled, somewhat frightened expression as a gasp escaped his mouth. Once he realized it was me, however, he seemed to relax.

"Are you alright?" I asked him, tilting my head in concern.

Praxus placed his hand on the black laceration over his eye, his fingers running over the scar as he winced in a small pain. Then she shook his head as if in denial before saying, "I'm fine. Sorry. Come on, let's go."

He began to fly off before I could ask any further.

Confused, I scanned the clearing. Nothing was there, I felt no presence nearby.

How odd.

I'll ask him at home...

After a quick second glance, I quickly spread my wings and sped to catch up with Praxus and the others.

-=+=-

[?]

As I stepped from the gateway, I saw my human companion, who awaited me in the clearing in which it stood. The silver piece of jewelry round her neck glimmered, revealing a silver pentagram that rested on top of her black hoodie. Her pitch black eyes looked up at me, the only eyes I allowed to see me at any time, and she stood up straight, closing the small notebook she'd been doodling in and sticking it in the bag slung across her back.

"How'd it go?" She asked.

I rolled my eyes. "He's pissed with me. As usual. No reason that I see, he's just a visehj to everyone. But other than that? Yeah. He says the plan's running smoothly and that he should be ready soon."

"What's he even waiting on?" My acquaintance scoffed. "It's been months, and he doesn't seem to be the kind to delay a deal like this."

"I don't even know," I sighed. "Some revenge plot. Won't get over just leaving it be, so that was one of the terms I had to agree to."

"Eh. That's a decent reason." She took her cell phone out of her pocket. "Five fourty-six. You said you had to meet with him at sunrise?"

I chuckled. "Hela, he's been stuck in a crystal for maybe five-hundred years. In a cave. He doesn't know the difference between midnight and noon."

My companion, Helena, though having forever insisted on being called Hela, nodded. "Fair enough. But he does... seem to get mad when you're late. Seriously, I know you enjoy it when pain is afflicted onto you, but I can tell your screaming is not of joy and happiness."

I lashed my furry tail. "Shut up. You have no business questioning his ways. I'll deal with my side of this, you deal with yours, got that?"

Hela thoughts for a moment before replying, "Alright."

"Now come on. Let's head back."

-=+=-

:)

1245 words