Ethereal: Trials of the Damned (On Hold!)

Chapter Three: Purple Heathens

They were walking to her new home. At least that was what Kai had said before he had briskly taken off.

She should have stayed in the lodge. She should have demanded he call Opal after he'd made it abundantly clear that he had no intention of helping her. There was a lot she should have done. But it seemed like old habits did die hard. Because she found herself submitting, chasing after Kai, struggling to keep up with his long strides.

She never considered herself to be athletic. Before the dark days, she danced, even ran track for a while, but that was the extent of her physical activity. Growing up, life kept getting in the way. She no longer had the time to explore her passions, her capabilities. And soon, desires were replaced by responsibilities. 

She recalled her final days of life – sitting in a corner, eating scraps, crying, hurting, wasting away.

But her lack of athleticism wasn't why she found it difficult to keep up with Kai. The moment she stepped away from the fireplace, she realized she was still soaking wet. Her oversized leather jacket was weighing her down, but it was too chilly to take it off. She wanted to ask Kai if she'd be in this state, frozen, forever, but a part of her didn't want to voice her assumptions. He already thought very little of her, she didn't want to add presumptuous to his list.

Maybe her new home had a change of clothes waiting for her, she thought, trying to be optimistic.

"Do you have to walk so fast?" Eira finally asked, huffing to catch her breath.

"Do you have to walk so slow?" Kai retorted, effortlessly.

Eira scowled. Of all the guides she could have been paired up with, she was stuck with the one that had a stick up his ass. Why did the so-called council even pair them up? Was this another form of punishment for commiting suicide? In what world did pairing them make sense to anybody? Kai didn't even believe in her.

Though, in hindsight, she shouldn't have been surprised when Kai had introduced himself as her guide. This was, after all, the story of her life.

And now it's the story of my death, she humorlessly thought.

The wind picked up as they continued down the beaten path through the forest. The dead leaves resting along the way rustled to life, swirling above the ground, dancing to the sound of the howling breeze. The silence that once echoed through the woodland was replaced with a distant whoosh, soft whistles, and rough crackling as the branches shook, grinding against one another.

Kai stopped abruptly. Eira quickly stumbled to a halt behind him, just barely avoiding running into his broad back. He let out an exasperated sigh, and then lazily turned around to face her.

"Whatever you do," he said, his voice took on a serious tone, "do not touch them."

Eira stared at him, confused. Before she could ask him what he meant, her attention was diverted by a slow shadow casting over the light gray sky. In the distance, she caught blanket of pasty fog creeping their way.

A feeling of unease consumed her.

With no other source of light, her vision had been hindered. She stole a quick glance at Kai, making sure he was still by her side, and let out a sigh of relief when she realized he was.

He stood tall, seemingly unfazed by the sudden changes.

The thick fog rolled past them, covering their legs. Soon, the atmosphere was draped in a cloak of terror. A quick flicker and crackle of light drew her gaze away from the heavy smog and toward the trees. Before long, her eyes were met with a static glow. They appeared from behind the long stalks of wood, illuminating the surroundings, paving their way through the darkness.