Soul Chains

Chapter 6: Blood of an Angel

The next day, I meet up with Reine on the way to school, walking silently side by side. Last night, I spent a few hours watching a movie with Ayette, Vivian, and Darian in the living room after Nathan and Melantha left. Reine ended up making dinner because she felt it necessary to repay us for being so kind to her and my parents had no objections to a nice, pretty girl offering to help out. Reine ended up making nachos with cheese and some sandwiches to go with, as well as a pitcher of iced tea. Ayette heated up a cup of Ramen for herself because she's not a huge fan of sandwiches and so she had her nachos with that. I want to be able to spend as much time with my family as I can, given that I might not see them for a long time.

As the two of us continue walking together, I recall one of the conversations I had with Reine in my room last night when the two of us were alone.

"Hey, Reine?"

"Yeah?" she asked, looking over at me as we sat together on my bed.

"What's your realm like?" I breathed out, "I mean, I might be staying there for a while, so..."

"My realm?" Reine's eyebrows raised before she turned her gaze away, fixating her eyes on the carpet, "well...it used to be quite beautiful. It still is beautiful, but it is much more dangerous now than it used to be. There are four major sectors and then there are six adjacent sectors. Then, beyond those six adjacent sectors, there are eight more sectors. There are also some areas that are not within any sector. The sector I came from was full of beautiful cherry blossom trees and it always felt generally warm there. I wouldn't call it super hot, but it was nice and there was often a warm breeze to go with it. I remember when I was a kid I always loved playing in the fields. I also enjoyed playing in the warm rain. It always made me smile. Training in the rain was fun too. I remember one time I was coming back from training and it just started raining as I was walking through my village. I was disappointed, but I remember smelling fresh melonpan coming from one of the market stalls and little eleven year old me sprinted to it as fast as I could, my sword draped across my back as my feet splashed through multiple puddles on the dusty dirt road. My mom made a fuss over me potentially getting sick or fatigued as she chased after me, but it was worth it to me. My father just laughed and encouraged me when he heard the story."

"Wow," I smiled softly at the girl before me who was fondly recalling her past, "it sounds like you really loved it there."

"Yeah," Reine smiled gently, looking over at me as her eyes held a warmth that somehow felt deeper than anything I've ever seen or felt, "I really did. I still do, it's just that...there is a lot of conflict now. I do my best to help with my fellow guardians, but sometimes it's not easy."

"Nobody ever said life was easy," I said, looking ahead at my door and smiling absentmindedly, unaware that Reine had her expression fixated on me, her eyes wide and her breath caught in her throat.

"Who all do you..." I clear my throat and Reine glances over to look at me, "who all do you have to pick up in this realm still?"

"Well..." Reine pauses for a few moments, thinking, "Renji is the last link in this realm, aside from you, Nathaniel, and Melantha."

"Where even is he?" I ask, raising a brow at her.

"Renji is also a junior like the three of you, but he turned seventeen a few months ago, so he's slightly older," Reine explains, "and he's...aware...of his nature. Renji is in a high school not too far from here, perhaps fifteen minutes away."

"He already knows?" I ask, surprised.

"Yeah," Reine hums in thought as we turn the corner of the sidewalk and come upon the school, "I will explain in further detail later. We'll be going to find him tonight, hopefully."