The Protectors

The Sleeping Spirit

I gasped as blood flowed out my injured eye as I gazed upon the girl in the hallway. Fire seeped through my skin and I tried desperately to calm myself down. Why the hell did my fire act up because of a ghost? I ignored the pain in my eye as I picked up my room key at the front desk, also ignoring the protests of the woman standing there.

I walked into my room, thankful that I didn't have a roommate as of yet. I sighed deeply as I walked to my stuff that had been taken here by myself almost a week ago. I went to the first aid and stripped away my eye patch and grabbed some bandages. I dabbed always at the blood, wincing every so often. Once my eye was taken care of, I noticed I had caused a burn on my fingers.

I sighed as I wrapped up my hand. I heard a knock on the door and looked through the peep hole. I frowned as I opened the door. "Sup, Seth." He took one look at me and dragged me out of my room by the arm. I didn't really care where we were going. We needed up at what I was assuming was his dorm. He opened the door and I saw Joshua reading a book. He glanced up at us and his eyes widened.

He rushed to my side and I felt a burden come off of my shoulders. I breathed out and made sure my hair was covering my eye, taking extra care to keep it closed. "What the hell, Llesme?" Seth made a glare towards Joshua, but looked at me with concern. "Seriously Llesme, are you sure there isn't something you need to tell us?" I nod slowly and smile. "I'm fine, really." Leaning against the wall, I cross my arms.

"I saw something and it freaked me out, that's all there is to it." Seth sat next to Joshua, his partner snaking his arms along his waist. "Do you want to talk about it?" I shake my head no, not wanting to strain my already injured eye. "Really, I'm okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow during classes?" They both nod as I show myself out. I wander down the hallways and go back to my room.

I tie a new eye patch over my eye with a sigh. I decide to wander for a while, taking advantage of the, most likely, rare, free time. It was very quiet in the school at night, luckily there weren't many rules other than stay on campus during the night. Like normal, the night is comforting, providing a gentle breeze that shifted the trees ever so slightly. The moon shone down, leaving my pale skin glowing. By the edge of the forest, that marked the edge of the campus territory, there was a big tree.

I took a careful look at it, deciding I liked the strangely grown limbs. I sat down under it and took a breath, allowing myself to relax. It wasn't often that I got a chance to be all by myself. The silence, apart from the sound of the wind, gave me a connection to the elements that I appreciated. I allowed myself to hum gently, bringing my hand back and forth over the grass softly.

After two hours of much appreciated silence, I walk back to my dorm. There's a few hours left until classes start. I walk down the hallways and am horrified by the scene a few feet in front of me. There was a boy who seemed normal enough until I saw the rouge iris' with sharp pupils. Bellow this boy, on the floor was another. They seemed to be an Ushi-oni, a Japanese yōkai that have sheep horns. This Ushi-oni had short white hair and green eyes with very dark colored skin. The demon above him had beaten this poor kid to a pulp, and he made eye contact with me.

I felt tears hit my eyes, but refusing to let them run down my cheeks. I walked closer as the demon growled. "Back away, one-eyed-freak!" I spoke in a low but natural tone. "No thank you. Please leave." He growled and rolled up his sleeve as the kid below him scooted closer to the wall. "Don't make me hurt you, girl!" I changed the emotion in the demon to anxious, hoping that would be the safest option. He looked around and then at me, seeming both angry and anxious. "What the hell did you do to me?"

It was then I noticed a silver cross on a chain, dangled across his neck. It was unusual for a demon to have affiliations with the lord, but it wasn't impossible. It was too late for me to move when he swung quickly at my face, his fist clenched. I felt pain searing into my face and fell backwards. The kid freaked out more, then ran down the hall. The Ushi-oni boy crawled over to me, telling me to stay awake. My eyes were getting heavier by the second, my consciousness slipping from my grasp. I whispered and felt blood come down my face as I tried to make a connection. My words came out almost silently, but I felt my body get heavier as the world went dark. "Seth..."