Those Who are Not

Chapter 1: The Empty Castle

I was offered to be part of the stranger's group. From what I've heard from the others, me, along with eight other people, have lost their souls in horrific ways. We are known as husks of the people we used to be, empty shells without souls that have no other purpose than to waste oxygen. I've even heard a couple of us say that we aren't even supposed to exist. Of course, that shocked me to the core... I'm right here, living! How can I be non-existant?
Since we have no souls, we cannot feel any emotion. We cannot remember our past before we lost our souls, as they are the link between what is real and what isn't. Every living being must have a soul to exist, unless of course, you're like us. If you have such a great amount of emotion in you, you will keep your own figure when you lose yourself. I must've been pretty messed up if I managed to look like this...
The stranger that found me at the mansion took me to a large castle in the middle of the woods. It is strange though, as it doesn't seem like any trees or wildlife get bothered by its presence. It's almost like the castle is only ever noticed by the ones who belong in it. While we were walking there, the stranger explained to me about "The Forgotten," a group of 8 other husks that have decided to band together to try to become whole again. He explained who we are to me, as I gave him a very confused look.
By the time we made it to the castle, he was in the middle of explaining our plan, in the middle of saying something about my importance. He ordered another member to show me to my room where my cloak and other necessities were waiting for me, and then he told me to meet him in the Tall Room in an hour. Tall room...
Before I could even finish my thought, the member that the stranger ordered grabbed my shoulder and pulled me into an empty bedroom on the upper floor, then walked away without saying a word. From what I could tell, they had a very strong grip, almost crushing my arm into powder. I sat down onto my bed. It was small, but large enough to host a small party if you wanted. There wasn't much furniture, just a bed, a nightstand, and a table on the opposite end of the room with my cloak on it, as promised. There weren't any paintings or pictures, and not a sound went through the entire castle. If I were to just stumble in accidentally, I would've thought it was abandoned three hours ago. I sat up and let out another sigh before stretching my sore arm out and walking over to my cloak. It was a smooth dark leather, so dark in fact, it's as if it was created by the shadows. Yellow trim lined every edge, especially the bottom, where lightning bolts patterned the bottom. I put it over my head and let it fall onto me. It was a perfect fit. Strange, but what hasn't been a little off recently? I used my window as a mirror to look at myself. My thick but short brown hair nearly covering my ears on both sides, mud all over them from when I was taking a dirt nap. My green eyes gave me the feeling of emptiness just by staring into them, like walking into a bright white roon and someone closing the door behind you. I rubbed my cheeks softly, massaging my rough skin. I've only been here for twenty minutes and yet I've already felt stressed. I decided that I looked good enough and walked toward my door. It's time to head to the tall room.