While Kayla may have realized that they were no longer with the living, she didn’t realize that the reason for their existence here was to fight a bunch of scary monsters. The green-eyed woman stared endlessly at Lamb, who stared back in silence while the other two ladies just wondered if they were going to say something to each other or not.
“Honestly, it isn’t so bad after a while,” Christina said, indifferently.
Kayla shook her head softly and looked over at Chris, “What do you mean after a while? This–I mean–Lamb is asking me to defeat a creature that I’ve only heard of in those… those…”
She was struggling to remember. Slowly, Kayla was beginning to realize that aside from common speech she could not remember anything from her time when she was alive.
“Scary movies?” Christina asked, finishing her sentence.
“Exactly! Wait, how did you know what I was trying to say?” Kayla asked, staring down in confusion.
“Let’s just say I’ve done this a few times,” Christina said, waving her hand up and down.
“B-But… why couldn’t I remember that?” Kayla asked, still confused.
Leah poked in, “You won’t remember a lot of things. Your memory will naturally come back to you as time goes on here.”
“W-Well, how long are we here for then?” Kayla asked.
Leah looked over at Christina who gave a doubtful face, “A long time.”
“A long time? Why are we here for so long though?” Kayla asked.
Chris looked at Kayla sympathetically before looking over at Lamb, “Are you ever going to answer that question?”
Lamb looked over at Chris before looking at Kayla, “Your existence here is to fight demons. If you are not content with that, you are free to give up. But I am telling you, as your overseer, you do not want to do that.”
Christina gave Lamb a long look before sighing. That was the same answer she received, and it was the same answer they were all given when they had arrived here. Kayla shook her head, unable to understand Lamb’s words or why the animal refused to tell them any exact details.
“W-What do you mean by giving up?” Kayla finally asked after taking a moment to register Lamb’s words.
Christina looked over at Kayla, “Your soul will simply cease to exist here. What happens after, nobody knows.”
A thought crossed the yellow-eyed woman before giving a sad smile to Kayla.
“So we are s-stuck here then?” Kayla asked.
“It really isn’t so bad here. And fighting the demons might be the worst part about it, but it gives us something to do while we wait here,” Christina tried to reassure her.
Kayla felt conflicted, unsure of what to think. But it didn’t really seem like they had much of a choice. That pained look on Christina’s face when she spoke of giving up didn’t assure Kayla that it was the safest choice there was.
“Hey, on the upside you get some really pretty battle armor and a super awesome weapon to match?” Christina said, trying to lighten the mood.
Kayla looked at Christina, “A w-weapon?”
“Yeah! It’s super cool!” Chris said.
She tapped the crystal on her chest three times before it began to glow. It glowed until a circle appeared and Christina stuck her hand inside to pull out a sword. Kayla looked amazed when she saw Chris grab the sword and swing it around like a true warrior. She blinked her eyes and noticed something glimmer behind her. She looked from Christina to the side where Leah was fully armored and even holding a giant hammer.
“W-What will my weapon be?” Kayla asked.
Lamb stepped in now, “Change into your armor and see for yourself.”
Kayla looked at the small white animal before staring at the ribbon that was still in her hand.
She closed her eyes, giving a soft sigh, before finally uttering, “Activate.”
The ribbon began to glow. Kayla opened her eyes and gave a small gasp. Christina motioned for her to put it on her chest. Kayla did so, and noticed that the thing had attached itself. She pulled her hand away, seeing the same gold-trimmed jewel that Chris had, only hers was blue like the ribbon. Kayla watched a flurry of shimmering ribbons surround her chest, her shoulders, and down her legs. Normally she would have been frightened by an experience like this but because the light was so warm and inviting, it was hard to feel that way.
Her clothes that she was wearing before disappeared, and the ribbons began their work to create her uniform. The pleated sleeves and matching skirt with the form-fitting fabric around her torso and waist was covered in bright white and striped in blue. Her feet were given heels that covered the entire foot up to the ankle, but left a triangular peep hole for show. Finally, she was given the final cosmetic piece of her look before the original ribbon tied itself into the bun that held up her hair. After the transformation was over, her ears twitched from the noise of everyone approaching her and her tail wagged in excitement.
“Aww, you’re such a cute fox! Reminds me of a song,” Christina stopped and gave a thoughtful look.
Leah looked at Chris with a raised eyebrow before shaking her head, “Blue suits you.”
“Thank you,” Kayla said, looking down at her clothes.
She felt strange being in a skirt, perhaps she wasn’t a fan of them in her previous life. The one where she was alive.
“Oh I know that look, that’s that ‘I don’t like skirts look’,” Chris poked at Kayla with a smirk on her face.
“I-I suppose I don’t,” Kayla responded.
Christina gave a hearty laugh, “I know you don’t! Because that’s the same look Leah gave me when she first tried on her uniform.”
“To be fair, I think she pulls the skirt off better than I do,” Leah inserted.
“Nonsense! You look beautiful in the skirt, you all do! So what if you’ve got some thickness? I can tell you right now, I’m not a big fan of my hips and thighs either. And I’m wearing stockings!” she pointed at the purple stockings shaping her legs, “I mean look at this, they look like they’re choking my thighs right now. Seriously.”
They heard someone clear their throat before looking down and seeing Lamb now, “She still needs to receive her weapon.”
Kayla looked at Lamb before looking at Chris and Leah.
“You remember how I did it right?” Chris said, pointing at the gem in the middle of her chest.
Kayla nodded her head. She looked down at the gem on her chest. With her fingers, she tapped the thing three times. A glowing circle appeared before her. Kayla gave a quiet sigh before reaching her hand inside. She grabbed something and held it tight before pulling it out. Everyone watched in curiosity to see what the blonde would get.
“Ooooh,” Christina said in awe.
Kayla stared at the large weapon in her hand, The long staff with a hilt at the end and a blade on the other.
“That is a naginata, a type of pole weapon,” Lamb explained.
“Looks like a spear,” Christina commented.
Kayla held it in both of her hands, seeing her own reflection in the blade as she looked closer. She couldn’t recognize herself as she placed one of her hands on her face. Was this really her?
“You okay?” Leah asked.
Kayla looked up at Leah and nodded her head softly. It was very strange to see her own self for the first time, but eventually she would get used to this body.
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“We are going to show you the demons you will be fighting now,” Lamb said.
Christina gave a concerned look to Lamb, “Are you sure that’s a good idea right now? It’s barely her first day.”
“The sooner she is exposed, the easier it will be for her to transition on the battlefield,” Lamb explained.
Chris’ hand slowly gripped into a fist as she looked over at Kayla, “Don’t worry Leah and I are here for you, okay?”
Kayla looked worried as she held her weapon in a nervous manner. She nodded her head and watched the two other ladies walk over to a wall, being on standby just in case. Lamb was standing in front of Kayla and for a moment it was just silence in the basement. But suddenly, the lights went off. When the lights turned back on, a black entity was standing in front of Kayla now. She gave a small gasp as the woman could only imagine what it was: a demon.
The demon had blood-colored eyes, a black and gray spiral for a mouth, and its neck kept making this cricketing sound every time the head had reached a perfect 90 degree angle. The rest of its body looked like a starved human body, but it was missing a foot and the other leg was skeletal. The leg with the missing foot was standing on its tibia and fibula bones making its entire lower half uneven and unnerving. With only one arm, it began to swing back and forth as the demon got closer and closer to Kayla. She stood there, frozen in fear as her eyes could not tear away from that unending swirl in its mouth. The coil was practically pulling her in and she could not break away from it. Once the demon got close enough, it used the one good arm it had and caressed Kayla’s face. The demon began to make a vacuuming sound, sucking her head into its mouth.
Kayla whimpered, dropping her spear out of fear while the mouth got bigger and bigger. It was about to completely engulf her face before someone finally stepped in. The demon screeched in pain when it was hit with a sword. Kayla felt herself falling and then blacked out from the event.
Kayla slowly groaned, looking at her surroundings now and seeing that she was still in this strange, colorless city. Her eyes glanced over at the Lamb who stood by her while the animal looked over in the distance. It was difficult getting up but it seemed they were in no hurry since Lamb just stood there.
“You are late,” the white creature said.
“Yeah I know, I got held up by a couple of demons,” Christina’s voice was so clearly heard.
Kayla gave a soft moan, looking at the girl but unable to see her features. Lamb spoke again, “Hurry then, before they come back.”
Christina knelt down, holding something in her hand before placing it on Kayla’s body, “Hi. I know this might be strange to you right now, but I promise it will get easier a little later.”
Kayla opened her mouth to speak, “W-Wh-Who…”
“I know, you have some questions,” Chris grunted as she picked up Kayla’s body and fixed her so that she could carry her properly, “And I’ll try to answer them when we get home.”
Kayla felt odd being carried by this person, but she seemed friendly. They began walking down the street with Lamb following behind.
“Don’t go that way,” Another voice said from behind them.
Lamb turned fully, “What are you doing here?”
“There’s demons hoarding in that area, too many for Chris to handle on her own,” the voice was feminine but because it was dark Kayla could not see her clearly.
“We’ll take another route then,” Christina said.
“You must head back, Owl will be suspicious if you don’t,” Lamb warned.
“Owl is always suspicious, and I don’t intend to change that anytime soon,” the voice said.
There was a swooshing sound and it seemed the voice had disappeared because Chris began walking again.
“I miss her,” Christina admitted.
Kayla woke up with a gasp, not as scared as she was when she first awoke but definitely flustered. Leah hushed her, sitting by her bed side and looking down at her as she lay on her bed.
“Wh-What happened?” Kayla asked, lying there while Leah looked at her.
“You passed out from shock. It happens,” Leah told her.
Kayla quietly sighed. She began to remember her dream, or if it even was a dream. The green-eyed woman looked over at the door, seeing it was open and hearing two voices but they sounded far away.
“Chris was really upset that Lamb, kind of, threw you into that situation. It’s hard to understand what Lamb is up to sometimes, but usually their intentions aren’t bad,” Leah told Kayla.
She looked back at Leah before nodding her head, “That demon was really scary.”
“Yeah, that one is pretty creepy. The other ones can be worse though,” Leah said.
“Other ones?” Kayla said, troubled by the thought of demons worse than the one she encountered.
“Yeah.. I know it sounds like a lot but you will get used to it. I mean, I’ve been here for a little while now and gotten accustomed to such things,” Leah told her.
“How long have you been here?” Kayla asked, slowly sitting up now that she was feeling better.
“Hmm… To be honest, I lost track after two months,” Leah shrugged.
Kayla gave a soft sigh. It was then, they heard footsteps descending down the stairs and over to her room before hearing a couple of knocks. Christina smiled at Kayla, seeing that she was awake now.
“How are you feeling?” Christina asked.
“I’m fine now,” Kayla said, “What did Lamb say?”
“The same things,” Chris rolled her eyes before grabbing the chair in the room and dragging it over by Kayla’s side, “That it's important you learn to fight the demons, time is of the essence, and all that fun stuff. Lamb’s been saying that for a long time though so don’t pay any mind.”
Kayla nodded her head, “How long have you been here Christina?”
Chris raised her eyebrows wondering where that question came from. She looked over at Leah who gave a soft smirk and shrug.
“Well, I was one of the first ones here actually. Me and this other girl, we arrived here at the same time. Of course, Lamb was the first one we met but then we met this lady. I think she was older than us, or maybe she had just been here a lot longer than us but she was like our mentor. Taught us a few things about where she came from and why we were here,” Christina said before shaking her head, “Sorry I always get off topic. Uh, I don’t know how long. Just assume I’ve been here a long time.”
Kayla sighed once more. It looked like they were all here for the long run. Christina could see the look on Kayla’s face and understand how she was feeling. But hopefully time would speed up soon enough.
“Why do we fight the demons?” Kayla asked.
Christina looked at Leah before looking at Kayla, “Lamb tells us it's because it's part of our work here. And also, demons on the loose is not exactly a good thing.”
“A-Are there no good demons?” Kayla continued to question.
“No honey, there is no such thing as a good demon,” Christina said, being a bit more affectionate with her words.
The nickname threw Kayla off a bit but it did not stop her from asking one more question.
“Are there more of us?” Kayla asked.
At that Chris and Leah smiled, “Yes, there’s a lot more of us.”
“H-How many more?” she asked, feeling reassured by their answer.
“Twelve more,” Lamb answered, standing by the door, “In fact, your other teammates will be arriving back here soon to begin your real training.”
“R-Real training?” Kayla asked.
“Seriously Lamb? She just got here,” Chris said, wondering what the point of their earlier conversation was.
“There is no longer time. She will learn with the rest of you as you go,” Lamb said, “Get some more rest. Your journey has barely begun.”
The little animal walked away. Chris sighed while Leah looked at Chris then Kayla. Kayla seemed a bit disheartened by what Lamb said. She really did not want to go through that situation with the demon again. And knowing that there are more of them, some worse than the one she just experienced, it scared her.
“Don’t worry, we’re all going to help you. If you fall behind, we will help you catch up. We’re a team, okay?” Christina said, reassuring Kayla.
Kayla looked at Christina and nodded her head. At least she would not be alone on this excursion. Leah stood up first, patting Kayla’s hand as she left. Christina also stood up and put her chair back where it was before waving goodbye to her. They closed the door behind them as Kayla looked up at the blank white ceiling now. Initially, she didn’t feel tired anymore but as boredom began to creep in her mind so too did her sleepiness. And then, she did sleep.
----------------------------------------
Kayla opened her eyes and looked up to see herself sitting on the dining room table. She looked around, seeing the kitchen just on the other side before getting called.
“Kayla, stop looking around and eat your food,” her mother told her.
Kayla’s mother had short, black hair with warm brown eyes, “Yes mama.”
She began to eat the rice on her plate while her father was absent from the table. Young Kayla looked at her mother.
“Where is papa?” she asked, in a small voice.
“He is working late today,” her mother answered.
“Oh,” Kayla replied.
“That’s why you need to study and get good grades in school, so you don’t have to work overtime like your father does every day,” her mother said.
“Yes, mama,” Kayla answered once more.
It was quiet at the dining room table that night. In fact, it was always quiet at their dining room table, even when Kayla’s father was present. After the young girl finished her dinner, her mother gave her some study materials. In her room, Kayla began to read through them and answered some of the questions at the end of each chapter. It was also like this every night. No matter if it was a school night, the weekend, or even vacation, young Kayla drowned herself in her books hoping to please her parents and become the successful young woman they dreamed for her to be.