CHAPTER: 8 "Your Name"

A pair of curious eyes kept on staring at me, I tried to ignore him, but he just kept on staring. Slightly opening my eyes, I saw his face; he was the kid with Blue whom I saw in the hallway.

I couldn't keep on pretending to be asleep and rose from the seat which I was lying on, though the cabinet seemed small it was spacious enough to be able to sleep with my back fully spread instead of crouching uncomfortably.

The boy seeing me rise from my place flinched and tried to quickly flee the cabinet, sorry for him the cabinet had sliding doors.

"Where are you going?" I asked in a grumpy but soft voice, at least soft enough to not resemble the voice of a devil.

"I'm sorry Aunty, I-i didn't mean to disturb you." The boy said with an apologetic look. Awww, putting aside how he always calls me Aunty, he is so cute.

Ahmm... Putting on a stern facade I observed him closely. He had silky, but short brown hair with obsidian outline, his face looked plump but not fat and his skin was clear and bright. What piqued me the most were his soft Grey eyes, he didn't seem to be blind though, which means it was just his eye color.

"You have beautiful eyes, kiddo." I complimented him, but he kept moving his eyes around clutching his collar. With a calm voice, I continued. "Why don't you come sit with me? I don't bite others."

He obediently sat on the seat in front of me. He looked less nervous when he realized I was not going to scold him.

Silently I looked out the window taking in the scenery outside, well if you can call a boundless horizon of salt desert with lost spirits roaming around a scenery that is. It was a never-ending desert made up of salt where even cactus couldn't survive. This was Duat, the desert of purification.

Pushing away my stray thoughts I looked towards the boy meeting his curious eyes.

"Kiddo, what's your name?" I asked, but he didn't reply. I emphasized again. "You don't want me to keep referring to you as kiddo right, or do you?"

Finally, he answered with a low murmur barely audible, not daring to look in my eyes.

"Avian."

"Huh?"

"Avian, my name is Avian Shepherd." He answered loudly this time.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Good." I complimented him. And with a soft tone, I introduced myself. "Hello Avian. My name is Grey, Grey Wolff, I am......." I paused since I couldn't quite piece up my memories before death.

The memories remained, but they were now like puzzle pieces all jumbled up.

What was I before death? Why can't I remember properly? Was I a high school student or was I a freshman? How did I die?

The room went silent. Not just any other kind of silence, but an awkward one and I couldn't think of a way out of it. How could I continue the conversation when I couldn't even remember how I died?

With the smooth sound of sliding, the door opened accompanied by the loud, enthusiastic 'scream' produced by the mouth of a particular guide of mine. It was a saving bell for me, I never felt so thankful in my life.

"Grey, wakey-wakey!!!"

Even if I wasn't awake before, I would have woken up hearing that scream.... I complained inwardly but felt relieved.

"Oh! Avian, what are you doing here?" She paused and looked toward me. Blue then said sternly.

"Avian, can you go to your cabinet, please."

As soon as Avian heard her request, which in truth was an order, hopped away from my cabinet in a hurry.

Blue entered my cabinet closed the door behind and looked at me for some time, her eyes that were staring me turned dark obsidian. Coming closer she slightly touched my hair, softly burying her fingers in it. I was momentarily confused by the sudden act of affection and the soft cool sensation spreading throughout my body the area where Blue put her hand was the epicenter, which made me even more confused.

All of a sudden my jumbled-up memories fitted in order like somebody pieced up a puzzle for me, leaving me stupefied.

Keeping a calm front I asked her with a bit of intrigue in my voice. "What was that just now?"

"Oh! Nothing much, just some tricks." She replied calmly, but her actions as flamboyant as ever.

I squinted my eyes at her trying to figure out what she meant by that, only to meet with disappointment.

"So, you good friends with Avian?" Blue asked animatedly, she..... looked kinda of cute.

"Oh no! That kid got some social problems since the last time I met him, the only thing being the same is his disregard for others age." I replied with a blah-blah-blah face.

"Pfft!" She chuckled. "'A kid with social problems'? He's a supernatural ya know, and a powerful one at that too." She said laughing out loud.

"Supernatural? As in, as my Grandma?" I asked dumbfounded. Instead of answering she laughed even more loudly, it took some time for her to calm herself down before she could answer my question.

Wiping her tears and taking a deep breath she replied.

"No, he is a natural spirit. A product of human's belief."

"What?" I asked not getting what she was implying. Did she mean Avian was the same being as Dream, one of The Children of God?

"No, you are overthinking stuff," she replied, "he is an entity combined with the concept of birth. Unlike The Children of God, he is the incarnation of a more specific concept."

"So, why is his personality like that?" I inquired, shouldn't the concept of birth be.....more outgoing or something?

Blue went quiet for some time, she was just silent.

"Well, times have changed and so did beliefs that humans had. Before, birth was one of the sacred concepts, just below the concept The Children of God embodied, but now it is seen as a mistake. It's a concept no longer wanted by some humans. Well, in all ages times like this came when births were considered unnecessary, but it wasn't as bad as the situation that we are facing right now."

"So like due to the belief some humans have Avian's personality changed to that of a child who thinks he is unwanted." I sorted what I understood.

"Not just Avian, there are many more spirits that correlate to birth, Avian is the most well-known of them all." she paused before asking me a question. "Ever heard of the white Stork that delivers babies?"