{-Casrane-}
All she needed to do was find an object the ghoul was connected to, let it guide her to the shrine, and then she’d be done. It sounded so easy in every other context, from listening to others to reading about it. She might not have felt like there was some unspoken time limit, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a sense of urgency for other reasons.
She needed to show them that there were people they could rely on—that they could know that by actions, not just words. She might have failed her attempt to keep them from leaving her at all. But there was still a job to do and no reason to stop here.
“Ooh, what’s wrong?” the voice asked mockingly. “Is the hero nothing without her friends?”
“You wish.” She gave her surroundings a careful look before confidently heading towards a specific spot. As long as she knew where she was, she knew how long she had to go. “I’ve got a lot more experience than you might think tuning out things I don’t want to hear.”
It went on to say the kinds of things she was expecting; general accusations towards the hero. It was nothing that was supposed to be taken personally—the game didn’t have the kind of ability to make it anything more.
“Did you think this would be like those old stories? That by valor, the help of friends, and all those grand ideals, success would come easily? You know there’s a dark side to all of those fairytales—they all died in the end, evil triumphed, and comfort could only be claimed by the fact that it was never going to change.”
A bitter laugh sounded from all around her. She ignored it, taking a turn after seeing a mark that few would be able to notice on their first time through the area.
“What do you plan on doing when you get to Kehnore anyway? March around there like you own the place and hope everyone else follows along? I might not have been there myself but the living sure do talk! I might not know exactly what you’re expecting, but I bet it’s not what’s gonna happen.”
She continued to follow the trail of marks; most carved into trees, though some formed by flowers or rocks. There were more wisps around her, but they weren’t moving—only giving blank stares with little attempt at stopping her.
“I know what’s going to happen. You’re going to go there. You’re going to think that all you have to say is a couple of big words about being the hero. But they’re not going to praise you, venerate you, put all of their differences aside because of your name alone… they’re going to tear you apart. They’re not your allies and you’re not their hero. You’re the one thing keeping them from what they want. Do you really think they’d play nice? That is… assuming you’re ever content playing with me!”
All the wisps stepped closer and grew a bit larger. Casrane knew she didn’t need to worry about it as she bent down and pushed away some brush near a tree trunk. She picked up the charm that was nestled under the roots.
“H-hey, how’d you find that? You weren’t supposed to be able to find it! I thought they hid it somewhere safe!”
She admired the little metal charm before putting it away. “Thanks for letting me know for sure that this is what I’m looking for.”
An irritated growl. “Fine. Fine! If you don’t want to play fair, then neither will I!” One by one, the wisps backed away into the forest. Even if she couldn’t see most of them, she knew they were all still there. “You may have found that charm, but you’re not going to get any further! I’m not done playing with you. You’re going to stay here as long as I want you to and I’m never letting you go.”
The familiar figure that formed in the corner of her eye revealed what it intended on doing.
And that was not a part of the plan.
“Now,” the voice mused with a chuckle, “how about we get personal?”
Casrane tried getting away from the area, back to where she knew she needed to go next—but that didn’t mean those voices didn’t follow her.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“What do you think, Erin?”
“It’s your turn and you still haven’t moved yet.”
“You know that’s not what I was asking.”
A pause—enough time for a shrug. “I can’t make decisions for you and I’m not gonna stop you.”
“Can you try asking Mrs. Rogers?”
“I would’ve already done that if I could. She changes the subject as soon as possible.”
A sigh.
“You know, Mr. Mair seems more willing to talk to you than anyone else. You can try asking him—maybe not directly, but something to get him to say something helpful.”
Her expression was all too clear even if she tried to hide it. She hoped the only ones aware of this would be her and the soon-to-be-banished ghoul.
“What?” the voice laughed. “Didn’t think I had it in me? I’ll stop if you agree to play with me!”
She didn’t stop—she knew it was better if she didn’t. Yet she still dared to ask a question. “How do you know about that?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him?”
The wisps moved around again through the trees, blocking off where she’d been before but not where she needed to go. It helped assured her that things were, at least, not completely out of hand.
Yet.
She hated to have to consider the thought—but it would be pointless to try to ignore it at this point. Though there was beginning to be something else that she couldn’t help but wonder about…
Once again, two wisps emerged to follow her; they remained in the same pose, however.
“I’ve already told you.”
“I don’t understand how that’s really an answer.”
“Cassidy, you’re not going to be able to understand even if I tell you.”
“Can’t you try?”
“That’s just going to be a waste of time—and I know we both have much better things to do than that.”
“Please?”
“This is the last time I’m going to tell you: no. It’s too complicated for you to try to get yourself involved in. Believe it or not, this is for the better of everyone.”
“Can’t I at least hear why?”
A pause—he shook his head in that moment of memory. “If you’re feeling any better today, get ready for school. I don’t want to hear any more of this.”
She had, perhaps, had an idea of what she’d end up doing. From that moment on, she was sure of it. She was never fully aware of what he was so worried about, what bad things might come out of it. All she knew was that she’d do them a favor, from an outsider’s perspective thinking only good could come of it.
Was everything she was hearing and seeing right now one of the things he’d been afraid of?
She shook her head to clear it. It didn’t matter now—she’d think about that part later. She had a job to do and she knew she was getting close to finishing it.
“Wondering if you should’ve listened to him?” All the wisps grew a mocking grin. “I’m glad you didn’t. This is much more fun than I was expecting…”
“There’s still one thing you can’t do,” Casrane said casually. She stopped at a clearing, one surrounded by etchings in stone and a pedestal in the center. “You can’t change the outcome. I’m still the player here and there’s no amount of mind games you can try that could stop me.”
“Good luck! You know you’re not the first to find this place and I’m still here!” Yet there was a hint of fear in the voice; they both knew what she’d found and what that meant for it.
She took the charm out and placed it on the pedestal. Wisps had collected around the clearing but disappeared a moment after. Then, she went back to see what the stones had written on them. There was a story and the steps of a dance. She read the story aloud while following the directions, giving herself a moment to remember everything was alright.
“‘A child went out to play in the forest. They didn’t have that many friends and their parents were never around—or, at least, that’s what we’ve determined from brief interactions with them. No one knew where they had gone or when they left. When the townspeople tried looking for the child, it took them a while to find anything. But when they did… it didn’t give them much hope about the situation.’”
All the wisps faltered. The voice was shaky as it said in a near mumble, “I know this. Please don’t tell me…”
“‘The child had been attacked and killed. Their soul, still wishing they had someone to play with, remained in the forest, though it took a while for them to appear. When they did, they seemed benevolent at first—only wishing for someone to keep them company. As more people went by without giving them what they wanted… they grew wary and bitter. They no longer wanted to wait for people to come to them only to be ignored. Though they might not mean any true harm in it, they’ve posed a threat to many of the travelers who come along here. If you can find their charm—a keepsake of their former life—and complete these steps—something that used to be performed in their town—then they should be able to leave. Their name may be lost to time, but let us all still wish there is a place for them in the afterlife.’”
Casrane finished the dance and looked up to see all the wisps had disappeared. There was a sense of peace, in a way, that came from the silence. All that was left was to wait for her friends.