Maybe once I put it back, we can go meet Mother downstairs. She'll sing us lullabies like always, and tomorrow we'll play all the tag games we can. It'll be so much fu—
I stopped.
Something churned inside me. A twisting in my stomach and chest so sharp I fell off the bed. It was strong. The same cold feeling from earlier—only now, it was stronger. More nauseating.
"KAYA!!!" Naial's scream rang out just as I curled into myself on the floor. The light dimmed so much I could barely make anything out, save for the faint glow from my soul. She dropped beside me, clutched my shoulder, shaking me, panicking, shrieking louder than I'd ever heard her before.
I slowly sat up as the feeling began to fade. The orb wasn't in Naial's hands anymore—she must've dropped it on the bed.
"Big sis, what's wrong with you? You look like you're drained," she said, her voice cracking. It was the first time I'd heard real panic and fear in her voice.
Well, second, if you count what happened downstairs. Her hands were warm on my shoulders as we sat on the floor. But the chill? Still there. Crawling over my spine like moldy vines.
"I felt something, Nai. Something that wasn't nice," I whispered.
And whatever it was… it shouldn't be here.
I grabbed the bedframe, stood, dizzy but upright. "Naial, give me the orb," I said, more coldly than I meant to.
She scrambled onto the bed and grabbed it, a little rough. I braced myself, still off-kilter with my soul floating outside me. She handed it over, and I pressed it to my chest, the white light glowing across my clothes.
"Soul Flare: Seal."
The orb phased through my body, settling back inside me. A heavy breath slipped out of my mouth. Okay... that helped. Sort of. But the feeling was still there—stronger, hungrier. Like it had gotten inside the house.
The night breeze returned. I shivered. That spine-crawling, skin-prickling kind of cold. Naial caught me before I could fall again, steadying me. I tapped her hand gently, then pushed off the frame and started toward the door, still adjusting to having my soul back in my body. I limped slightly, but my strength was coming back.
It was going to take more than a wrong feeling to stop faith's own topaz-eyed incarnate.
I leaned on the door to catch my breath. I felt Naial behind me. Turned slightly—my right eye catching her in the periphery. Couldn't see her clearly, but I knew she was there.
"Nai, stay here. Lock the door after I leave," I said hoarsely.
She shook her head. Of course. What was I expecting?
I turned fully. "Naial, no. You have to understand—whatever's outside this door… it doesn't seem like the friendly under-the-bed monster kind."
She glared up at me. "I'm coming, Kaya. If it's something to face, we do it together. Okay?"
This girl.
"No, you are not. You can barely use your magic right. You'd be about as useful as the vegetables you refuse to eat—and worse." I paused. That made absolutely no sense. Now that I think about it...
"You're a child. I can handle myself."
She stepped closer until we were eye to eye. Her voice dropped, cold and quiet. "You're also a child, big sis. You aren't much different. You'll just get hurt. You don't have to do everything by yourself. What if you faint again?"
She stared blankly—but I could see it. The emotion. Barely held together under that blank mask.
I hated that she was right. Hated that we weren't much different. Hated that I was considering it. Hated myself for even considering it. Hated myself for even considering considering it.
She was right. For the second time tonight.
I groaned and turned to the door. "Stay behind me at all times. Understand?"
No reply. I'll take that as a yes.
I gripped the knob and twisted slowly. The door creaked open. I stepped out carefully. The prattling of tiny feet behind me meant Naial was close.
I checked both ends of the hallway. The light downstairs was still on, and I could practically taste the coppery tang of magic lingering there. Uncle Ren was never good at stealth.
I turned to the darker end. The cold instantly worsened. As we walked, Naial scuttled too close, making it hard for me to move. We pressed on toward the three rooms at the end of the hall.
The right door led to Father's study. Barred shut since he passed. Mother told us never to go in, no matter what. Good. I wasn't planning to. And thankfully, the cold wasn't coming from there.
How can a sane person call that fortunate? Yeah, I wonder that too.
We passed the study. The cold turned nauseating. I had to brace against the wall. Naial clutched my dress tighter as we made for the second door on the left.
Mother's room.
Totally useless trying that one. She had more wards on it than a paranoid flower-hoarding hermit.
Again, that made no sense. Couldn't agree more.
Which left the last door. The storeroom. It was always open—packed with random tools, materials, food, ornaments. Basically junk city.
But… dreadfully… that was where I felt it.
The magic there was off. Bland. Dark. Barely there—but too there.
Naial curled up beside me. I leaned into the door, pressing my ear against it. Nothing. No noise. But the feeling lingered.
I reached for the knob. Naial moved to the opposite side of the frame. We mouthed a countdown. Three... two... one—
I opened the door.
The hallway light spilled into the cluttered dark. The room looked bigger than I remembered. Not because it had changed—but because we were here for something real this time.
The floor creaked under our steps. Junk towered around us like crooked mountains. A breeze kissed my skin. Refreshing… but wrong.
"It's cold in here," Naial whispered.
"Yeah, how about you tell me something not so obvious?"
She slapped my back. I chuckled.
Still—nothing looked out of place. But the breeze… it came from inside.
Wait—breeze?
The window was never open.
And if it was now... that meant—
I clutched Naial's hand.
We moved deeper into the maze. Almost screamed when I saw a tiny creepy deity statue. Still no clue what it was. Go haunt somewhere else, thanks.
We reached the back wall. And there it was.
The window. Open. Curtains fluttering in the moonlight.
I froze. So did Naial.
I summoned a small lavender orb. Light flickered gently in my hand. It illuminated the space faintly.
No footprints leading out.
Which meant... either they left clean.
Or they were still hiding.
I saw a shift.
My heart stopped.
I raised a finger, signaling Naial to stay.
I crept toward the window, light gliding along my arm. Slithering. Reaching. Curling like it could feel what I did.
Manifest.
The light morphed—into a dagger. Kind of. It wasn't fully formed. My soul was still recovering.
I pulled the curtain.
No movement.
But I felt something.
Right outside the window.
Waiting.
Watching.
I steadied my breath. Stepped into my stance. Pulled the curtain.
Lavender dagger ready.
The night breeze brushed my cheek.
Movement—
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
A rat scurried along the ledge and vanished through a crack.
Seriously?
That was what we were chasing?
I groaned, slumping. The feeling vanished. The cold gone.
I knew it. Shouldn't have told Mother.
Would've been for nothing.
I shut the window. The curtains settled. That was it. End of story.
"Naial, false alarm, it was just a—"
And then it hit.
Cold.
Didn't need to turn. I already knew.
The moment I heard the whoosh, I dropped and rolled—just in time to dodge a strike.
Slammed into old furniture. Wood cracked around me. Debris rained down. The floor shook.
If I'd moved a second slower... I'd be a stain on the floor.
"It looks like we've got quite the feisty brat, Buck," a voice said—deep and amused.
A man stepped forward. Dressed in full black. No cloak. Just a mask over his mouth.
The chill in my bones lit up like fire.
So that answers the weird feeling.