=Varith=

Once beyond sight of the Garten’s walls, father sped up to a jog. Sacks of food and other necessities bounced on his back. The rest would be delivered later. His sudden haste worried me.

[Does he know about what happened? There's no way he could know that I was involved. Is it that he’s worried about mom, with a Revenant so close by? Even so she, is also a Wraith, so he shouldn’t be that worried about her. Then is he worried about us? We’re probably much closer to the Revenant then she is and, without Gafrin, my father wouldn’t be able to fight at his best. It could also be something else entirely, but I have no way of kno-]

“...A..sk..”

“.................”

“fath-FATHER!” Hearing my yell he slows down, allowing me to pull up even.

“Why are we in such a rush?”

“A Revenant, captured by a local Wraith, escaped but what I’m really worried about is what helped it escape.”

That surprised me, enough to stumble a bit, setting me a bit closer to him.

“What helped it escape?” I asked, a little panicked at the thought of being found out.

“They say a Revenant, in the form of a child, came from the crowd and released it.” He eyes me cautiously as he speaks and, veers away, increasing the distance between us.

[They must have seen me under the cloak, or my size gave it away.]

“Why is that so special?” I jog closer to him. .

“Even if they change their shape, it could never be to the level where they are able to fool someone, even wearing a cloak.” Another five steps, increasing the gap further than the last time.

“But then how was it able to hide in the crowd?”

Abruptly, my father comes to a complete stop. The stop is unexpected and I stumble trying to fast.

I sniff the air, trying to sense his emotions. The wind is blowing his scent in the wrong direction.

“Possession. They can take over someone’s body and use it as a vessel. They’re even able to access their victims memories.”

[Possession… Cor’s definitely not possessing me.]

“Can a Revenant and the victim’s souls coexist in the body?”

“Impossible. Revenant souls are just too different from a human’s. The conflicting energies would destroy the body.”

[What does that mean? That Cor’s not a Revenant?]

“Fath-” I intended to ask another question, but he resumed jogging just as abruptly as he’d stopped.

=Calibro's Wraith=

“Sir! We’ve received an emergency missive via spirit walk from the border of Reld.”

Currently embroiled in Council paperwork I gave the messenger a tired look. Calibro hanging over my shoulder floated forward a few paces.

“Emergency, you say?”

“Yes, sir. While transporting a Revenant for study, it seems the transport was attacked.”

“Casualties? They damn well be catastrophic for you to bother me about something so simple.”

“N-none Sir. The Revenant was freed and...”

“What? Spit it out man.”

“The Wraith that was in charge of the transportation is..... unstable.”

“Elaborate.”

“He refuses to leave his room. Even his own spirit is having trouble communicating with him.”

[To shut out his own Spirit…] The Contracts that bound man and spirit are an intimate affair. So much so that it tended to interfere with other relationships.

“Did they get a clear look at the attacker?”

“Yes sir, apparently it was a child, and from what we can tell it was possessed.”

“A Revenant possessed child?”

“Yes sir. Eyewitness testimonies seem to support it.”

“Strange. What sane Revenant would possess a child’s body?” Calibro pondered from behind me.

“There are no ‘sane’ Revenants, Calibro. You are correct though, for a Revenant to handicap itself like this…”

I grabbed the report the messenger had been holding out the whole time and started to read.

“Managed to incapacitate the Wraith and, after turning into an alley, disappeared without a trace. It’s acting too rationally. Must be an older Revenant.” Only the oldest Revenants didn’t behave like wild beasts.

“Yes, it seems so, but it’s still strange. Since when have Revenants bothered to help one another? Intelligent or not, they’ve never given a shit about each other.” Calibro gave a mental sigh, irritated at the irregular puzzle pieces.

“Strange, and to happen now of all times… It must be connected with the ‘anomaly’ Revenant,” I reply telepathically to Calibro. The timing is just too coincidental.

“Anything else?”

“Yes, sir. Apparently it left a clear trail of spiritual energy behind. The spirit of the Garten’s Wraith is requesting another Wraith to track down the possessed child.”

“It left a trail? If the Revenant is as old as we thought… Either we’re wrong, or it’s a trap.” Calibro voices his opinion from behind me.

“We’ll have to be careful then.” After a minute of thought, I give my response.

“Pull four Wraiths from an outpost on the border and send them in as replacements.”

“F-four, sir?

“Did I stutter, Wraith?”

“N-no sir, I’ll get right on it.”

=Varith=

Due to our fast pace, it only took around an hour until we caught sight of the familiar two story cabin that that is home. I make way indoors enjoying the aromatic smell of the food in the air.

“Mother, we’re home!” I shout, trying to catch her attention over the crackling of the fire.

“Ah, your ba-” She had turns from her cooking, making as if to embrace me, only to freeze in her tracks as soon as her eyes catch hold of me.

For a brief moment, a now familiar ‘scent’ had grabs my attention, but it disappears as quickly as it appeared.

[I-It must have been my imagination…]

“Why don’t you go out for a wash, the city can be a dirty place.”

“Ah, yes mother.” I move to leave, quickly finding the room suffocating. Not without noticing that she forewent the hug.

Outside, I dowse myself in freezing well water. I couldn’t help replay the scent. Concerns over what it meant surfaced and circulated in my mind.

Fear

[Does she know? Can she sense Cor? No, no, father didn’t…. right?] I feel a tinge of fear at the thought, my mind flashing back to the steps father had taken away from me.

[No...I-I can’t do this anymore. I need to tell them. M-maybe they’ll help. Yeah….. once they understand..]

A weight has been lifted off my shoulders, a burden I was allowed to put down. The decision to tell them, to share what was happening, gave me an energetic kind of glee. Humming I wring out my damp shirt, and put it back on starting my way inside.

They sat on the same side of our square wooden table, leaving one chair available on the other side for me. It left them a bit wanting for space. My happy mood was quickly being crushed by my parents subtle avoidance.

[...I’ll tell them tomorrow.]

After a rather somber meal that tasted sour in my mouth, I trudge upstairs without another word and prepare for bed. Laying down, I can’t help feeling a bit lonely.

Editor: Lecompte

PR: Leon Das