Nathan didn’t think twice before reaching for the doorknob. He shakily turned it with his left hand and the door burst open. The dogs were not stupid, and as far as Nathan was concerned, their hearing should have been better than their eyesight.

The one Nathan had kicked down the stairs was still a little disoriented, sparing him the few seconds he needed to enter the building. As for the guardian dog on the back, it still showed no signs of interfering, growling menacingly from a distance as it protected the little abomination.

With two dogs out of the equation, Nathan’s focus was set on the crouching bastard less than two meters away from him. Growling, the creature had blood dripping down its teeth, as it patiently waited for an opening to appear, ready to launch itself upon him, the moment his guard was down.

Even though it was smart, the dog’s intentions were as clear as the light of day in Nathan’s eyes. All he had to do was create a fake opening for it to bite, and then, like his predecessor, send the little bugger rolling down the stairs. ‘I hope this works…’ With an idea already forming in his mind, Nathan flung the door open and took half a step back.

The dog didn’t wait for him to enter the building and jumped right at him. With one foot firmly stuck on the ground, Nathan raised his other leg to kick it. Alas, he seemed to have underestimated the dogs’ intelligence a little. Having learned from his partner’s mistake, this guy was wary of Nathan’s kicks. So, when Nathan raised his leg to attack, it lowered its head in an attempt to protect it.

‘I missed,’ was all Nathan had the time to think as the two-meter-long monstrosity pounced on him. Before long, the two were interlocked in a brawl on the doorway’s entrance. One used its hungry maw dripping with saliva and blood in an attempt to bite, while the other fought to the best of his abilities to keep it at bay.

Adrenaline kicking in, Nathan was desperate for a way out. He had no time to waste, as the other dog would be joining the feast any moment now. And, if that happened, it would be an instant game over for him.

Nathan could smell the dog’s stinky breath as his hands barely kept its’ snout a few inches away from his neck. With one arm holding it tightly from the fur around its neck and the other pulling at the dog’s ear, Nathan’s mind spun as he searched for a way out. The dogs’ front claws were firmly stuck on the ground, making sure Nathan wasn’t going to go anywhere. And, from where he lay, it would be impossible to kick it away.

Feeling the fear of death slowly creeping in, Nathan’s gaze met the rabid dog’s eyes. It was laughing, mocking him for trying to outsmart it. “What are you laughing at, punk!” He couldn’t help shouting in anger. Losing was one thing, but being humiliated by a dog was a completely different matter.

Since he was going to die anyway, he might as well make the best out of it. Nathan’s already outstretched neck was retracted in an instant as he aimed to headbutt the beast. Luckily or not, his forehead bumped on the creature’s nose, disorienting it momentarily as it shook its head from right to left.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Nathan wasn’t prepared to let such an opportunity go to waste. Letting go of the monster’s neck, Nathan ignored the pain shooting through his arm and punched with all the strength he could muster. One hit, two hits, by the third one, the dogs’ claws were no longer firmly stuck on the wooden flooring. Feeling the space between them widening, Nathan finally had some room to breathe.

His previously useless knees were now furiously kicking the dog’s underbelly, procuring a muffled whine from the beast as it retreated outside in pain.

This was his chance! His one and only chance if he ever wanted to make it out of this predicament alive. Nathan didn’t even try to stand up, he crawled his way to the door, and with one full swing slammed it shut as the other dog’s figure showed up in his field of view.

Blocking the door with his body, Nathan could feel a shockwave from the other side as the creature’s body came crashing on it. He quickly put the chain lock in place and scanned the surroundings for anything of use. Sadly, there was nothing big enough to work as a barricade in the entrance’s corridor.

“Hey! Bring me something to block the door, I don’t think I can hold them for long!” Nathan shouted in hopes the residents would bring over a couch or something but, to his dismay, even after a minute had passed no one came to his aid. ‘Fuck,’ he could hear the dogs barking as they repeatedly scratched on the door. Left with no other choice than to wait it out, he stayed there, blocking the entrance with his body, in hopes they would get tired and leave at some point.

Ripping sounds could be heard as Nathan’s already torn t-shirt was shredded further. His arm was still bleeding, and with no bandages available, Nathan had to make do with whatever he had at hand. Wrapping the shreds of fabric around his wound, he somewhat contained the bleeding. ‘This should do for now,’ thought he as the banging on the door continued. “Persistent bastards.”

It wasn’t until ten minutes later that the dogs finally showed signs of tiring, and, contrary to his doubts, retreated… The door proved to be much stronger than Nathan first thought it would be, not enough for him to leave it alone but, since it didn’t break down, everything was fine. Letting out a tired sigh, he stood up from the dusty floor, lightly patting the dust off his buttocks.

Having spent a considerable amount of time blocking the wooden door, Nathan couldn’t help wondering why the residents never showed up. The door couldn’t have been unlocked on its own after all. ‘Right?’

*Gulp*

Swallowing the lump stuck in his throat, Nathan collected his bearings and voiced out his doubts. “Hello… Is anyone home? Thank you, for letting me in…” Silence permeated the air and only a door’s creaking could be heard coming from the hallway. ‘They must be really shy… Haha,’ with a not so funny joke forming in his mind, Nathan followed along the corridor, taking his first few steps inside the house.

The floor creaked with every step he took, giving away his position when he was trying to be as quiet as possible.

Taking in a deep breath, Nathan realized for the first time how stuffy the air inside the house was. ‘When was the last time they aired this place?’ He couldn’t help but wonder as he turned to leave his shoes by the doorway.

Silently, Nathan made his way through the hallway, heading for the creaking door to his right. Even though his eyes had long since adapted to the dim surroundings, the dim light coming out of the room attracted him like a moth to the fire. But, even the dim light couldn’t keep Nathan’s attention away from the intriguing paintings decorating the hallway.

‘Well… Whoever drew these must have been really high.’ Nathan lamented while retrieving his gaze away from the painting. A headless man on top of a horse, who not only juggled three heads at the same time but even spanked the horse on the way! That’s just crazy!

There was a swirling staircase leading to the upper floors of the house on the other end of the hallway, but it would have to wait until Nathan was finished searching the first floor. Having made it to the open door, Nathan took a peek inside. ‘Living room?’ He couldn’t help thinking as he walked into the room.

There was a couch, a fireplace, a coffee table, and everything else you would find in a proper living room. ‘Why does it feel so...’ Abandoned, was the word Nathan searched for. The stuffy atmosphere, the dust-covered furniture, and the ever so silent surroundings made him feel like he was in an abandoned house. And yet, he still remembered clearly the sound of the door being unlocked. Which contradicted everything else about this place.

The dim light was coming from the sole window of the room. It was mostly made out of glass, allowing the greyness of the outside world to invade the house. Nathan’s attention was drawn to the coffee table though, as an empty candle holder and two teacups lay quietly there. Ignoring the cups, Nathan picked the candle holder and got to searching. ‘There should be candles somewhere right?’ And, true to his thoughts, inside a small drawer by the fireplace, not only did he find candles, but even a box half-filled with matches.

With a newfound light source, Nathan could finally start exploring properly. It’s not like this place didn’t have lamps or anything, there was even an electrically powered chandelier in the hallway but, when he tried to turn the switch by the doorway on, nothing happened.

Nathan opened the only other door on the first floor; it was a kitchen. ‘No surprises here,’ thought he and left quietly for the second floor. He had no plans to search the kitchen for anything of value. For he was already feeling guilty, having been snooping around without the actual host’s permission. Not that he had a choice, but it still felt wrong.

Moving up the creaking stairway, Nathan held the small candle tightly in front of him. This was the second and last floor of the building, and from what he observed, there seemed to be a total of four rooms on this floor. ‘Here we go again…’ All of the rooms had their doors closed except for one, the furthest to the right.

Moving closer to that room, Nathan’s earbuds picked up the sound of someone scribbling on paper coming out of it, making him wonder if the house’s master was in there. He didn’t want to scare them, so he decided to make his presence known by letting out a light cough. “Is anyone there?” Nathan asked more for himself and less for the resident.

“Yes, first answer.” Resounded from inside the room. ‘A woman?’ Thought Nathan as he slowly opened the room’s door. A quick glance around the place revealed rows upon rows of bookshelves, all of them filled to the brim with books of all kinds and sizes. ‘That’s a hella lot of books.’ He marveled, as his gaze finally landed on the girl sitting in the middle of it all.

Nathan’s mind seemed to momentarily shut down. Before his very eyes, stood the prettiest girl he had ever laid eyes upon. Even professor Lexie’s looks wouldn’t stand a chance in front of her. Her pale blue hair couldn’t help but remind him of the ocean’s waves, as they fluttered with every stroke of her hand. Her pearl-like eyes glittered like shiny jewels as her gaze never left the paper.

The girl lay comfortably behind a massive office desk, with stacks upon stacks of books and papers surrounding her petite figure. Even when Nathan entered the room, her gaze never once left the paper she wrote on. That’s just how focused she was on her writings, or how little she cared about his presence.

“Ghm, you… You are?” Nathan asked awkwardly while retrieving his gaze from the girl’s figure. Her pale hands came to a sudden stop as she finally turned to take a look at him. The pale complexion of her skin gave her an ethereal vibe, sickly even, but in Nathan’s eyes, it only helped to accentuate her beauty.

“I am known by many names, but you can call me, Ayla. Second answer.” Now that Nathan had somewhat calmed down from the initial shock, he couldn’t help but wonder what this ‘first answer, second answer,’ was all about. Alas, Ayla’s melodic voice was too good on the ears, enchanting even.

Ignoring the obvious signs of danger, Nathan decided to ask the most important question he’d had ever since he first appeared in this world. “Can you tell me where I am? What is this place? And those dogs...”

A wide grin formed on Ayla’s lips, her melodic voice turning chillingly cold as she said, “this is the last question I will answer. Your kind calls this place the ‘spirit world’, but our world’s name is Erion. That’s where you are.” Her eyes turned sharp as she gazed at Nathan’s figure intently. “I have answered three of your questions. According to the spirit contract, I will now be claiming my payment. I hope you are prepared to pay the price.”

Nathan’s expression turned stiff when he realized; he had been fooled! The first thought to cross his mind was to run. Sadly, it was already too late for that. Unbeknownst to him, the witch had cast a spell or whatnot binding him and the floor together. Turning to face Ayla’s cold smile, Nathan asked. “Spirit contract? What contract?! And, what questions?!”

Ayla smiled and answered. “The spirit contract isn’t something you should concern yourself with. But since I have already answered three of your questions, I might as well answer one more before I claim the payment.” Ayla took a deep breath and slowly added. “For every three questions I answer to a single individual, I can claim any price I deem fair for them. Be it their life, a coin, a sock, or anything I can come up with at the time.”

“As for you? Hmm, let’s see. It’s not like I have anything against you, so are you willing to be my slave for eternity?” Her enchanting voice was once more in full display. Nathan’s mouth almost blurted out a ‘yes’ but he managed to bite his tongue at the last second. ‘That was close…’ Thought he, and refused blatantly. “NO!”

“Oh, that’s too bad. You would have made for an excellent toy… Well then, how about you sell me your soul?”

“NO!”

“Now you are just making things difficult for me.” She answered and stood up from her seat. “Then how about a part of it?” Nathan could feel an intense coldness pervade his very bones as the prettiest woman he had ever laid eyes upon, walked towards him. Her flowery white dress fluttered with each step she took.

“No…” Nathan persisted as he gulped down the lump stuck in his throat. “Hmmm… Quite tough, but I like it.” She whispered into Nathan’s ear before locking her gaze with his. “Then, I will just take a look at your soul threads... And I am not taking no for an answer.” She stated.

‘What is she on about? Soul threads?’ Nathan pondered and tried to refuse anyway. ‘What is going on?’ Unlike before, the words couldn’t leave his mouth. Ayla raised her pale white hand and pointed towards Nathan’s face, before flicking at it.

*Crack!*

Everything began shattering, Nathan could see her figure in the hundreds before everything turned black.

Inside the small library, Ayla’s figure was the only thing that remained, standing above the pile of ice fragments. Alas, inside her pearly blue eyes, a mass of silver and black interweaving threads seemed to be floating around her.

“Nathaniel Reycraft, how interesting.” A playful smile was plastered on her beautiful face as Ayla’s figure melted away, like the snow did in spring.