They were walking to her new home. At least that was what Kai had said before he had briskly taken off.

She should have stayed in the lodge. She should have demanded he call Opal after he'd made it abundantly clear that he had no intention of helping her. There was a lot she should have done. But it seemed like old habits did die hard. Because she found herself submitting, chasing after Kai, struggling to keep up with his long strides.

She never considered herself to be athletic. Before the dark days, she danced, even ran track for a while, but that was the extent of her physical activity. Growing up, life kept getting in the way. She no longer had the time to explore her passions, her capabilities. And soon, desires were replaced by responsibilities. 

She recalled her final days of life – sitting in a corner, eating scraps, crying, hurting, wasting away.

But her lack of athleticism wasn't why she found it difficult to keep up with Kai. The moment she stepped away from the fireplace, she realized she was still soaking wet. Her oversized leather jacket was weighing her down, but it was too chilly to take it off. She wanted to ask Kai if she'd be in this state, frozen, forever, but a part of her didn't want to voice her assumptions. He already thought very little of her, she didn't want to add presumptuous to his list.

Maybe her new home had a change of clothes waiting for her, she thought, trying to be optimistic.

"Do you have to walk so fast?" Eira finally asked, huffing to catch her breath.

"Do you have to walk so slow?" Kai retorted, effortlessly.

Eira scowled. Of all the guides she could have been paired up with, she was stuck with the one that had a stick up his ass. Why did the so-called council even pair them up? Was this another form of punishment for commiting suicide? In what world did pairing them make sense to anybody? Kai didn't even believe in her.

Though, in hindsight, she shouldn't have been surprised when Kai had introduced himself as her guide. This was, after all, the story of her life.

And now it's the story of my death, she humorlessly thought.

The wind picked up as they continued down the beaten path through the forest. The dead leaves resting along the way rustled to life, swirling above the ground, dancing to the sound of the howling breeze. The silence that once echoed through the woodland was replaced with a distant whoosh, soft whistles, and rough crackling as the branches shook, grinding against one another.

Kai stopped abruptly. Eira quickly stumbled to a halt behind him, just barely avoiding running into his broad back. He let out an exasperated sigh, and then lazily turned around to face her.

"Whatever you do," he said, his voice took on a serious tone, "do not touch them."

Eira stared at him, confused. Before she could ask him what he meant, her attention was diverted by a slow shadow casting over the light gray sky. In the distance, she caught blanket of pasty fog creeping their way.

A feeling of unease consumed her.

With no other source of light, her vision had been hindered. She stole a quick glance at Kai, making sure he was still by her side, and let out a sigh of relief when she realized he was.

He stood tall, seemingly unfazed by the sudden changes.

The thick fog rolled past them, covering their legs. Soon, the atmosphere was draped in a cloak of terror. A quick flicker and crackle of light drew her gaze away from the heavy smog and toward the trees. Before long, her eyes were met with a static glow. They appeared from behind the long stalks of wood, illuminating the surroundings, paving their way through the darkness.

"Dark wisps," Kai muttered. He locked his fingers around her wrist and pulled her behind him. "Stay close. Keep your mouth shut."

Eira complied with ease.

She was entirely captivated by the little balls of energy, radiating a murky purple essence. They hovered in the air, swaying back and forth. She didn't know if it was their soft humming, or their alluring colour, but they seemed to be drawing her in.

She felt Kai's grip tighten around her wrist, and he tugged her back. "Stay put."

Eira stood, dazed. She hadn't even realized she had moved, much less moved forward. It definitely wasn't her imagination, the little imps were reeling her in.

"What's going on?" she voiced her thoughts.

Instantly the humming stopped. The wisps froze in place. And everything fell silent.

"Fuck!" Kai hissed under his breath.

Before she knew it, the wisps charged towards them. Her body immediately tensed up, and she shut her eyes reflexively. The silence was replaced by strong buzzing. She braced for impact, but nothing happened.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and was met with a blinding flash of light. She winced in response. It took her a moment to recover, but when she did, she felt her jaw drop.

She found herself standing in the eye of the tornado. Only, it was made up of a hundreds of tiny wisps, rapidly circling around her in perfect unison. They were moving quickly, quicker with each passing second. Before long, it looked like they melded together to create a magnificent beast; a colossal tornado. But it wasn't frightening as Eira would have imagined it to be. Rather, the twister left her feeling hypnotized. Its purple insides looked soft and airy yet silky, like velvet cream.

She had never seen anything so beautiful, so enticing. She wanted to reach out and touch it. To feel it fall over her fingers, slither over her body, wrapping itself around her. As though listening to her thoughts, the walls of the tornado narrowed in response. It spoke to her through movement. With its every spin, she felt herself falling deeper and deeper.

She suddenly felt a strong urge to jump into its embrace, allowing it to envelop around her. It wasn't until Kai stepped in front of her, blocking her line of sight, that she snapped out of the trance.

He wore a stern look, wordlessly warning her to stay put.

The wisps began closing in and the buzzing grew dreadfully loud.

"Hang on," he shouted, before he grabbed onto her waist and pulled her into him. She didn't get a chance to complain. When his hand wrapped around her waist, locking in place, her whole body stiffened. She became very aware of how close their bodies were to one another. And she was not comfortable with their proximity.

He closed his eyes and began muttering something. In an instant, the middle of his forehead began to glow, emanating a greenish blue hue. It stretched from its center, wrapping around their bodies.

In a blink of an eye, she found herself standing in a small, poorly lit, bedroom with wooden panels for walls. She noticed a fairly large bed situated in the center of the north wall, standing perfectly parallel to the single arched window. There were two large lamps, on either side of the bed. Only one was lit. The room held very little else. It was definitely a minimal bedroom. It didn't even seem to have a closet, a washroom, or an exit. Unless all three doors were craftily hidden behind the wall panels.

She was about to ask him about the door situation, when Kai pushed her away.

Surprised, Eira staggered back a few steps. She stared at him in anger. "What th–that was unnecessary!"

He shrugged, ignoring her glare. "I believe you're looking to thank me," he paused, expectantly. When she didn't show him a speck of gratitude, he said, "You're welcome."

Eira ignored his sarcasm. Her mind was still caught up with what she'd seen, and how she'd felt, in the forest. "What was that?"

And that was when she saw the transformation. Snide remarks forgotten, Kai's eyes flared up, turning into inhumanly narrow slits, and there was a drastic shift in his demeanour.

"Dark wisps," Kai sneered. "Don't you listen?" He slowly approached her. "Oh, that's right, you don't!" His voice rose with every word he uttered. He threw his right hand up, clearly aiming it towards his head full of hair, but Eira didn't realize it until it was too late. Her body involuntarily, automatically, flinched. In that moment, Kai's eyes locked onto hers. And then everything between them slowed down.

His narrow eyes widened, and she caught a brief flicker of remorse flash through his pupils before his eyes turned void of emotion. He took a breath, dropping his arm, clenching both his hands into fists. The words that followed had an edge to them, but were spoken softly. "Next time I tell you to shut up, you shut up. Am I making myself clear?"

Eira nodded, trying to bounce back from the embarrassment. She knew exactly why she'd reacted like that. Memories, ones she'd buried deep within her mind were trying to resurface. She resisted, pushing them back down.

"It would help," she began, warily, "if you explained better. You don't really make it easy for me to trust you."

"You don't need to trust me," Kai answered, dismissively. "As your guide, I am obligated to ensure your safety. When you were in danger, I told you to shut up and stay put. I did my job and warned you. You failed to listen. If you fail to listen during your trials, you fail, period. Ergo, to stay safe, and succeed, you need to learn to listen."

Eira eyed him. "If ensuring my safety is your obligation, why didn't you just poof us out of the forest the moment you sensed danger? Why wait until the last moment?"

Kai didn't respond.

She shook her head in disbelief. Had he really thought his act had gone by unnoticed? To think, he had the nerve to demand for gratitude. "See, I listen and observe just fine..., asshole."

"Brat," Kai shot back, without missing a beat.

Before Eira could retort, he let out a loud sigh. She held back the urge to call him a jerk.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at her. "Look, your trials will not begin until you have completed the orientation. Given our recent encounter with the wisps, I can postpone it to tomorrow. Until then, you should rest. Sleep. Recalling your mortal life and pushing all the layers of... nonsense back into your being can take toll on your soul," he jeered. "It is a...less than perfect system, but necessary."

"Why?" Eira found herself asking. Before Opal had returned her memories, Eira recalled feeling light. Despite being confused, she enjoyed being blind to the burdens of her past. It was liberating. And it was a feeling, she realized, she would miss.

"How else can you redeem yourself?" Kai questioned, rhetorically. "There is no such thing as a clean slate. Remember this, anywhere you go, your baggage will follow. That is why you have a choice. You always have a choice. And your choices shape your life, from your memories to your path. Did you really think death was the way out?"

Eira didn't answer. She looked away from Kai's burning gaze.

She wasn't really thinking about anything when she had jumped. She just wanted to end the pain. To be finished with the misery, the shithole that was her life.

Kai scoffed. She looked at him and realized he was no longer focused on her. Instead, he had turned his body towards the window. "Death offers penance, but redemption," he chuckled dryly, "redemption is earned."

She didn't have to ask him what he meant. She could put two and two together. He was referring to the trials, that much she understood. But one thing bothered her. Something she knew he wouldn't answer. But she couldn't shake the question. Why did the concept of trials, her trials, affect him so much?

She stared at his back. His posture had fallen, his shoulders slouching, mimicking defeat, as he continued to stare out the window, lost in his own thoughts.

Eira cleared her throat. "Are you okay?"

"Of course," Kai snapped, turning around. "I am not weak." 

Eira ignored his snippy remark. She realized the longer she fell prey to his slandering tongue, the less time she would have to find a way out of this mess.

"Why was I drawn to the wisps?" Eira asked, crossing her arms.

"Stay away from the wisps," Kai answered, tiredly. "They're heathens. If they come at you, you run. That is all you need to know."

"No!" Eira said. She was getting tired of the vague responses, and the cryptic answers. She deserved to know what she had gotten herself into, especially if there was no way around it. "You're supposed to answer my questions and help me understand. Opal said it was your job. So do your damn job, and tell me why the hell was I drawn to the damn wisps?!"

"Because they're attracted to weak souls," Kai answered. Eira searched for the insult in his words. But his tone was neutral. He didn't even look at her. And she couldn't tell whether he was being sarcastic or serious.

The uncertainty affected her in a way she didn't think possible.

"I'm not weak," she shot back. So much for ignoring his remarks.

Kai raised an eyebrow. She couldn't believe how frail her voice came out when she spoke those words. How was he supposed to believe her when she couldn't even convince herself?

"Okay then," he said, taking a step back. "If we're done with this," he paused, as though trying to find the right word to say, "absurdity... it has been a long day, for the both of us. Let's call it a night. I will come get you in the morning."

Eira gritted her teeth, repressing her bubbling anger. She had to kill herself to escape her miserable life... only to find out that she didn't deserve the peace she sought, the peace she had killed herself for, and he thought he had a long day?!

"No way!" she said, her stance firm. "We are not done. What happens if I touch them?"

"Tomorrow, Eira." Kai deadpanned.

Eira frowned. She didn't care if she was being stubborn. She deserved to know. "No! Right now, Kai. You are my guide. So do your job," she repeated. "Guide me."

"You," he spat in response, his jaw clenched. His seething eyes displayed indescribable emotions before turning stone cold. "You are such a self-centered brat. It's no wonder you are back."

His words cut deep. But this time, Eira didn't want to fight back. She heard the anger in his voice, the spite in his tone. He did not like her, that much was abundantly clear. But his words revealed something Opal had mentioned earlier. Something she'd stupidly overlooked. Being her guide was more than just another job for Kai, it was personal.

Curiosity overshadowed her judgement, and she took a small step towards him. "What have I done to make you hate me?"

Kai didn't respond, his lips formed a thin line. They stared at each other for what seemed like minutes.

"Well?" she pried. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"You're still drenched," he finally said. His voice came out gruff and strained.

No shit, she wanted to scream. How oblivious did he think she was?

"Answer the question."

"You may want to dry up."

"How?!" she balked, her anger getting the better of her. "There's no washroom in here, and I'd ask if it's outside this room," she gestured to the four corners of the room with her hands, "but there's no door!"

Kai gave her a dubious look. "Are you joking?"

"Does it look like I'm joking?" Eira snarled. She was growing more aggravated by the second. It was a simple question. Why did he have to give her such a hard time every single time she asked him something? 

"This is ridiculous," he muttered. In the next instant, he was gone.

Eira stood stunned for a moment before she screamed, attempting to flush her frustrations out. Kai got under her skin in a way no one had before. Her chest heaved, her body trembled, shaking from the core. Her cheeks burned, and her brim of her eyes watered, warm tears slowly trickling down. She continued yelling, cursing, digging her fingernails into the palm of her hands, and didn't stop until her throat began to burn and she lost her voice.

When it was finally all out of her system, she walked over to the bed and fell backwards. As her body hit the soft mattress, she dug into the comforter, cuddling the excess material, before eventually kicking her shoes off and snugly wrapping it around her.

The effect of drowsiness was immediate. She began drifting, failing to keep her eyes open.

Screw him, she thought as sleep began to consume her. She didn't need the asshole. She had endured so much crap when she was alive. This wasn't even close to that. This was nothing.

The only person she had to take care of here was herself. How hard could that possibly be?

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Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed the third chapter! If you did please don't forget to Vote! Also leave a comment, I love reading those! Tell me what you thought Kai's behaviour, and the wisps! Those purple heathens! Why was Eira drawn to them? What is Kai hiding??

 Who do you want to see more of, what do you want to see next? Let's get a conversation going :) xx And stay tuned for Chapter 4, coming out next week!