Chapter 91 (1/2)

Vur’s eyes shot open as a short scream woke him up from his dreams. He sat up and wrapped his arms around the sitting figure in his bed. “Tafel.”

Tears fell off Tafel’s face, staining her silken pajamas, as she let out muffled sobs. Her body shuddered and she buried herself in Vur’s embrace. “It’s not just a dream,” Tafel said, her voice cracking. “I can still hear them blaming me and cursing me.”

“Really?” Vur asked. “Can you see them?”

Tafel shook her head. “I can sense them. It wasn’t always like this,” she said. “It started when we came to the human capital.”

Vur frowned. “Hey, golden thing. Get out here.”

A sigh echoed through the room as a shimmering gold light appeared at the foot of their bed, bathing the dark room with a soft glow. “Do you need us to fetch you water again?” a distorted voice asked as a female face started to form.

“No. Actually…” Vur said and tilted his head. Tafel pinched him. “Never mind. Can you see any other spirits in the room?”

The golden figure nodded. “There’s a ton around you two. They seem very resentful. Very dark and depressed looking.”

“Did you see them before?” Vur asked as he narrowed his eyes.

The figure scratched her cheek. “Err… No?” she said. The rune on Vur’s forehead shone with a black light, counteracting the figure’s glow. “I mean yes! Yes! Please stop glowing like that.”

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Vur asked as his rune dimmed. “They’ve been here for a while, haven’t they?”

“We noticed them the first time we saw the demon girl,” the spirit said. “It’s not our responsibility to take care of a demon. Human souls wouldn’t possess someone like that unless they really resented them during their death. If anything, she deserves it.”

Tafel’s nails dug into Vur’s back as her body tensed. Vur glared at the golden spirit. “Get rid of them.”

The spirit took a step backwards. “We can’t do that,” she said and took another step. “It’s not within our capabilities. Honest.” She raised her hands above her chest. “Please don’t eat me.”

“Why?” Vur asked. “Aren’t you a bunch of spirits mashed together? Why can’t you take them too?”

“Mashed is such a crude description…” the spirit said and hung her head. “There are certain requirements for spirits to join us; these spirits don’t satisfy them. They’ve already attached themselves to a corporeal object and they’re filled to the brim with resentment. You’d have to placate them and convince them to leave the demon girl alone.”

“How?” Tafel asked. Her eyes were red and puffy.

“Well, it depends. What did you do to them?” the spirit asked as she flew closer to Tafel and made grabbing motions at the air. “We’re a bit curious. We haven’t seen such resentment since the village massacres.” Tafel bit her lip.

“If you did do something similar to a massacre, then there’s not much that can be done,” the spirit said as she made a releasing motion and flew back to the foot of the bed. “They’ll haunt you until you die and then they’ll try to consume your soul.”

“Can’t we just force them to leave?” Vur asked.