Just Checking Up! Part Nineteen: Navigating a Nightmare

Silks:

Blowing my nose, spirits of passed on children hovered around me. Rip shifted uncomfortably with Cal. Detesting my gift, a single tear stained my cheek. Snatching my hand, they dragged me through the sea of worn cabins. Shifting into the other side, my body collapsed into Rip’s arms. An eerie green fog curled into the air, bark creaking as it rotted into the ultimate form of brittle death. Fuming under my breath, a curse lay upon the land. Years of black magic poisoned what once was good, a couple of barely living elementals limping by. Fantastic, a clearing was in great order. Disappearing before I could ask them, a piercing silence devoured the forest. Hiding behind a thick trunk, branches crunched in the distance. A shadowy mass glitched in front of a neon green moon, a heavy dread building in my gut. Of course my usual aid was nowhere to be seen. The corner of my lips twitched, golden horns adopting a greenish hue. Glowing green eyes darted around the forest, a chill running up my spine.

“How the fuck do I handle that?” I grumbled bitterly under my breath, an icy darkness threatening to cut out the moonlight. A dark green ice crept past me, curiosity mixing poorly with an honest fear. Fighting an impending panic attack, the lack of a weapon proved to add little to the shitty situation. A single ring brought the danger level up, a silver bell clanging into my palm. Donning an unimpressed expression, loose soil rained over me as the demonic darkness ripped out my hiding spot. Staring up at the closing hole, Rip tried and failed to enter the other side. Apologizing silently, a shadowy hand curled around my body. Liz zoomed towards the small entrance, a clear wall of energy smashing her into a tree far out of my sight. Wonderful, I really was all by my own tortured lonesome. Torching his hand with a wave of flames, the distraught expression of Rip became the last thing I saw. Dropping me onto a pile of wiggling moss, tiny claws dug into my skin. Popping to my feet, a flaming hand had me spinning on my heels. Orange flames in the shape of man blasted the monstrosity far enough from us, his scarlet eyes softening with sympathy. Noticing my fresh cuts, a long sigh drew from my lips. Sensing that he was the origin of my powers, orange flames swirled around us before dying down.

“Worry not, my dear friend. With a bit of a strategy and hope, serenity can be restored.” I assured him in the shakiest tone, his fingers tracing my wounds. Wonder brightened my eyes at them sealing into rough scars, his head nodding in the direction of a terracotta pot home. Following him without any question, shelter would most certainly aid in coming up with a proper strategy. Crunching into his home, paintings of four elements stole my heart away. Smiling softly to myself, he motioned me to sit on a comfy looking worn red pillow by the crackling fireplace. Plopping down, a tea bubbled away in a pot on a makeshift stove. Drawing an arrow towards the dirt floor, a dying rhythm told me where the core was. Pouring the tea into a battered thermos, the horrid scent had me covering my nose. Fighting the urge to vomit, his finger rose into the air.

“Not for you!” A raspy voice escaped his form, a long sigh drawing from his lips. “Flamios is my name and I am the element in charge of this forest. For too long they have poisoned the land and the witch who bears my flames falls into my presence. We solve this problem and you carry me in your soul. No longer will your soul detach unless purification needs to occur. Before you ask, those children will be fine.” Time froze, his eyes meeting mine. One, I thought I was having one!

“You didn’t know?” He continued while packing a leather satchel casually, a new level of fear breaking into my mind. “Come now, you worry too much! Twins run in your bloodline. The fact you don’t have one is a fluke. To be honest your bloodline was designed for many centuries to give rise to the ultimate end of the world.” Baffled by his words, that attitude could get us killed. Information planted itself in my brain in the worst way.

“No, no, no!” I protested through a wall of tears, every breath shortening. “Don’t dump that shit on me. No one makes me a damn designer dog. Are my parents even mine?” Befuddled further by the biting quiet between us, crackling devoured what it could. Answers weaved itself into every second of it, mystery digging her bitter claws into my breaking heart. Did he even know my real parents?

“If their identities were known, then I would spill the tea as the young kids say.” He chuckled heartily, his attitude ending my panic attack. “There we go. Keep that composure steady as it can be. Up on your feet, the elevator waits for no one.” Wondering if they were murdered, a deeper anxiety planted itself into the forefront of my mind. Hell would have to hold me back if the bastards were in charge of this madness, the pillow squeaking as I hoisted myself to my feet. Drawing familiar symbols, a wooden elevator creaked into place. Crossing the threshold next to him, sorrow and an inkling danced off of my chin. Lights flickered with every layer down, a bigger rock of dread forming in my gut. Opening up a sea of rot and ice, the combination threw me off.

“Love what you did with the place.” I shot out with less spice than usual, an annoying look of concern dimming his eyes. “Please don’t regard me in such a manner. The others do that enough! I am not a damn doll!” Huffing at the end, relief crashing through me. Sloshing through the wet spots, his palm raising told me to stop. Uncapping his tea, one dump on the ice released a chaotic scene of melting ice and deepening decay. Digging around his bag, a carved wooden spike bounced off of his palm. Throwing it in my direction, a dull ache throbbed at the strength of his damn toss. Curling my fingers around the burned base, raw energy made it stronger than it appeared. Nodding his head to the left, a green eyed snake slithered from the left tunnel. Shadowy scales shimmered in the crackle of torches lining the wall, sparks announcing obvious fangs. Scanning the body for his core, Flamios shook his head. No easy solutions, right?

“The core is a crystal. What you need to do is find it and purify it. Allow me to distract that monstrosity. Go off and do your thing.” He urged brightly, my lack of composure failing to show in my bright smile. “Try not to kill your soul because that can happen.” A strained curse word slipped from my lips, bad luck choosing to cling to me vigorously. Cutting my palm, a single drop illuminated a pathway. Bounding towards what had to be the main crystal, shadow figures darted in front of me. Skidding to a rough stop, ruby dripped off of my fingers. Claws expanded from their fingertips, a grimace finding its way to my features.

“Oh what fun this is!” I laughed sarcastically, growls rumbling in my direction. “Lord, help out of this.” Rubbing blood into the spike, hopes of a faster ignition burned within my soul. Drawing fresh symbols onto the wooden surface, wits had to carry me through this.

“Flames from the Earth, purify what isn’t good in the realm!” I chanted powerfully, the symbols glowing to life before flames traveled down to form a cool flaming sword. Spinning it like the one I played with growing up, a come get me expression had them charging at me. Ashes danced in the air, every dodge coming at a cost. Seeking a way out, a chamber with doors presented the opportune gift. Preparing myself for the pain, a swing underneath their legs had me sliding inches from the glowing green door. Remembering my bell, another purpose might come from it. Ringing it once, clawed hands covered their ears. Grinning sadistically, a buildup of flames around my heels heated up the space. Sweating from the intense heat, a kick granted me the safety of the chamber. Time to stop myself! Catching a leg of a peculiar altar, the way my heart was beating would have been a world record. Hoisting myself into a swaying standing position, several locks sealed me in. Ice cracked up the wall, a pulse drawing me to the center of the room. A rotting wooden heart beat a couple of times, dark energy swelling outside the door. Sprinting over to the heart clumsily, the crystal glowed underneath it. Squeezing my cut for fresh ink, time certainly wasn’t on my side. Dipping the tip of my finger into the rising pool of scarlet, dirt flew up as I drew a couple of circles. Humming to drown out the impending chaos, every cell in me wanted to go home. Not now, this place needed me. Fighting the urge to cry, a flash of Avery’s smile woke up the flames of hope. Getting lost in drawing the symbols, the crack deepened behind me. Sinking to my knees, light would soon envelop this darkness. Rubbing my palms together, something told me that this was going to hurt. Slamming them onto the closest symbols, images of children’s deaths paralyzed me. Breaths shortened, a dull ache throbbing to life in my chest. Clammy sweat glistened on my skin, Avery’s voice saying I love you breaking through the evil.

“Powers of light! Flames that save lives! Purify what monsters cursed!” I screamed into the crystal, a glow threatening to blind me. Intense heat burned my palms, waves of flames flowing into the heart. The doors burst open, demons of all kinds coming at me. Bracing myself for a bigger world of hurt, claws and gnashing fangs froze inches from my cheeks. Pushing myself further, ruby drops dotted my palms. Choking on globs of blood, a coughing fit painted the flawless symbols. Shit, my soul was breaking down. Guilt ate at me, a final wave decaying them to dust. Gone was the rot, a full blown forest blooming around me. Collapsing into a heap, a familiar paralysis overtook my body. Flamios zoomed into the room, sheer panic rounding his eyes. Scooping me up, his fingers curled around my heart. His words faded in and out, some sort of an agreement was trying to be made.

“I agree.” I wheezed tiredly, his form shrinking down before flying into my chest. Healing me from the inside, organs weaved themselves back together. Exhaustion prevented me from moving, his voice echoing in my head. Seconds from breaking down mentally, everything was becoming too much.

“Shut up! Shut up, damn it!” I screamed into the dirt, my fingers curling around my bloody bell. “I just want to go home. Fuck this place! Do you know what it is like to have every ounce of evil coming at you!” Ringing my bell once, a force ripped me through the floors of this dimension. Throwing me back into my body, a welcome sense of raw agony in my chest announced my soul meeting my body. Rolling onto my side, a pale faced Rip rushed over to my side. Cal hovered over files with a horrified expression, Liz picking up on the fiery elemental living the very corners of my soul. Sitting up while massaging my forehead, the corners of my lips quivered. Soaking in a worn cabin, the size spoke of it being this grand leader's. Orange flames crackled next to me, pictures of demons littered the mantle of a river rock fireplace. Asking Liz and Cal to leave for a moment, both understood the reasoning behind it. Bringing my knees to my bump, a quiet fear haunted my features. Tears swam in my eyes, his arms burying me into a bear hug.

“Whatever attached itself to your soul can stay if it means you stick around. Losing you broke me.” He wept openly, mixed emotions soaking the top of my head. Perhaps the fact that my parents weren’t mine should remain hidden, the investigation suffering if I lied. Cal called out to me, Rip releasing me with deep regret. Approaching him cautiously, a file fluttered in between his fingers. Empathy and a broken smile frightened me, his hand running through his hair.

“I found your real birth records. The funny thing is, the names are scratched out. Knowing you and how you are acting, that silly little elemental has just informed you.” He sighed calmly, his hand resting on my bump. “What a bloodline. Rip would rather hear from you. Following the vibes of this case, they are in charge of this bullshit. Are you prepared to take them down?” Apologizing profusely, his free hand covered my mouth. Anxiety trickled down his hand, that sympathetic smile returning.

“Stop that. Such things can’t be changed nor ignored. Not at one moment did you choose your backstory, did you? Something tells me that you are ready to take them down.” He chuckled jovially, a twinkle lighting up his eyes. “Now how about you tell your husband the tea? He should find it quite alluring if I know him best. The boys and I will pack all this shit up, got it?” Nodding my head, the rapid beating of my heart drummed away in my head. Coming upon a pacing Rip, his loving gaze met my pathetic excuse of a damn smile. Stopping inches from him, curiosity shimmered in his eyes.

“Two things.” I choked out awkwardly, a polite okay floating off of his tongue. “We are having twins, something about my bloodline and all that. Second, the people who raised me weren’t my parents. No, I don’t know who they were. Chances are they are in charge of everything. Do you hate me?” Embracing me in the warmest way, his scent brought me back down to Earth. Pressing our foreheads together, our breaths became one. Pecking my lips tenderly, scarlet painted my cheeks.

“Oh no! More family drama!” He teased playfully, his gruff voice causing me to blush a bit darker. “As if we aren’t drowning in that already. Another one isn’t going to change things. This king is pleased to have another heir on the way. My dear queen, you surprise me everyday. How about we get the files back home? Avery has been blowing up my phone. Our prince doth love thee.” Swinging me underneath him, time slowed. Rip understood how hard life could be, uncontrollable sobs wracking my body all over again. Spinning me back up, his thumbs wiped away my tears. Feeling more pathetic than before, his laughter rang out strong and bold.

“My king, you have my heart.” I sniffled sweetly, my palm grazing his cheek. “Such brave acts deserve rewards. Keep your eyes open when you get home.” Twirling around the space, music played out in our head. Tripping onto a couch, worn leather caught us. Breaking into a fit of laughter, such banter brought light into shadowy moments.

“Keep them open, I shall!” He growled deviously, Cal calling out to him most likely resulting in him ditching me with Liz. “Come out when you are ready. You did a lot today. I can tell.” Running off to help him, Liz knew well enough to let me ponder in utter silence. Staring numbly at the dancing flames, such news could go both ways.

“Three kids, Liz.” I uttered in disbelief, her form hovering down next to me. “How the hell am I going to manage that? What if my real parents are the monsters that go bump in the night?” Rubbing my back, her gentle expression brought little relief. Chuckling under her breath, the twinkling sound reminded me of bells. Losing myself in her motherly gaze, this spirit had really become a part of my family.

“Thank goodness Flamios can keep you grounded and bring you back easier. I was starting to get worried about you. Avery is proof that motherhood is natural with you. Keep up the good work and cherish those little angels.” She soothed me in that motherly tone, a bit of humming bringing down my anxiety. Agreeing with an uncertain nod, life certainly had a way of springing her surprises onto the best of us. Popping to my feet, her arms caught me before my face met the worn wooden floor. Sitting me back down, the fine material of her gloves felt nice against my cheeks.

“Dearie, you need to rest. Soul separations for so long can be taxing on the body.” She fussed adorably, my genuine smile melting her heart. “Such a beautiful smile. Keep that up and everyone will fall for you. Then again, your sharp wit keeps my laughter twinkling in the air. Let the boys do the work. Organization will rest upon your dainty hands in the aftermath.” Acknowledging the truth of the matter, exhaustion weighed down on my eyelids. Laying down on her lap, her fingers played with my hair. Humming away once more, sweet slumber stole me away.