A Blessed Curse [Rewrite]

Chapter 12 - Have Faith

"I understand the creepy legends about this place now. It's definitely ominous." Soleil mutters to herself as she stares up at the old building.

The local who guided them for part of the way here has long since left them, prefering to keep a safe distance from this place.

On the top of a hill, surrounded by a dense forest, lies an old fortress that has seen better days. Pieces of stone have broken down and the walls have cracks in them. Plants are starting to take back the manmade structure as well, with moss and grass covering parts of the floor and vines having grown into the cracks. Said vines are probably also partially responsible for the formation of the cracks. Time hasn't been kind to this building, yet it's still standing.

If it had been night, it would have just been eerie, but in broad daylight there's a strange beauty to it.

"This has to be it." Soleil tightens her grip on the sword in her hand.

"An odd hiding place for a kishin egg." Lune comments "Keep an eye out. This place is big enough that it could be lurking just around the corner."

"Well, our sources said that it wasn't a particularly sneaky one, so I'm not that worried." Soleil comments with a shrug, catching Lune's deadpan expression in the blade's reflection "Relax, Lune. I'm just terrible at sensing souls, not deaf."

"Fine. But you are a sot."

"I'll take it." Soleil shifts her gaze from the weapon back to the building "But I do think this is the perfect place for a kishin egg. Secluded enough to be left alone but close enough to a village that it can pop in an eat some people. And it gets to snack on the occasional dumb tourist."

"That's... morbid."

"Am I wrong though?"

"Not really, but still. Your brain is messed up, Soleil."

"Yeah, we knew that already." Soleil smiles casually and takes a step forward "Well, no time to waste. Let's go."

The gate creaks when she pushes it open further to fit through the gap, but surprisingly it doesn't fall off its hinges or crumble to dust with how old it is. It must have been maintained at least enough to keep the place from falling apart before the kishin egg made its home here.

While it's light outside, the kishin egg must be hiding itself in one of the dark hallways or towers of the fortress. To combat the darkness, Soleil takes a flashlight out of her pocket. It's not too bright – she doesn't want to give the kishin egg the advantage of seeing her coming from a kilometre away – but it's enough to be able to see. Besides, it's better if her eyes can adjust to the dark a little considering she'll probably have to hit the kishin egg in the head a few times before she can lure it outside.

"Lune?" She asks.

Her twin doesn't give a verbal response, but the purple gem embedded in the handle of the weapon starts to glow, giving off a gentle purple light. It's even less bright than the flashlight, but it would be enough to identify shapes and silhouettes in the dark if push came to shove.

"Just in case."

Soleil doesn't know if she'll be able to hold onto her flashlight in the midst of a fight, so she might as well have a backup.

With her light sources secured, she steps forward, keeping the flashlight aimed ahead of her and partly at the floor to avoid tripping over the occasional rubble. She moves with extra caution when turning a corner or the hallway splits. The thought of having the kishin egg jump at her from behind a wall doesn't sound particularly appealing after all.