Shattered Line

Chapter 28: Payment

"Why are you following me?" Isla asked while she watched her step. The spirit had a nagging presence, even without sight, she felt the pull.

"I'm bored."

She rolled her eyes. "So you plan to bother me." Isla pivoted, facing the spirit.

"Yes!" She swayed from side to side with glee.

She smirked, the sight reminded her of Leef. "Do what you want." She turned back, heading down the mountain.

From the aerial view, she saw the silverish hues of the transition points rippling above. The forest color morphed from a rich azure to stark grey. She now could grasp the enormity of the first ring and what a bleak mess awaited them. The miasma had shadowed her understanding.

"Looks nice doesn't it," the spirit said peeking around her side.

Isla stopped, glancing at the child's figure. "Are you reading my thoughts?"

"Don't worry, sugar. I can only read the thoughts on the surface. You don't have many do you?"

Isla glared at her declaration but kept her mouth shut. What an annoying brat.

"Hey, hey, what's annoying is the Witch. She lectures non-stop. I guess it's my fault though for only accepting women. So much nagging. You'd think I was a child that needed parental guidance," she huffed.

The spirit dashed ahead, skipping down the steps, her dress swinging in tune. Right, not a child.

Isla paused her thoughts, rewinding the spirit's words. "Why only women?"

She stopped her descent and stared with an unfocused gaze. "The first rebelling Seraphines knew they couldn't proclaim independence without an advantage over the Gods. So they devised a program within their people to converge strong bloodlines. They believed merging families with strong souls producing a wealth of aura could eventually procure a child capable of manipulating the Gods. A woman was the best counter against the King of Gods, someone generally a male."

Aura size was based on birth. How else did one explain the difference between Castions, Centurions, Seraphines and Gods? Still, manipulating the characteristics of the soul was laughable at best. "Impossible."

The spirit giggled. "Funny, isn't it? A strong aura requires a pure bloodline and developing it. In most cases, the weaker potential could trump the gifted. Sadly, the program never succeeded. Instead, they solved the problem with help from an outsider. Well, a Seraphine not by blood. Your mother."

Again, information about her mother surfaced. "What was she?"

"I don't know. Her soul changed colors. I never saw anything like it before. At times a Castion and other times a God. Maybe a butterfly? That's cool. Cool, right?" She grinned before returning to her skip down the stairs.

Isla's brow tightened. What just happened?

Isla watched her wavy locks bounce with each step. An occasional gust of wind twirled them, but by some otherworldly effect, they returned to their exact position and style. The hair drew her attention to the spirit's entire visage. Her petite frame entranced the eyes with a golden shimmer surrounding her. Arcadia's spirit, how could she keep form? Or rather, how did she gain form?

"Your name?"

She twisted her hair and her gaze avoided Isla's. "I don't have one. Never did. Why?"

Isla hesitated but continued her pursuit. "If you're planning to follow me, you'll need a name."

She glanced back, her eyes ablaze. Yet, the spirit shrugged her shoulders and played the excitement down. "Not my problem."

Isla sighed."Fine. Ahni."