Chapter 24: 24-Alone with a kindred spirit

A genuine sense of tension rose in Samahita’s heart. Her ears were ringing.

She had wondered through the village the whole night, and still there was no sign of her sister or the others. In the boundless silence, her trembling breath sounded noisy.

"Shea! Where are you?" She pressed on. Her worry for her sister surpassing every other instinct in her body.

"We’ve Bern looking since yesterday, Samahita. I think it’s time to admit that we are the only ones here."

Theren said with great difficulty. He glanced at the usual green scenery and felt a prick on his scalp. Though his beast was restrained, his serpent senses still picked up on the venomous threads being weaved in the illusion.

He knew right there and then that they were trapped there by a Leviathans of the highest level. Leviathans were ancient sea serpents that lived under the oceans in the Abyssal Coil. They were famous for their secluded way of living, never associating with other serpents or other beasts on the surface and the sky.

It was rare to see a Leviathan and even worse to find them active in and involved with worldly affairs.

For a Leviathan to have set a trap for them at Vessharn. It could only mean that whoever wanted to harm them was powerful enough to sire a Leviathan to their side, and that made him more worried.

"We should head back to the hut."

"What about my sister?"

"We can’t be of any help to her if we are tired and sleep deprived."

A soft breeze touched Samahita’s cheek. She listened to Theren and let him guide her back to the wooden hut.

On the way, Theren took not of the wraithborns following them. Their several eyes watched their evety movement, hunting for precious memories to feed on.

’How cruel,’ he thought.

The villain behind the illusion didn’t simply wish to hinder their mission but was using the worst techniques to do so. Without their memories, they would be lost without a way forward as they wouldn’t remember the way back, the starting line.

He sighed and ushered Samahita to the hut. Once inside, he sat her down and warned her. "Samahita, listen to me and heed my words carefully. Whatever you do, don’t think about the past. Don’t replay any fond memories, and if you must get lost in your head, then think only of your worst memories and memories you would not miss."

"What? What do you mean?"

"We are surrounded by creatures from the Abyssal Coil called wraithborns. They are shadow creatures former from emotional residue, so they feed on memories with strong emotions like love, regret, grief, and so on," he reported.

A tightness gathered in Samahita’s chest. She clasped her hand over her mouth, worried that the wraithborns would feed on her memories of her sister as she’d been searching helplessly for Sheana the whole night.

"How come I’ve never heard of wraithborns?"

Theren tensed. The wraithborns had come in and merged with the wooden walls of the hut. Their eyes are wide open, watching them more closely than ever.

He recalled what his father taught him about the shadow beasts. They were known to watch their targets while waiting for their meal. They were patient and could wait eternity for that one crack of emotion that satisfies their hunger.

Wraithborns had no bodies, so they could merge with anything close to their target. However, they weren’t creatures that casually went hunting. They were brainless warriors that needed a master to pull their strings and direct them to targets since their three of their senses were numb.

They couldn’t hear, couldn’t speak, and couldn’t smell. Their eyes also didn’t work like normal beast eyes. Instead of seeing beasts, they saw emotions as colours. That ability allowed them to spot their desired emotion for their meal.

"Because they’ve never been recorded."

Why would they? They lived in the Dispero, a black lagoon in the deepest part of the Abyssal Coil, feeding on the emotions of serpents that stumble into their home and unless bound to a master, they don’t leave the lagoon.

Most of the time, even snakes in the abyss forget they exist. So they aren’t given much importance, that is, until they are spotted outside of their natural habitat. That means that they’ve found a master and have been weaponized to specific targets.

The worst part of the wraithborns was that the memories they ate, were gone with them and a beast can only reclaim said memories by killing the specific wraith that ate and being shadowy creatures, they were impossible to tell apart let alone kill.

"Why are they here?"

"I’m assuming the one who set this trap is using them to stop us from accomplishing our mission."

Samahita sat still, calming her racing heart and returning to her usual indifference. She emptied her mind of important thoughts and put up her walls.

"Although, I don’t understand why someone would go to the Dispero to tame the wraithborns. The journey there is extremely dangerous."

"But succession means have beasts that can feed on your enemies’ memories and make then forget everything, giving one due advantage in a fight. I’d say it’s worth the risk," she said calmly.

Theren smiled. Impressed by her ability to switch off her emotions and access their situation with complete ease.

"Would you take that risk to have them as your loyal stooges?" He asked, start an emotionless conversation to keep them occupied.

"Why not? It would save me a whole lot of trouble in the battlefield."

"That’s true. You can just have them watch your enemies, and with how high emotions run during war, you’ll emerge victorious in no time."

"Not to mention the fewer losses to account for."

The two talked for hours. Their conversation settled on topics that provoked neither of them into feeling anything deeply or recalling past memories. They kept each other afloat.

Their arguments running above the surface, never touching on anything personal. It was a shared understanding after they understood what they were up against.

However, a while later, a kind serpent lady appeared in the room. "How very practical you both are," she let out, making them aware of her presence.

Samahita and Theren turned to look at her. Their hearts are steady like a gentle flowing river with no ripples.

The smile on the serpent cracked. She flashed an awkward smile and gave out instructions, "The Lord has issued a test. Pass it, and you can walk out of here and rejoin your friends, fail, and remain stuck here forever."

"What is the test?" Samahita asked, unfazed by the weird terms their captor set.

"Fall in love, and you’ll be free to go, remained detached to one another, and you can enjoy your baseless conversations with each other for eternity," she said, voice laced with poison. She could barely hide her happiness as she set the rules of the game.

Unfortunately for her, unlike the other beasts, Samahita and Theren were practical beings who rarely let their emotions rule them. One being an ice phoenix and the other a serpent, both adept to coldness and aloofness, they weren’t moved by the threat.

Both of them simply stared at the serpent lady in cold indifferent that made her shiver. Her happiness died out.

"Take my warning seriously, or you’ll never see the outside world again!" She snapped at them.

Samahita raised the question that ate at her mind, "Why does your Lord want us to fall in love?"

"Yes, we aren’t attracted to each other. Why should we force ourselves to love each other?" Theren added his own inquiry onto Samahita’s.

They both directed full attention at the serpent, waiting for an answer. The serpent scoffed. Of the beasts she had spoken to, they were the only ones who asked her questions. It really amused her.

"What difference will it make to know his intention. His way is the only way out of here," she said with a finality to her tone before vanishing into thin air.