Chapter 8

I used every last bit of my strength but could not move out of its way fast enough to stop the hit. But before a second blow could have ended me, I moved just enough out of the way.

Just then, Baby grabbed me with her teeth and tossed me out of the way. The girl I rescued stood by and pulled me farther out of harm's way.

I could tell she was still terrified. I could feel her shaking as she held me; I could barely see her in the dark.

She tried to cover my wound as I was bleeding out relatively fast.

The boar kicked one of the lights over, revealing her face.

"Kaysi," the girl spoke. What? How? The girl I saved was Beck, my friend. I couldn't believe it.

"Well, simply put, I am a waymaker," I told her as I muscled through the pain. "I have been in training for a while, but it was not enough; I was not ready for this!" "I had to help when I heard you scream." 

"Well, Kaysi, you saved me, so that is something."

Not without some consequences, I thought, as I wrenched in pain.

"Kaysi, for now, you have accomplished enough. You couldn't have a more significant impact than what you did. All that counts is that you tried!"

As the silence fell, I began to lose consciousness. 

I heard her yelling for me. "Sorry, baby," I whispered. "Once again, I had gotten way in over my head."

I don’t know if I can bounce back from this one. It happened so fast, and I was struck down. I said as I drifted into darkness.

I couldn’t even finish the job or get Beck out of harm's way. Baby even looked like she was having a hard time.

Was this it for me? I was standing in the darkness. There was a bright light in the void of this other world. I heard a voice that sounded like an angel or God speaking within me. I said, “Get up, rise, and call the resting crane to soar.”

As I heard the voice,  I awoke, and  I looked down. I had something in my hand.

Holding the feather, I did as the voice commanded and shouted. 

"Rise, crane, and soar." I saw the feather transform into a sword with a handle shaped like a resting crane.

Without a moment's thought, I leaped into the air and slashed through the boar's skull, splitting it into two down the body.

"Yes, I did it I shouted in celebration." With a sigh of relief, I leaned against the closest tree to take a seat, but I lost my strength and fell hard to the ground. Baby and Beck joined me as I pressed my body against the tree. 

"I warned you to wait; you weren't ready, you fool."

"I got my sword, though," I said with a cheap half-hearted grin. 

"It only emerged because you were in serious trouble and needed it." "It chose you because you sacrificed yourself. I can’t say I am not grateful, but it was helpful. I was getting roughed up back there, Baby said with a look of defeat." "I guess you could say you skipped a few lessons now." She said passively.

"Beck, please don’t look so worried. I could see you were about to cry. I am okay. I just got a little scratch," I said as I tried to stand…"Ouch." 

"Don’t worry; I will be here for you. Beck threw my arm over her shoulders and supported my weight." "I won't tell anyone what happened here. I am guessing you don’t want anyone to know. I will tell people it was an entire pack of wild boars in the area."

"That would be the best idea, thank you." 

"No, Kaysi," "thank you for saving me," she said, "as we got to the hospital." I could finally relax, and I passed out.

When I woke up, I was in the hospital. Looking around the room, I saw flowers and balloons. The nurses said a girl who missed me in my absence brought them from my classmates, along with a folder of letters from my classmates.

One of them stuck out his handwriting, and the name it read was EVAN. It reminds me of my childhood, of this boy I once knew.

In elementary school, the boys had a recruit in our game, Evan. He had dark black hair and was quiet, but he looked like someone you didn’t want to mess with when I was a kid. The jean jacket on his back made him look like an outsider. 

Lost in thought, I came to reality when the sound of my hospital phone was going off.

It was Beck calling. She wanted to tell me to get better soon. I tried to stop by earlier, but you were sleeping, so I let you rest. "I will come by after school today." 

"Alright, bye for now I told her as I hung up the phone." 

I thought I had seen Evan or someone who looked similar to him before in the school. 

Many people changed from elementary to high school; maybe that’s why I couldn’t quite put my finger on him.

Beck came to see me while I was in the hospital.

At the time, a nurse was aiding my wounds.

"Hello Beck, how do you feel today?" I asked her. 

"Ha," she laughed at my question. "You're talking about me. Are you okay?" She fired back. 

"Yes, they said, today might be my last day here in the hospital. It depends on whether I have healed enough. I had a couple of rib breaks and blood loss.

After physical therapy started, I have almost made a full recovery.

"Miss. Moon, the nurse said to me" (My last name.) "take it easy for a bit more, but you're looking pretty good, the nurse said as she left the room to get my discharge papers."

"Now that we are alone," Beck vocalized after glancing at the shut door. "How are you feeling any better, for real?" she said as she raised her eyebrow.

"As already answered that question, Yes."

"I would like to ask you when the nurse left us alone. I thought you were just being tough."

"Do you remember how you got your injuries? Beck was watching me to detect if I was putting on some kind of act." 

"Yes, I remember the boar Soulless and my fight with it."

"I think I am still missing something," Beck sighed. "I needed to talk to someone about everything."

"So, ask away, and I will fill in the blanks anywhere I can."

"Okay, what was that thing you said, a Soulless?"

"Yes, that's correct." "They have no emotions; they are humans who have lost their way. They are the primal instincts of our spiritual selves."

"When someone dies, If that someone stays in limbo for too long, they get attacked by demons. They could be turned into a soulless by this process. Soulless removing their soul tie can turn them to. Bad people turn when they die automatically because their ways damn them."

"I am a waymaker. I can see spirits, and my job is to stop soulless from harming or possessing the people living. I can see spirits and have a sixth sense anytime they enter our realm."

"So Kaysi, do you help people here on earth?"

"Yes, I sure do. That is my main objective."

"Wow, that’s great. I never knew. So, how do you become a waymaker?"

"Well, some are born as a seer of spirits, and some are trained as waymakers."

"I have trained for quite some time. Although I just unlocked and gained my full-born sword ability to attack. Before, I watched from the sidelines and used protection and repelling techniques."

"Also, that was technically the first official battle I was in, and I wasn’t very prepared."

"Oh, I see, Kaysi. You didn't have the best idea there." 

"I do understand, but I did everything I could to help. I couldn't just observe from the sidelines. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here if I hadn't." Beck agreed. 

(At that moment, Beck's bag started to move.)