"No voices? None at all?"

Svet shook his head, smiling as the wind ran through his robes. The fabric bellowed around his ankles, and his cheeks were hot yet cold at the same time.

The young man and his mother sat on a bench inside a gazebo, exorcists standing not too far from them. Svet had requested a moment for him to take in all the scents and sounds, only ever having heard the screams of the dead and silence of his bedroom. Basking in the sunlight reminded him of all the novels his mother gifted him throughout his childhood.  

It was strange to think that he was actually outside, feeling everything for himself. And for once, he felt normal. Was it normal not to hear the whisperings of the undead? Was everything so... quiet?

Taking in the warmth on his skin, Svet tried picking the right word to describe what he was feeling. His voice was hushed, as if anything he said would fail him. "I've never felt so... alone."

Her smile broadened and she squeezed his hand. "That's good. Very good."

The rest of the evening went as planned, the two of them touring the main estate. As promised, Svet was allowed access to family photos, but he wasn't allowed to know his family's names. He learned he had three sisters and two younger brothers, all of whom were not blessed with the gift like Svet and Kane. 

"Your first sister really wanted to meet you today. She refused to speak for several weeks until your father negotiated," Mitsuki said, searching for something inside her robes. She chuckled lightly. "She wanted me to give you this."

She extended her hand, giving him a small box. He peered inside and found a stack of envelopes and small trinkets. There were pictures of five different bedrooms, dried roses, tiny stuffed animals, wrapped candies: Svet smiled faintly at each one. 

Svet traced a hand over a photo of a toy tea-set. "These are my sibling's things, right?" 

"Yes. Your father made sure they were safe for viewing," Mitsuki said, smiling. She squeezed his shoulder. "You can keep them. You siblings wanted you to have them." 

With Kane and the exorcists shadowing behind them, Svet strolled around the family garden while Mitsuki pointed out all the memories they had created in his absence. Where they had found lost animals, where certain demons were defeated, where his siblings made a light scratch or tumble. Svet never grew tired of hearing each story, his mind buzzing and hoping they would stick when he returned to his room. 

"... And that spot over there is where they buried their time capsule."  

"A time capsule?" Svet blinked down at his mother, the two of them stopping in front of their koi pond. "Why would you need to do something like that?"

He'd read books about time capsules, of important figures in a community leaving things behind, memories for future generations. Svet could imagine important books or letters going in one, which caused a stir in him. He wondered why his family would need to do something like that. 

"Well, we won't live forever, you know," his mother said, squeezing his arm.

Averting her eyes briefly, Mitsuki's expression twisted into a pained expression Svet couldn't put his finger on. He'd never seen himself make such a face in his bowls of water. Eyebrows knitted, her lips tugged into a frown, her throat bobbing like she was swallowing something difficult. Sadness- he could recognize it in her eyes. But there was something else. Something she was hiding.

Mitsuki recovered with a shaky breath and her gaze drifted across the garden, lingering on benches and trees where Svet was told they played a lot on. "Your siblings, father, and I will need to leave behind instructions for future generations. How to draw certain symbols, how to train, where to find items hidden in the house, how to repair weary seals. It helps our descendants know who we are, what we've accomplished, and what we hope for." 

That sadness from earlier returned before she steeled herself. She patted his arm, whispering to him, "Not to mention, faces drift from memory. There may come a time when someone needs... us." 

'Us'. Svet thought it was pertaining to him too. It dawned on him that his mother didn't want her family to be lost to time.  

"I see," Svet said. The kois in the pond gathered around him and his mother, and neared the surface. Except for one. A stray, white fish wandering in a circle. His expression darkened and his heart fell to his stomach. "... Perhaps I should write something too. If there's someone like me in the future, they'll need someone to lean on. Or at least, they'll have someone who understands." 

Behind him, his mother hugged him close and swayed. She cradled him in her arms like she didn’t want to let go ever again, basking in the warmth that was swept away from her too soon. 

"... Right." 

A loud boom reverberated across the sky, the force of the sound barreling down at them like a heavy storm. Mitsuki staggered before Svet caught her by the arm and held her in place.

"W-What was that?" Mitsuki trembled and stared up at the blue sky.

Svet was about the ask the very same thing. Except, before he could turn to Kane, Svet’s left eye twitched and rolled back.

Pain flooded into his skull and Svet reeled back. Mitsuki, shaken yet determined for her son, turned back to him and found him groaning.

“Svet?”

Beside her, Svet began shaking, his hand pressing against his left eye. “M-Mother, they’re back..! The voices!”

As quick as an arrow, Kane placed himself between mother and child and pushed them apart. Svet staggered back into the pond and water splashed around his ankles. The kois swam away from his form while his mother, eyes wide, tumbled back into the arms of the exorcists.

“Everyone, back!” Kane snarled before turning toward his son. He reached for the dagger at his side.

Even through the sea of voices, Svet could hear Kane’s deep and panicked tone. It boomed louder than normal, even when the dead gathered beside him. Warning him, screaming at him, wailing in fear. Something was wrong. Something was coming. And his eye burned, so hot that it was unlike any pain he’d felt before.

With trembling hands, Svet covered his eyes and remained still, his nails digging into his scalp. “I-It hurts…!”

"My lord!" called out a panicked voice.

A young woman burst through the exorcists and rushed forward, a hand secured by her unsheathed blade. She looked like she had been running. Brown hair fell barely above her shoulders and her piercing grey eyes stared at Kane's face with intense ferocity through her mask. Svet recognized the woman's voice, hearing her whispers around his home often. 

"A spirit of great energy, possibly a level four, has infiltrated the premise and is heading this way."

A rush of murmurs swarmed through the exorcists, Kane intently staring at his son. Svet peeked through his fingers with his one good eye and his pulse fluttered in his chest.

"The spirit must have realized the barrier has weakened. For it to come here must mean..." another exorcist said, not even finishing the thought before Kane shot him a glare. 

Kane snapped his attention back to his son, who was shielding his tainted eye. Kane frowned and approached his wife and child. A deep frown pulled at his features.

"As much as I hate to cut this family reunion short, we need to act immediately," Kane said. "The spirit is attracted to Svet and we must return him to his room at once."

"But, Kane-"

"It’s non-negotiable.”

“We haven't even told him-“

“Mistuki, we’ve ran out of time,” Kane snapped, pulling his wife by the wrist. He yelled commands over his shoulder, “Return him to the room at once!" 

C r a c k

Svet’s jaw stretched apart, a blood-curdling scream ripping his throat apart. A sharp pain pierced Svet's skull, straight down his spine, and he crashed to his knees. 

His mother lunged herself toward her son, but Kane held her firmly by the wrist. "Svet!"

Water pooled into his clothes and talismans, weighing him down like hands raking at his skin. He couldn’t stand. His legs were shaking too much. 

"Don't go near him!" his father shouted.

Svet didn't know when he stopped breathing. The pain had oozed down to his chest, straight into his lungs. Air had become something precious.

He cradled his head, choking out a, "M-My eyes..! I can't-"

“Svet! Don’t let it consume you! Don’t-”

Mismatched irises rolled back until the white and gold of his eyes consumed Svet’s gaze. Svet’s ears were consumed by voices. The dead and another, much louder, boom of urgency. His body leaned back as if he was struck in the chest. His swung lamely at his sides. Limp.

 And Svet was gone.