Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe~~

Enjoy (⁠✿⁠^⁠‿⁠^⁠)

************************************************************

A chill crawled up her spine, raising goosebumps along her skin.

Something about him was wrong.

Deeply wrong.

Her gaze flickered to Kael.

He sat hunched over, face buried in his palms, his foot tapping relentlessly against the floor.

He looked like a man barely holding himself together, like one more push would shatter him completely.

She exhaled slowly.

Her beads and chains clinked softly as she lifted her hands in quiet surrender. The sound was almost melodic… as if something unseen acknowledged her decision.

“I’ll heal him.”

Both Kael and Kathleen snapped to attention, relief flashing across their faces

“But,” she continued, her tone sharpening, “I need to protect myself first.”

“Protect yourself?” Kathleen frowned. “He’s unconscious, he’s not- ”

“What’s wrong?” Kael cut in, his voice tight. He shot Kathleen a warning look before turning back to Mama.

Mama didn’t answer immediately.

Her eyes lingered on Noah.

“Tell me exactly what happened.”

Kael swallowed.

“We had just gotten back from the hospital,” he began, his voice quieter now. “The moment we stepped into the apartment… he walked straight to the balcony.”

He paused, jaw tightening.

“He just stood there. Staring.”

A flicker of unease crossed Mama’s face.

“I thought…” Kael hesitated, his voice faltering. “I thought he was possessed. That I had let something loose.”

His hands clenched.

“I still don’t know if I did.”

“Shhh…” Mama stepped forward, gently cradling his head against her chest. “You’re here now. Speak.”

Kael steadied himself and pulled away, though the tension never left his shoulders.

“I grabbed him. Tried to snap him out of it.” He exhaled shakily. “And he did… but then he turned to me and- ”

Kael’s voice dropped.

“He spoke Zhilerian.”

Mama recoiled as if struck.

“No…” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, that’s not possible…”

“It is,” Kael said. “He grabbed me, panicking, shouting. I couldn’t understand him. I didn’t want to.” His voice hardened slightly. “But when I asked him how he knew that cursed tongue… he snapped out of it.”

Mama stilled.

“He didn’t remember,” Kael finished. “And then he started vomiting blood.”

Silence fell.

Heavy. Suffocating.

Mama slowly turned back to Noah.

Her expression darkened.

“It’s backlash,” she said at last. “From speaking that language.”

Kael’s stomach dropped.

“His body…” she continued, her voice low, grim, “is rejecting it. Corroding from the inside out.”

Kathleen let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh.

“…What?”

Neither of them looked at her.

She pushed herself off the wall, her legs unsteady beneath her.

“What do you mean ‘corroding’?” she demanded, her voice shaking. “What is going on?!”

But no one answered her.

She couldn't understand anything the two were saying, as if they weren't speaking English.

 "What is Zhi- " 

Kathleen stopped, she felt a burn, an uncomfortable sensation. She cleared her throat and continued.

"What is Zhiler- " A massive coughing fit startled her, cutting her short. She clasped her handover her mouth, her already trembling legs gave out and she sunk to the floor.

When she brought her hand back from her mouth what she saw blood. She slowly lifted her head towards the other two-

"That my dear, is Zhilerian" Mama said and moved to start the healing ritual.

************************************

The evening sun casted a brilliant golden glow into Noah's apartment, the scattered furniture that was rapidly moved for space, the huge splash of blood on the carpet, the blood soaked towels-

They stopped looking out of place, as if it belonged. The Sun, the light burnt the gloom and impurities away. It's glow, it's rays-

In the middle of the room stood a tall man, he fitted perfectly under the rays of the sun, seemingly glowing. 

His pure white robes carried no speck of dust, his golden hair shone, the locks not even tangling with one another. His skin radiating with life but his face-

His face bore a hideous scar, it looked like it was burnt by a heart filled with hate. The man calmly placed a white mask over it and he looked-

"Vhalir, preparations are complete. We can start."

A radiant smile bloomed on the face of the man and he walked gracefully into Noah's room where a glowing, ominous looking circle glowed on the floor.

He bent in front of the circle and dropped a single bean sized egg in it's centre and watched as it merged with the floor.

"Noah, how lucky you shall be. Of great help you shall be"

************************************

Detective Mitch stared at the two pictures on his desk for the nth time today, he couldn't make sense of anything and violently scratched his head in frustration.

Detective Duke walked in to see his partner stressing over those files again and sighed.

"Mitch please tell me you are finally letting it go" 

Mitch looked offended by that.

"What do you mean let go? This is the only lead we have. The crime scene doesn't have a speck of evidence, unnaturally clean as if all dust and bacteria had been burnt away. If I drop this we have nothing!" 

Duke plopped onto his chair, he knew Mitch is right but that didn't stop the unease he's feeling.

"Mitch, something doesn't feel right about the cases, it feels wrong. The station is planning to classify it as cold case."

Detective Mitch looked at Duke in disbelief "What? How- " 

"Mitch, as you friend, as your partner please let it go" 

Obviously Detective Mitch didn't let it go, making his way to the morgue to get the report on the body.

It didn't take long before he got the file but it's contents made him feel the staff of the morgue were playing a prank on him.

He instinctively dialed his partner who answered with anger in his voice "Mitch, where the f*ck are you?!" 

"The morgue"

"Wha- why are you at the morgue?"

I went to get the file on the the body. Hey, hey! Duke listen to me, the body has been dead for 20 years"

"20 year- dude that's impossible and you know it"

Mitch scratched his head and spoke "I do but the staff here believe other wise. The level of decay the saw when they opened up the body told them other wise. Duke something is terribly wrong with this case" 

He walks up to the room where the body is placed and looks at it from the door, still looking fresh, exactly as it was at the crime scene.

"Mitch are you even listening to me?"

"Yes yes, I'm sorry. Help me look through missing persons list from 20 years ago we might find something. Let me know when you- "

"Mitch? Hello? If- "

Beep

Mitch gingerly pushed open the door and walked into the room, up to the body. 

What laid before him wasn't a fresh body anymore. The strange symbols were gone, in it's place were rotten patches of skin, maggots crawling out of the corpse. The scent of death stronger.

It looked like it had been dead… 

For twenty years.

**********************

What do y'all think? (ﾟ⁠οﾟ⁠人⁠)⁠)