Soul of a Human

The first night, after leaving the infirmary, Mor tossed and turned, plagued by nightmares, until he suddenly woke and sat up drenched in sweat.

°Holy moly that was a nasty one.° The human stated.

°Yes.°, Mor simply said, looking at his shivering hand.

°Somehow, that one felt worse than what Zaletha made you go through.° The human tried again.

°Yes.°, Mor answered again, getting up to get some water, needing something against his dry throat.

°I guess this had shaken you on an instinctual level.° The human said.

°Probably... Or maybe this was a step too close, and I need some time to work through this?° Mor offered, with more venom in his voice than he had intended, but the human would not be baited by it.

°I understand. How about going for a run? Sorting your head and moving your body, maybe Orth will come, and you can talk with him. He's probably just as shaken.° The human suggested.

°It's forbidden to leave your room at night.° Mor rejected the offer.

°But you can't just run around like a tiger in a cage. It will drive you crazy, and you need to talk with somebody who can understand you better than I can.° The human tried a second time.

°I can do that tomorrow.° Mor contered again.

°Maybe Orth is also awake and is waiting for you to come to talk? Why don't you try calling him?° The human proposed.

Mor thought for a second, then nodded. His power had begun to return and should be enough for a telepathy spell. He concentrated on his energy, drawing on his power, then flinched, failing the spell.

°That's not good.° The human commented, and Mor agreed.

°Yes, I don't know what happened, but when I tried using my magic, I felt fear.° He answered.

°Yeah, that's it! We're getting you someone to talk to right now!° The human decided, dragging Mor out into the corridor.

°Wait! I'm still in my nightgown.° Mor protested.

°Which is a simple shirt and a pair of comfortable pants, so perfect for sneaking out at night.° The human retorted, pulling Mor along.

…..

After three days of patience, its chance had finally arrived. The "emergency" of its target seemed to be over, and the girl returned to sleep in her own room again. Even better, just as she opened the door to her room, another Soul-kin attracted her attention, giving the intruder ample time to slip into the room undetected.

It found an excellent hidden spot in the giant bed's canopy. It didn't understand why someone would want to have a hidden alcove between the ceiling and the bed because someone could hide in it, but it would not complain.

The girl was moving restlessly around her room, but soon, tiredness would take its toll, and she would need to sleep. The intruder waited for that moment. It watched as the girl freshened herself up, removing the far too big robe, brushing her long white hair, and getting ready for bed. The girl had dropped her clothes in a disorganized pile, the hairbrush just put aside, but in the messy room, it was nothing special. Then, with a big yawn, she laid down, tossing a few times to find a comfortable position.

After a few more minutes, the intruder could hear the quiet, regular breathing, knowing the girl was fast asleep. It dropped from its vantage point, looking closely at its target, smiling, a bright spot in a patch of darkness. Still, without making any sound, it pulled out something resembling a big sack, preparing for the next part of the plan after having laid out everything it struck.

The girl woke with a shocked gasp, but the strike was placed very well, and after that moment of shock, she slumped over unconscious. Still, as the dark figure's master always had said, "Take extra care, disabling someone." It pressed some points on the girl's body and only then stuffed her into the big sack. That done, it hoisted the girl with a slight grunt of effort and snuck towards the door, slowly pushing it open.

…..

Mor snuck to the empty floors, the excitement of doing something forbidden distracting him somewhat from his dark thoughts. It felt very good with the pleasant moonlight as the only light source.

°I still think it's stupid that the high nobles are placed in another part of the school.° The human complained.

°That's how it is. As so often, those invisible divides between the Soul-kin are everywhere.° Mor agreed with the sentiment.

°Yeah, Dino really has his work cut out for him if he wants to change that.° The human continued the idle chat.

°Yes. I can only guess the backlash he will need to endure.° Mor said.

°While we're on the topic, what about his little sister? She said you're family.° The human teased.

°I guess she meant family, in a sense, like Dino. He does say he sees himself as my uncle.° Mor answered, not noticing the undertones of the human.

°Well, there are worse things than a cute young aunt.° The human continued their teasing.

°True, as Dino's sister, she would be, but I think she should be more like a cousin.° Mor answered honestly.

°Killjoy…° The human complained.

°What now!? I didn't do anything!° Mor also complained.

°Teasing you is no fun if it's going right over your head!° The human complained, breaking off a nice fight to liven up the walk.

°What are you going on about? Is this again a stupid human thing?° Mor joined in, glad for more distraction.

°Fucking piece of osmium!° The human shouted.

°Idiot, battle maniac!° Mor countered, starting a minor insult duel.

°Nerd!°

°Ass!°

°Whimp!°

°Asshat!°

°You learned that from me!° The human countered.

°So what?° Mor continued.

The bickering continued for a good while, raising Mors's spirits as they snuck further through the school. Once, they had to wait so a night-watch teacher could pass. Then they finally arrived at the high noble housing tower, sneaking in towards Orth's room.

°How about you make a night visit, to Tiara or Saphine, your choice?° The human tried teasing again.

°But they won't come with me for a run.° Mor said, getting an annoyed mumble as an answer.

He turned a corner and flinched back into hiding as the door to a room opened up. Mor watched as a figure snuck out, taking great care to quietly close the door, a big sack on its shoulder. Mor could detect a tuft of white hair sticking out from the sack's opening, his mind instantly connecting it to Tiara.

°Who's that?° The human asked, but Mor didn't know.

He gathered his courage, stepping out of hiding, fixing the dark figure with his gaze.

"Who are you?" He asked loudly, hoping to attract attention and wake other sleeping students.

The figure turned around startled, but again, in the darkness of its face, the bright spot of a smile appeared. In a flurry of movement, it dropped the unconscious Tiara, and in eery silence, it rushed Mor, putting him on the back foot.

But it didn't expect this nuisance to react quickly to the first attack. Mor had reacted admirably, protecting his head with his arms, like the human so often explained to him, blocking the first sucker punch. Still, it left him open for follow-up attacks, hitting different spots on his body and making him retch for a split second.

°What was that?° He asked.

°Don't know, don't care! Keep focus!° The human answered.

After those initial hits, the dark figure chuckled.

"We got you." It stated.

"Who are you?!" Mor shouted, making the figure flinch.

To the dark figure's surprise, Mor launched a kick, infusing it with his magic. The dark figure quickly overcame its surprise, countering with its own attack, seemingly just wanting to take Mors' kick.

°I can understand the sentiment. But that was stupid.° The human stated as Mors kick connected with the body of the dark figure.

At that moment, both contestants noticed something weird. Mor noticed that he instinctively tried to kick with magic enhancement, but the spell had not taken, meaning it was "only" a normal kick. The dark figure noticed that this was no standard Soul-kin, as the kick wound it and hurt badly.

Instead of crashing into the wall at the end of the floor, as Mor had intended, the figure doubled over and tried to catch its breath.

°Did you stop the magic?° The human asked.

°No… I don’t know.° Mor answered unsure.

He tried channeling his magic again, but this time, it wasn't panic that stopped the energies but a sort of blockade. His short lapse of attention bought the intruder enough time to get back up and draw some short three-pronged weapons.

°Are those Sai?° The human asked, but Mor had no time to reply.

Mor dodged the first attack, grabbing at his thigh and cursing, remembering they still hadn't gotten a new club.

°Why are we so stupid?!° Mor lamented.

°Because we’re idiots!° The human agreed.

They dodged another wild attack with a roll, kicking off the closed door to another room, and this time, a stir was audible from inside. In a last desperate attempt, the dark figure threw its weapons at Mor, forcing him to evade again. It then sprinted to the still sacked form of Tiare, quickly hauling it on its back and running, trusting its superior endurance.

Mor picked up the weapons in a moment of genius and then took up the chase.

°What the fuck is that thing?° The human asked.

°Still no idea, but whoever or whatever he is, he's mistaken if he thinks he can outrun me, ° Mor stated.

°Good boy! Run, forest, run!° The human celebrated.

Mor had thrown away any pretense of sneaking and thundered along, close on the heels of the dark figure. Slowly, the commotion woke more students.