Chaser of Faith

Nicholas slammed his fists hard on the table, making me jump. The tea mugs shook, clinking against the wood. Remy did not move. I looked at Nicholas fearfully.

“Four years ago,” Nicholas repeated coldly. Remy paused before he nodded carefully. Nicholas gritted his teeth, clenching his fists, putting them to his forehead and closing his black eyes.

I didn’t know what to say. I stared intensely at him, frowning with an open mouth, searching for the right words.

“Remy, I’m sorry about your brother,” I said timidly, looking over to him. His shoulders weakly shrugged, his eyes still sad.

“He made his choice.” He looked down at his mug, unfocusing his eyes. “Can’t say it was the wrong choice,” he whispered, sucking his teeth. I wanted to reach out to him, but I didn’t know how he would react.

“So you don’t know where your brother is? Gage?” Nicholas asked gruffly. Remy took in a deep breath before finally looking back up to Nicholas, shaking his head.

“I’ve been looking for him. I know for sure he won’t go to the Angel States. I just spent four years searching for him in Jag. He told me that he’d be in Kost when I finally came to Aksan, but I heard from an old family friend the other week that Gage… he spent his time in Tiver after Levi died, and I was hoping to stay in Herith and scout for him,” he looked down again. Nicholas stood up quickly, obviously furious. He paced for a moment, seething.

“I knew him,” he said lowly. “I bloody knew Levi- the bastard.” He suddenly marched to the door, and left, slamming the door behind him. I jolted in my seat at the sudden noise. I didn’t know what to say. I stared at the table for what felt like forever.

“I… I didn’t expect this to happen tonight,” Remy started, breaking the deafening silence. “I am terribly sorry for this inconvenience, Claire. My family… they seem to haunt me no matter what I do,” he said quietly. He let out a drawn-out breath. I bit my lip, looking at him.

“Is Nicholas right?” I asked him nervously. “Are… is your brother the one responsible for the Tiver murders?” He flicked his eyes away from me, darting to different parts of the room around me. He nodded finally. I opened my mouth again to say something, but the words were lost once more.

“My brothers… they were stuck with my father for the first years of their lives. My father knew when I was born that I wasn’t as strong as they were. That’s why he left me and my mother.” I stared at him.

“As strong? What do you mean?” He hesitated. He looked somewhat pained to speak.

“We’re illusionists.” I blinked, raising my eyebrows.

“Illusionists? What does that mean?” He pursed his lips, not speaking. A moment later, he looked at me with a straight face, holding a hand up above his lap at waist-level. In a second, the nighttime became daytime. I spun towards the window in my seat. Birds chirped in what looked like my backyard. I dropped my jaw, looking at Remy with surprise. He smiled and put his hand down. I stood up and rushed to the window. It was just how I had remembered it. I could actually feel the sun on my face through the window.

“This…” I closed my mouth, looking back at him. “Is an illusion,” I decided sadly. He nodded with a small, understanding smile. With a small wave of his hand, the birds were silenced and the sun went away again, and it was night in Beythas once again. I felt my heart sink with the loss of my home.

“I can only create physical illusions,” he bagan. “My illusions are in present time, affecting whoever I choose. My brothers and my father, however, are able to create both physical and mental illusions. They are far more powerful than I can ever hope to be,” he admitted sadly. “Mental illusions are… like dreams. They affect one person at a time. It all happens in their head. They leave the real world until the illusionist decides they can come back, or until the one being affected can shake themselves hard enough out of it. People can get lost in mental illusions...” I swallowed fearfully, my mind whirring.

“Mental illusions… they’re like a dream that feels real?” He nodded again.

“Dangerously so.”

“And does the illusionist have to be standing as close as we are right now to induce the illusion?” I continued, feeling my heart beat faster. Remy looked at me thoughtfully.

“Not necessarily. The stronger the illusionist, the further his influence may extend.” I felt my throat closing up as realisation dawned on me. Suddenly the door was whipped open again. Nicholas closed it behind himself, leaning his hand against it. He didn’t slam it like before, but he was not gentle. I stared at him, feeling nauseous. He looked over to me, he seemed to look sick as well.

“Nicholas,” I croaked.

A man’s scream pierced my ears. I jumped with a gasp, looking towards the source. It was the same scream as the one I heard the first night that I was here. Except this time… it was coming from upstairs. I looked back and forth between the other two, horrified, who looked at me alarmed.

“Did you hear it?” I pleaded more than asked. Remy shook his head slowly.

“Hear-” Nicholas cut himself off, his eyes unfocusing as he stared off in a daze.

“Nicholas,” I urged. I looked at Remy. He stared off in the same way as Nicholas. My stomach flipped and I started to panic. The two dropped suddenly to their knees. Another scream rang out. I slapped my hands to my ears, closing my eyes.

This isn’t happening. This cannot be happening.

The scream continued still as loud and as desperate as ever. It felt like it was coming from right next to me, on both sides. I kept my hands on my ears, tightly shutting my eyes and shrinking down to the ground.

“This isn’t real. This isn’t real.” I steadied my breathing, ignoring the screams. “This isn’t real,” I chanted. I let my hands fall and opened my eyes. “This isn’t real,” I asserted. I blinked away any fear, taking in a deep slow breath and exhaling as I stood. “This isn’t real!” I shouted back at the scream. “This isn’t real!” As my voice bounced off the walls of the cottage the scream was silenced. I let out a short breath, shocked that it worked. “Where are you?” My question hung in the air. I took in a few deep breaths, looking over Remy and Nicholas, who were still entranced. I couldn’t wait for them.

I broke off, sprinting to my room, trying not to trip down the dark hallway. As I was running, there was a loud bang against the walls and each of the closed doors in the hall. It was such a furious explosion of noise that I could practically feel it in my heart. It made me shriek and throw my hands up instinctively to defend myself, but I didn’t stop moving.

It’s not real.

When I got to my room I threw myself down onto the ground next to my bed, reaching underneath it and throwing my shaking hand around on the ground to find my sword. My hand finally brushed the cold metal and I gripped it tightly, pulling it out from under my bed and out from its holster triumphantly. I headed back to the living room without a second thought.

I was glad to see that Remy and Nicholas were both still where I had left them, though unhappy that they still had not woken up. Remy had said after all that all they had to do was realized that they were in a dream. Maybe I was dreaming, too… I debated what to do next, pausing between the hallway and the door. I stared at the door.

“He can’t come in,” I whispered to myself, reassuringly. “None of this is real.” I edged towards the door. “He’s just a man.” When I reached the door, I took the knob and slowly opened the door, trying to calm myself. I lifted my sword, gripping the handle tightly, ready to fight. “He can’t come in.” I opened the door slowly . “None of this is real.” As I peered out in the night I saw a figure beyond the gate, closer to the forest. I settled my pounding heart. “You’re just… a man,” I said, even quieter than a whisper. “What do you want?” I called out to him. The shadow did not budge. “What do you want? Why are you here?”

“I’m here for you,” I heard a girl’s voice chime from behind me. My blood ran cold and I couldn’t move for a moment, paralyzed with fear. I finally turned my back to the shadow and faced the source of the voice which was about two yards away from me inside of the house.

It was me.

“This isn’t real,” I repeated. The illusion of myself smiled at me. She was dressed in clothes from home. She wore black jeans and a fitted, white t-shirt that hung off of her shoulders- my clothes. In her hands she held a copy of my sword that glimmered in the moonlight. She took a step closer to me, her barefoot sliding across the floor gracefully. In turn, I took a step to my left, towards Nicholas. I held up my sword defensively, trying to keep my hands from trembling. She eyed me with a sweet smile and blank eyes.

“That doesn’t work, you know,” she said in a daze.

“What?” I spat.

“It doesn’t matter if you think it’s a dream. If you say it’s not real.” She took another step towards me and I held out my sword further, standing my ground. She bit her lip, still smiling, eyeing me and taking my whole appearance in. “He’s too powerful. He has help. He’s stronger than all of you,” she taunted. I grimaced, my breathing picking up as I grew more and more afraid. She looked out the door longingly. “He says-” She turned back to me. “-all you have to do is let him in.” I scoffed.

“Why would I do that?” She looked behind her, back to the hallway for a moment. She looked back at me and spun her sword distractedly, sending small gusts of wind my way as she spun it in circles on her sides like she had been handling it for years. I watched her intently. This felt like an out-of-body experience.

“He says-” She stopped spinning and lifted her sword to point behind me, startling me. “-he’ll let them go.” She smiled and cocked her head at me, then pointed her sword to me, stepping forward again. Her arm held her sword powerfully; she did not shake or waver. I watched her like a hawk as her blade scraped mine gently. I didn’t know what to do. “What do you say?” she asked sweetly. I glared.

“Fuck no,” I said icily. She sighed.

“People will get hurt, Claire,” she scolded. Her lips suddenly twitched up into a smirk. “Though, I suppose that’s why you’re saying no, isn’t it?” I laughed at her.

“What the hell does that mean?” She moved her sword to the other side of my blade, sliding the metal together to make a cold shiiink that gave me goosebumps.

“You want these idiots to die. It’ll be easier that way. Cleaner for you.” She giggled. “You are cold, Claire. It’s beautiful.” I swung my sword, beating hers down and bringing it back up to her heart as I took another step forward. She looked down at the sword and then back up at me.

She suddenly grabbed tightly onto my blade with her bare hand. I gasped as her skin sank into the blade. Her grin never left her face. She stared at me blankly. Her eyes were hollow and her smile didn’t reach her eyes. My stomach churned with empathetic horror. She took a little step back and then propelled herself forward again, ramming herself forward onto the blade. It pierced her chest right on top of her heart, and I whimpered as it cut into her skin so easily. I felt nauseous as her white shirt began to soak with blood. The blood ran from her chest and her hand down my sword towards my own hand. I tried to hold myself against her weight.

“This isn’t real,” I muttered shakily. She cocked her head at me again with a tight smile.

“Maybe not.” She grabbed further down onto the blade with both hands, finally dropping her own sword, sending it clattering to the ground. “Maybe not yet,” she said pointedly. She impaled herself further onto the sword, and I heard her ribs cracking and felt the sick vibrations through the metal of my sword. I finally had to let go as her blood neared my hand and my fear grew. I stumbled back, trying to get away from her. The sword had run clean through her, exiting through her back. She took one of her slashed hands and brushed it down the walls of the cottage as she came closer to me- step after heavy step. Her breathing was labored and spotty. I could hear the blockage of blood obstructing her breathing.

“He’s going to paint this house red, Claire,” she wheezed. I stumbled backwards, accidentally knocking into the table and falling back onto it. My breathing was heavy and quick as I scrambled to stand again. “Unless you invite-” She kicked Nicholas in the head, sending him toppling over. “-him-” She took ripped the sword from her chest and plunged it into Remy’s own chest, through his back. I screamed in horror and she ripped it back out again, sending him falling to the floor in a heap, as well. She took in a deep breath, looking at the sword that glistened with blood. I felt sick. “-in,” she drawled slowly.

She brought the sword to her mouth and licked along the edge of the blade, slicing her tongue to taste the blood already present on the sword. I dry-heaved, covering my nose and mouth with my arm, trying to block the intense smell of blood from making me sick. She dropped the sword and it crashed to the wood floor. I doubled over, crouching and leaning against the table.

“Please go away,” I pleaded, holding back tears. She looked out the window for a moment.

“He says-” She turned back to me. Blood dripped from her mouth, weeping down her pale skin to her throat. Her speech was garbled and sputtering as her mouth filled with blood. “Let me in.” She lunged at me and I turned away, shielding myself with my arms.

“STOP!” I screeched. Her body never collided with mine. My heavy breathing was the only sound in the room. I opened my eyes quickly, trying to find her.

She was gone.

I let out a sob, standing up and spinning in a full circle to find her. But she wasn’t there. The blood wasn’t there. Nicholas and Remy were still in their kneeling position near the table and the wall by the door. My sword was near Nicholas by the door. I let out another sob, putting my hand over my mouth. My legs and arms trembled. I staggered to the window as quickly as I could.

The shadowed man was gone.

My chest felt the sting of the heated metal of my necklace once more. I started to fight with it with blurry eyes and shaking hands until I heard Remy gasp. I turned to him quickly to see him suddenly double over, holding his stomach with one hand and waving his other hand out in front of himself. I rushed to him.

“Remy! Remy!” He looked up at me sharply, standing up and nearly falling over again. I grabbed onto him and pulled him into a hug. I started sobbing. My body trembled far more than I could handle. I cried hard as Remy held onto me tightly, not saying anything. “Remy- he- she-” I couldn’t finish. I know that I had only just met him, but… She had killed him. My head was starting to spin as I hyperventilated.

“Emily!” Nicholas suddenly screamed from his place on the floor. I stole myself away from him and rushed to Nicholas, tripping over my confused feet and putting my hands on his shoulders.

“Nicholas, Nicholas,” I said quickly, trying to bring him back as he scrambled on the floor, looking around the room rapidly, as if searching for something. He met my eyes finally.

“Are you two okay?” I asked, trying to cease my sobbing. He held onto my arms and brought me into a hug, settling us on the floor. I could tell that he and Remy were looking at each other, but I didn’t care. I cried into his shoulder. “What are we going to do?” I cried. No one answered me.

What are we going to do.