Her Eternal Soul

It had been several months, and I treasured each second I had to spend with Mayu. But things were changing…She began wondering where I was at night. She was taking note of my changing personality and appearance. I was growing thin, sickly, gray. My personality was dulling. Each soul I took, took a portion of my own soul along with it. I was no longer the bright, loving person Mayu had known. I was cold, dim, and growing worse. I no longer slept, and that worried her. So many times I’ve made her cry…I was draining the life out of her. And the funny part is, I was doing all of this to keep her alive.

“Shinya?” She questioned one day from the kitchen. I went to her side, my dead heart thrumming nervously seeing the journal in her fingers. It was flipped open to the page with her name on it, still in bright red letters. “What is this?” She questions, her eyes meeting mine. She looked horrified, and I knew she had read the instructions listed on the first page. I knew she pieced everything together…she was a clever person.

“I…I couldn’t do it.” I whisper, “I couldn’t take your life.” I crack, tears falling from my eyes for the first time in months.

“How long has it been?” She questions, getting straight to the point.

“…Since your birthday.” She goes wide-eyed, glancing back down into the pages.

“I thought you changed that night…” She mutters. “You died that night.” She states, her eyes meeting mine. My heart squeezes tightly, choking me.

“Yes.” I choke, “And you were supposed to too.” I sob. “I’m supposed to eliminate you…but how can I Mayu? You’re the only thing keeping me alive. You’re the only reason I’ve held on to my sanity. Every time I collect, I lose more and more of myself. Mayu, if I lose you, I’ll have nothing left…” She was silent as I fell into myself, crushed. I knew what she was thinking. She would never agree to me killing innocent people in order to keep her alive one more day.

“Shinya…we’ve already lost each other.” She whispers, “I was supposed to die. You would have lost me back then anyway.”

“But we would have died together…this is my fault for being selfish. I was afraid of death.”

“But I am not.” She crouches in front of me, looking into my eyes. She rests her palm on my face tenderly. “Please, spare these innocent lives Shinya.” She whispers, tears welling up in her eyes. “I could not bear to see one more person die for me. It’s my time.”

I could see our souls entangling, dancing together as we closed our eyes. We were empty inside, hollow shells, but our souls departed from this world together. My body would carry on, unlike Mayu’s, but I could rest easy knowing my soul was accompanying hers.