Chapter Fifteen: Cacophony of the Dead

Ayra stood still and quiet, staring at the spot where the Fiend stood for a long time.

A strong gust blew her way, the locks of her moon-white hair wildly dancing across her solemn face at the gentle force. Her fingers harshly clenched the hilt of the weapon in her hand, the only response to the inner turmoil Ayra was presently trapped in.

The little night stroll that she decided to venture on didn't seem to calm her anymore. Instead, the acrid silence of the woods seemed excruciating.

She inhaled deeply and spun around, slowly sauntering past a tight-lipped Ryo and towards a large tree. She settled on the ground, leaning her back against the solid bark of the tree. With a sigh, she placed her arms on her knees and dipped her chin down. 

Ayra delicately shut her eyes.

The Fiend's shrill voice broke through her mind, rehashing those godawful words again and again inside her head.

War will begin with your child.

Her heart grew heavy.

War, the Fiend had said.

The wind suddenly rippled next to her and Ayra raised her head just in time to see Ryo settle down on the ground beside her. Surprise flowed through her, but she didn't comment on it. 

No one spoke for a long time. The night was still exuberant and the winds, pensive.

"Not sleepy?" Ayra questioned lowly, hesitantly. She had never spoken to the Ghostsinger before and she half-wondered if he would even reply to her question. 

Fortunately, he did. 

"They won't let me sleep."

Ayra faced the young Guardian now.

Ryo had his head down and an arm stretched towards the sodden earth, his hand firmly holding a long and flimsy twig. Ayra mindlessly watched as the Guardian discreetly jotted onto the soil.

"The ghosts." She stated quietly, knowingly. 

The Guardian didn't respond but he softly nodded, still entirely focused on fiddling against the mud.

"Is that why you decided to go for a walk in the middle of the woods?"

Ryo quietly shook his head. "No."

He stopped moving his arm.

"The ghosts sensed a bizarre presence nearby. We went in search of it."

He suddenly turned towards her.

"Did you see something strange?"

Ayra's eyes flickered. Yes.

"No."

Ryo stared at her for a long time before facing the ground again.

"Okay."

The moon still shone splendidly above, wholly embracing the night with its illuminating presence. It was tranquil but it was not the kind of quietness that Ayra enjoyed moments ago. This was heavy and torturous, her loud thoughts consistently but ferociously carving a deep abyss of dread inside her.

Ayra replayed the Fiend's words over and over again in her head, deep in thought. A Fiend's words must never be ignored, some say. A Fiend always speaks hoax, never listen to it, others say. And Ayra didn't know who she was supposed to hearken to.

A part of her wanted to confide this matter to Neslyn and Valda but the other part of her wanted to just leave it be and focus on the mission. The embers of fear were already burning inside their chests, adding this information would inevitably ignite the flames to consume them wholly. And she didn't wish for that.

"You.." A small voice reached her and Ayra faced Ryo, who had his pale grey eyes intently fixed on her.

"You seem...strange."

And just like that, the wind grew very, very still.

"What a nice thing to say to someone." Her lips quirked, seemingly surprised at his words. 

Ryo's cheeks warmed.

"Oh."

He swiftly faced the ground again, his hand pressing faster and harder against the loamy soil.

"I'm sorry."

Ayra grew quiet.

She couldn't deny the Guardian's words. There were countless occasions when Ayra felt odd to herself too. But she never prodded further, for she knew she would not like the answer. Something horrendous breathed deep within her, that much she knew.

Ayra had known this for a long time. Knew that something was innately wrong with her. The Fiend had said the same thing but now, the same bit of information coming from a child next to her made her feel exhausted all of a sudden. Yes, she was very exhausted. 

Ayra looked at his red ears before leaning back against the tree and sighing,

"Did the ghosts tell you that?"

Ryo nodded before turning his wide, innocent eyes at her.

"B-But they don't mean anything bad by that! You just seem different, not necessarily evil or anything like that." His voice lowered towards the end, facing the ground again when he realized he had her attention on him.

Ayra could only smile in amusement. The Ghostsinger was quite adorable. 

"You seem to care a lot about them, seeing how you jumped to their defence without me even saying anything."

"I do.'' He confided quietly,

"They may be dead but they are the only family I have."

Ayra looked at the Guardian.

They may be dead but they are the only family I have.

Ayra unconsciously grasped the locket resting at the base of her neck, her eyes growing solemn.

"You seem sad. Did I say something wrong?"

Ryo's big, chaste eyes regarded her with vivid worry and Ayra half-wondered how an innocent child like him turned into an individual of such tremendous power.

"No." She sighed in response. "I was just wondering if I would be happier if I had your powers, Ryo."

"Why do you say that?" He questioned, so softly that Ayra had to strain her ears against the wind.

"They may be dead but they are the only family I have," Ayra repeated his words. "Because of that."

She didn't explain further. Didn't have to. Because the Guardian understood her.

"Then you must be selfish like me."

Ayra's gaze was set on the night sky.

"What do you mean?"

"That if we both shared the same powers, "

His grey eyes regarded her with a faraway look,

"We won't be able to let go."

The wind turned noiseless.

"The ghosts are the only family I call my own. I grew up with the dead. They took me under their care even though my birth parents left me to rot alone."

He raised his eyes towards the moon, his deep blue dark hair glimmering under its ghostly light.

"But the dead do not belong in this realm. They must go to the other side after they breathe their final breath."

"I didn't let them go. When the time came, I didn't let them go to the other side."

"I didn't want my family to leave me."

He picked up the twig again, thoughtlessly playing around with the mud.

"I was selfish."

All this while the Guardian spoke, his delicate voice was barely over a murmur. The wind conveyed his words to her however Ayra half-contemplated whether this discussion was more to himself than to her.

Ayra raised her dagger towards the moon and gazed at the shining blade.

"What you did was wrong."

Ryo visibly flinched at that.

"But," she continued, clutching her locket tighter in her grasp.

"I would have done the same thing if I was in your place." She said.

Ryo looked at her, slightly stunned at that unexpected answer. But then, a soft smile bloomed onto his face and Ayra's smile grew deeper.

"Oh, " he suddenly said.

Ayra tilted her head. "What is it?"

"Marvin said you're gorgeous. He said that if he was alive, he would court you."

Ayra blinked.

Ryo glanced at the dagger she held above her knee.

"He also said that it would be better if you didn't point your dagger in his face."

Ayra blinked again and stared at the empty space in front of her. 

"Is... he sitting in front of me?"

Ryo nodded.

"Since when?"

"Since the moment I sat beside you."

The wind slowed down.

Ayra swiftly glanced around.

"Is...everyone here?"

Ryo nodded.

"Do you want to see them?" Ryo quietly asked and Ayra didn't miss the chaste excitement hidden between those words.

"I can?" She frowned. 

He eagerly nodded his head. "Yes."

He held out his small hand towards her, gesturing her to take it. Ayra raised her hand and placed it in his.

An icy coldness licked at her skin the moment she placed her hand in his. She jerked away in reflex but Ryo held still. Something flashed before her eyes and Ayra slowly raised her head.

Her whole body grew cold and rigid in pure horror. As if someone had poured an eternity's worth of icicles over her form. Her skin visible paled at the sight in front of her.

Because over his shoulders, over those small shoulders, not one or two but thirteen apparitions sat on them. They were heaped upon one other, assembling upwards like the pinnacle of the dead over his head.

Ayra's heart thrashed against her chest at the sight of them. Their crimson eyes were wide and fixed on her icy blue ones, their bloodless lips murmured her name and Ayra was close to running the hell away from there.

But another ghost found her reaction to be very, very intriguing. 

"Woah, you're beautiful even when you are terrified."

Ayra immediately raised her dagger on instinct and pointed it at the person in front of her.

The wind hissed. 

Marvin fell on his back and wildly eyed the tip of the blade under his nose. He raised his pale, grey hands up in defense.

"H-Hold on." He stammered hurriedly, his eyes becoming dreadfully wide. It was somewhat unnerving, Ayra conceded quietly, to see his dark red eyes go wide like that.

It was also rather amusing.

"You're already dead. But a small weapon like this scares you?" Her head turned towards Ryo, wary eyes still fixed on the ghost before her. "How does this one survive?" 

Ryo softly chuckled. "Marvin wishes to be protected instead of doing the protecting. But when it comes down to a fight, he relies on his mind rather than his fists."

Ayra slightly smiled at Marvin, who was still suspiciously eyeing the unmoving dagger in front of his nose. 

She slowly lowered the tip of the dagger towards his adam's apple and he swallowed loudly.

"Next time, Marvin, don't sneak up on me like that. I don't react very well to surprises."

He fiercely nodded his head.

Ayra retrieved her dagger back. 

Marvin sighed in relief, slyly disappearing behind Ryo after murmuring how beautiful and scary Ayra was.

She looked back at the other ghosts above Ryo's shoulders, feeling less overwhelmed than before, knowing very well that they fought to protect, instead of harm. 

She quietly regarded all of their blood-red eyes that we're focused on her.

"Why...are they all staring at me?"

Ryo rubbed the back of his neck, his demeanor growing somewhat timid.

"They are, uh, embarrassed."

"They look like they want to kill me though."

Ayra's eyes widened in pure awe when all of the ghosts shook their head in answer.

"What the--"

Ryo raised his palm and offered a sheepish glance to her.

"Ina doesn't like it when someone curses."

As if on cue, a small girl stepped from behind Ryo. Her greyish blue skin glistened under the milky light of the moon and her short, dull blonde hair curved at her jawline. Her crimson eyes deemed Ayra with a kind of innocence that completely belonged to a child.

"Hello." Ayra smiled kindly.

Ina stared at Ayra for a long time, taking in her kind smile. Her little feet slowly carried her towards Ayra and she half-wondered what this child was about to do.

She got her answer a moment later when Ina extended her tiny hands towards the locket that was now out in the open.

Ayra grew alert, immediately clasping the locket and turning her body away. It was out of reflex, really. But when Ina gasped and hid behind Ryo, Ayra felt like a bitch.

She slowly retrieved her hand back from Ryo's and just like that, the ghosts disappeared from her sight. But she knew they were here, watching her closely.

"I apologise if her behaviour bothered you," Ryo said apologetically, eyebrows crinkling with worry. "It's just that she had been eyeing your locket for quite a while now. She wanted to see what was inside but I'm sorry if that offended you."

Ayra softly shook her head.

"It's not that." She confessed quietly.

"It's.... been a long time since I last opened it."

Ryo didn't reply and just observed Ayra's still form for a long time.

"It must be very special to you then."

Ayra nodded. "Very."

Ryo gently smiled at her but a moment later he grew rigid,

"Oh no."

Ayra grew alarmed too.

"What happened?" The grasp on her dagger tightened.

"Rydan is waking up."

Ayra shoulders slightly slumped with relief.

"How do you know that?"

Ryo was already on his feet, his hands swiftly dusting off the soil from his pants.

"I asked a ghost to stay by his side."

Ayra chuckled. "Rydan is scary, huh."

"Very." He said quietly before turning towards her.

"I'll be heading first then." He shyly smiled at her.

"Good night."

Ayra called out his name.

He turned, waiting for her to continue.

"I want to apologize to Ina for my rudeness."

Ryo completely turned to face her, plastering a small smile on his face.

"Ina asked for a favour in return."

Ayra inclined her head, quietly asking him to continue.

"Ina asked you to open that locket."

"Because you look like you need to see it now more than ever."

With that, he left.

Ayra sat under that tree for a long time.

She slowly raised the plain, round locket to her eyes. After staring at it for minutes, she slowly opened it.

A small, worn-out picture greeted her solemn eyes.

A sea of memories from the past crashed against the safe barriers of her mind, her heart painfully constricting at the same time.

Her fingers softly caressed the picture, at the two figures happily smiling on either side of her.

"Hello, Ruhn. Hello, Caelan." She said, her voice breaking ever so slightly with hidden emotions.

The wind grew heavy and quiet.

And Ayra remained there, staring at the locket till dawn arrived.