Chapter 15

As soon as Ashnah's back touched the soft cusion of the bed, thoughts came rushing to her mind. Doubts began to question the peace she's in. Everything was moving rapidly for her to catch her breath. She didn't have any time before to comprehend the full situation that she's in. And now, everything is another step deeper than she should be, her anxiousness is getting ahead of her.

She checked each person she met in the organization, one by one. Uncle Arnold so far has the most solid reason she could find in her mind to call trustworthy. Being someone who would take her side against the whole organization gained a huge portion of her trust, aside from being Uncle Rodney's friend. Uncle Rodney has the capability to distinguish people's intent, knowing or unknowingly. Fina, being Uncle Rodney's sister, given her much comfor to put her trust into. For Jin and Cale. They're two dashing individuals which could easily make one fluster if they wanted to. 'Well, that includes me. But all hell may break loose before I'll admit that to their faces.' She smiled slightly to her silly thought. She sighed when the stream of her thoughts continued as she tried to perceive the possible underlying situation she might be in.

Cale and Jin had visited her room in the middle of the night without her knowledge. There's something irksome in between that she couldn't point her fingers in. 'Should I ask each of them?' She shook her head as another thought contradicted the idea. 'If either of them is the enemy, or at least a comrade of theirs, they would be alerted if they know I'm conscious of their next move.'

Then here's the Elder Tyron and his granddaugher. They got haughty personalities which is probably born from their standing in the organization. But it might also be because of an underlying grudge that she might be aware of.

She sighed, feeling exhausted arleady just thinking about it. She rolled to other side of the bed and was not able to catch herself when she was already at the edge of it. She landed on the carpeted floor with a slight thud. "Despite all of the training and fights I've been through," she groaned.

***

As planned, Ashnah's schedule was full. Even on her day off, she can only just sleep the day out due to exhaustion. When engaged in her trainings, she can only focused on her responsibilities. Nighttime just took her consciousness away. She was only able to adjust fully on the third month of her training. She's not yet really able to get how her gift works but she have some hypothesis about it. She just need to test it out if the situation permits it.

Melanie, her friend whom she had no time meeting after joining the organization asked to meet with her. According to her message, she was in a dire situation. 'I feel inauspicious about this.' Melanie is a good friend but there is just something that keeps giving her guts an omnious feeling.

As she was drawing nearer to their meeting place, she felt the demonic aura. She gathered the spiritual energy within her and focused it in opening her spiritual eye. She pictured the place in black and grey scenery like in movies. She then focused the spiritual energy on her mouth as she released it through words. "Warp."

It wasn't long that she was able to do it herself. But up till now it still amazes her when the place was slowly copied to the spiritual world in monochrome scenery. She hurried to the place where the demonic aura is stronger. Her legs brought her to their meeting place.

Was it Melanie? She wished it isn't her.

She stopped when she saw the infected soul. The afflicted is unrecoginzable, which is usual in this state since the demons have already grown in size as it fed from its prey's miseries. It screamed in agony as it saw her. Its shadowed tentacles looked flexible, whipping everything it touches. It easily shaped its tips into something sharp and began attacking her. She dodged its attacked and reached for her choice of medium which was a palm-sized retractable pen.

She concentrated her spiritual force to the retractable pen and imagined a sword. It manifested but not a bit shorter than she had pictured out in her mind. She sighed in disappointment but set her focus on her battle. Before she slashed the demonic tentacles. Someone already did the bidding and the tentacle dissipated. She turned around to see Uncle Arnold.

"Don't take away the fun for yourself," he smirked.

"I don't find this fun at all," she rolled her eyes but smiled. "Show off. "

He chuckled. "They keep growing in numbers. Be careful. This ones almost reaching the second from the top tier," He warned.

"That explains your entry?" she breathed, slashing the tentacles coming after her. It melted as her spiritual force touched it.

"Well, aside from being one of the strongest gifted, I'm also your partner in crime if you forget," he said as he avoided the incoming attack.

"Thanks for the reminder. I almost forget," she said grinning while she ducked the attack.

She felt a definite presence and the demon's attacked managed to graze her side.

"Ashnah!" Uncle Robert yelled.

"I'm okay!" She bounced back. She moved meters away, trying to distance herself from the demon as her focus shifted to the presence she felt before.

"Ashnah?" said the familiar slightly raspy baritone voice.

Her head hastily turned towards to owner of the voice. Her eyes grew wider as recongition dawned on her. "Elix! What are you doing here?"

"W-What's happening? Where's everyone?" He said. His eyes popped out when his gaze went to the monster the demon have become. "W-What's that?"

The demon seemed to notice Elix's presence. It's tentacles headed towards Elix.

"Elix!" She screamed while running to his direction. Since it's too late to shield him from the tentacles, she stomped hard on her feet to set herself in the air, colliding herself with Elix. The impact made him loose his balance, and they both fell on the ground with her on the top.

"This ain't a romance movie, lass. Get your ass up and apply what you've learned from your training!" Arnold yelled as he shielded both of them from the second attack.

"I know, old man!" She screamed her answer to Ucle Arnold. She turned back to Elix, "I'm sorry for this. I'll explain later." She didn't wait for his response. Her palms pushed against his hard chest to stand up. She then ran towards the demon. "Uncle, protect Elix. I'll deal with this first," She yelled towards Uncle Arnold.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked.

"You'll be watching," she smirked as her answer.

Uncle Arnold just shook his head and grin, proud how she came to be. "What a brat." His face turned serious when he turned to Elix. "What have we have here? A deja vu for a plot twist?"

Elix just looked at him in awe.

Ashnah on the other hand was anxious to test out every last bit of what she learned from the past month. But no matter how much she sliced and cleanses the demon, its tentacles just keeps on growing back and she's loosing patience to defeat it. Its capabilites is not in par with her sipritual energy however its regeneration ability is making things hard for her to defeat it.

During her training, she only was able to practice the normal abilities of being a gifted warrior. But she wasn't able to practice her usual ability that she used unconsciously in previous cases. It just didn't worked out no matter how much she called for it. Although Uncle Arnold has one theory as to how her gift manifests, it's not yet tested because there's one more factor that it requires, the test subject . It's time to check it out. She called out to Uncle Robert, "Uncle, I'll check out your theory. If the demon does not react after five minutes of gulping me down, you may began dissecting it."

"Are you certain?" He asked.

"Yes," she said with determination.

She didn't block the attack of the dark tentacles but she made sure that it will not do her much damage. It chafed her a bit and the wound slightly bled. Nothing happened like how it supposedly do so. 'It's not the contact. Then how was I able to reach the demon core before?'

She heard something ringing softly. A voice came over with a different language. But it's odd how she understood it clearly like her very own mother tongue. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened."

An idea came up to her mind. 'Shall I try it then?'She said to herself. 'Like I have a different choice.'

She focused her spiritual force towards her mouth. "Where are you?" She then concentrated her spiritual force to her eyes and gazed around. Eventually, the dark tentacles that she saw started to transform to words drowning in the black sea of miasma.

'Now for the last step.' She concentrated her spiritual force to her hands and she tried to knock her fist with a slight force against the ball of wordings in front of her. The wordings gave in like it was inviting her in. She took the invitation and walked in with caution.

As soon as she stepped inside, she heard a woman's voice wailing. 'I just need to follow this, right?' She keened her senses to her surroundings and ran off to where the sound is coming from. 'Better be alert than be sorry.'

Your touch felt wrong and yet so right

such sensations that gives me fright

my heart cries that I'm not your first

palms clenched in emotion's outburst

Your arms are heaven where I sleep

I hope you're someone I can keep

I bet my dignity in you

Willing to risk how I am viewed

They judged me as someone worthless

`was branded as someone tactless

Still i stood my ground, stayed with you

I held you dear, not someone new

Promised to end the covenant

Stupid! Waiting like a peasant

You have deemed it not important

Still the hope in chest is constant

"Melanie?" her name escaped Ashnah's lips. 'Is this Melanie's agony?'

The wailing lashed louder. She felt a shudder ran through her body. Not because of fear but of sorrow. There was a lot of mayhem that vibrated all around and it was wanting to seeped within Ashnah.

I beseach the love you had pledged

I questioned if you're right to choose

Pushed me to have myself in vex

On my neck, you tigthen the noose

Bore you fruit yet not contented

You found pleasure from another

Regret's at hand, I lamented

Why'd you find another lover?

Do telll, why am I not enough?

Am I missing a lot of stuff?

Why I'm not your only option?

Can't I ask for your devotion?

Probably it's retribution

For I've stolen you from your spouse

You have strayed from obligation

Parent, husband within a house

Ashnah felt her pain, the regret, the anger, the jealousy, the helplessness. Melanie's emotions were completely berserk and it's seeping within Ashnah's heart. Her emotions were too heavy. Ashnah tried to stopped it, but it somehow broke her barrier and Melanie's emotions began to felt more like hers. Tears began to fall from her eyes unceasingly.

Memories she didn't want to remember kept flashing in her mind. She shook her head and tried to brush them off, holding on the little strength left within her.

"Melanie!" she tried calling out to her friend. "Please wake up!"

"Ashnah!" She heard Uncle Arnold shouted.

She bet it took time for him to infiltrate the body of the demon because of the same problem she encountered before--its regeneration capability.

"Uncle Arnold, stay back!" she yelled back at him. "I'm not yet done!"

Thanks to the commotion that he had created, her focus on Melanie's emotion got distracted. She was able to take note of the events. She set her inner walls higher to barricade her mind from the damage of Melanie's emotional outburst. She was now able to observe things thoroughly. She searched within her for any answer to Melanie's grief. How? How can I be of help to you, Mel? In her own helplessness, she found the answer.

She imagined pulling out the light of hope within her soul. Golden words manifested and and went out of her body from her core.

Cry your heart out, oh weary soul

Feel the pain but let rest befall

Let go of which have weigh you down

Cover your ears from talk of town

Yes, it's scary to start again

But fear more if you can't begin

For if time stops you won't have chance

to do what life can offer once

In you is light and I see hope

There is a choice to change the slope

Mistakes does not equals failure

That is something I can assure

The sphere of words were absorbed thoroughly in her body like she was just waiting for it to be fed. Streak of tears wet Ashnah's cheeks, mirroring Melanie's. 'How can she survived those?'

"A-Ashnah," she slowly muttered. The dark slimy tar of demon's aura slowly melted away as Melanie regained her own soul. She break in tears as she hugged Ashnah in her vulnerability.