what must be done

 As I lose consciousness, I feel my mind flood with a horrible, wrenching darkness. Even though I am no longer awake, I can feel my head pounding, the veins in my temples feel as if they are going to burst.

 I am descending into a pit of darkness from which there is no escape. My body is falling deeper and deeper into hell.

 Suddenly I find my vision is unobscured and I can see. I am still dreaming, but for some reason I can see the world through the eyes of another. I do not know who I am looking through. All I can tell is that the person is walking slowly through the grassy fields, heading toward my Village.

 The person whose head I am in does not seem to notice my presence. I try calling out to them, to tell them that is area is dangerous. I want to warn them against the nightmarish Spirit that has broken through and brutally murdered Lance and Marc.

 The person walks up to a tree, and I notice there is a man there, hidden in shadows. He gives a huge grin when he sees this person step up to him.

 "So it was a success."

 "Yes," comes a voice. I instantly recognize it, and I realize who I am sharing my field of vision with. I am looking through the eyes of the Spirit woman who has just killed my friends.

 I am unable to do anything, other than watch, but I feel my soul burning with anger. "What must I do now?" the Spirit asks.

 Go die in a hole, I answer.

 "We have worked very hard here in Arcona Village to facilitate your revival," the man chuckles. "How does it feel to be out of the Spirit World, Imp Queen Merava?"

 I feel the Spirit grow weary with the man. I sense a slight killing intent from her soul, but she manages to keep it in check.

 "What must I do now?"

 The man bows his head. "We have within our organization," the man starts, "The body of another Spirit Lord. He was sealed in the Spirit War one hundred years ago. We know you have the power to unseal him…something we do not. Here is a map. Follow it until you get to Pearl City. One of our agents will meet you there. The body of the Spirit Lord is in Pearl City, and if you can awaken him, we will be well on our way to taking over the entire nation!"

 I feel Merava's eyes fold into a scowl as she accepts the map from the man's hand. "So all I must do is walk to Pearl City?"

 "Yes. Stop in Greenwald Village on your way," the man states. "There will be someone else there willing to help you. But I must say this, Imp Queen Merava. You must keep a very low profile. We can't risk the country knowing you exist."

 "Too late for that," the hideous Spirit laughs. "I've already killed three of the little Spiritguards. Turned two of them to ash. Stabbed one to death."

 "You let one of them live, though, correct?"

 "Of course, foolish man. I wouldn't have been able to survive if I didn't."

 "Very good, then," the man's eyes flicker in the darkness. He almost looks…familiar…where have I seen him before?

 "We will be able to keep your identity a secret," he says, giving her a knowing smile. For a moment, it feels like he's looking at ME, not her.

 "Since you stabbed one to death, we'll be able to frame the remaining Spiritguard for murder," the man points out. "If he says that a powerful Spirit walked through and did it, we'll just accuse him of being delirious. No harm done, right? You get to remain anonymous, and he can't possibly hurt you if he's thrown in a jail cell."

 "Just make sure it's a jail cell," Merava warns. "If that boy is executed, then everyone will be able to kill me. I wouldn't like that very much at all."

 The Spirit begins to step off. "Make sure you make the crime scene convincing," she calls as she begins to glide away. When she leaves, I fade out of her consciousness and back into the darkness of my own mind.

 I know I need to wake up. If that dream was reality, that means they're going to frame me for Lance's death. If that happens, I can't possibly kill that Spirit…what was her name…

 Merava. That's what the man called her. He said 'Imp Queen Merava'. So she must be the ruler of the Imps. That explains why we have so many Imp Spirits around Arcona Village…but why did she pick now to come?

 I try to fight through my fading thoughts, but I simply find myself too enveloped in the darkness to continue thinking. I black out entirely, and I no longer have any dreams.

 I am startled awake by a figure standing over me. I wouldn't have been able to see her, because the Day of Darkness has ended and the entire world is black due to the lack of moonlight. But her finger is lit up with an Animus technique, and I can see that the person standing over me is Kavella.

 "Sigmund, what happened?"

 I lurch upright and I feel my sword fall from my hand…that doesn't seem possible, though. I clearly remember my sword falling when Merava approached me. I notice someone is laying on the ground right in front of me. I look down and…

 "Oh no. Lance!" I shriek, realizing who is in front of me. He's covered in stab wounds, and his skin is pale and cold. I frantically try to save him, try to shake him awake, even though I know he is dead.

 "He's been gone for hours," Kavella's fighting back the urge to cry. "Sigmund…what happened?"

 I remember my dream. That man spoke about framing me. This must be what he meant. Someone dragged my unconscious body over to Lance and put the sword in my hand to make it look like I was the one who stabbed him. Worse yet, I notice that Lance's blood has been smeared all over my uniform.

 "This is a mistake!" I yell out to anyone around who might be able to hear me. "I didn't do it, Kavella! I…"

 "I know you didn't." The look in Kavella's eyes is so intense that it scares me a little. "I know you aren't capable of doing this, Sigmund. You never wanted to hurt another person, not even Lance. Who did this? Was it a Spirit? Was it another Spiritguard?"

 "I…"

 My head seems to be cloudy, and I can't think straight. Too much has happened in my life too fast. "It was a Spirit, Kavella. She wasn't like the others. She looked like a human, only she wasn't, and she…she was so powerful, she killed them all. She killed my Squad Leader. She killed Lance. She k…she burned Marc alive. She was a monster, Kavella, and there wasn't anything I can do…and she left me this," I say, reaching around for the pendant. I don't see it anywhere, but then I notice it is dangling around my neck. "She gave me this and she told me I was the only one who was able to kill her."

 Kavella can tell I am distraught and frantic. I think she's about to ask follow-up questions, but she doesn't. Instead she pulls me into an embrace and I feel my head fall onto her shoulder. Her yellow hair falls all around me as she whispers into my ear.

 "I won't let anyone hurt you, Sigmund."

 I close my eyes and let the pounding pain in my head subside. It helps to be here with Kavella. It's giving me some time to sort out my thoughts and come to terms with what really has happened here.

 I must have lost consciousness again there, because the next thing I remember is laying in on a couch. As I open my eyes, I look around and see that I am in an unfamiliar room. It is somewhere in the Spiritguard barracks, I know that much…

 "Hey. Sigmund. Can you hear me?" I look up toward the voice. It is not Kavella. The person standing there is Ms. Bella Borden, my Instructor.

 "Look at me, Sigmund." I obey her command. "Can you hear me? If you can, nod your head." I nod. "Can you speak?"

 "Yes."

 "Tell me what happened. Everything. From the start to the finish. And hurry, we don't have much time. I have Mark Copper in charge of the crime scene, but it won't be long before the local law enforcement hears there's two missing people and a dead man with sword wounds. I want to help you, but I need to know what happened out there. Kavella mentioned a Spirit?"

 "Yes…" I say. I look behind Ms. Borden and I see Kavella and Kael standing there. Both of them look extremely distraught and worried. I'm glad they're safe, though. I don't know if I could emotionally handle anything else happening tonight.

 "It was a normal Day of Darkness…we were…killing Imps," I struggle to speak. "Then a bigger portal opened, and there was a red spark, and then…there was a woman there. A Spirit woman. She…she lit our Squad Leader on fire, and then stabbed…"

 "Stabbed Lance?" Ms. Borden asks.

 "Yes."

 "Then what?"

 "Then she walked over to me, and told me she couldn't survive unless she made…a pact with someone. A human. She said…she'd pick me, because I was weak."

 "And?"

 "And she gave me this pendant, and then walked away, and then…then she killed Marc, and she kept walking."

 I immediately spring up when I remember my dream. "And then I had a dream," I start speaking quickly, as if I am in a panic. I want to tell them everything before I forget one little detail. "I had a dream, and I was seeing the world through Merava's eyes. That was the Spirit's name. Merava. They called her the Imp Queen.

"She approached a man at the edge of the village and he told her she needed to go to Pearl City to unseal some other Spirit Lord. He told her…to go to Greenwald Village first, and that there was someone there who would speak to her. She's not working alone. There are people around here that have been planning this, Ms. Borden. And that man, he said he was going to try and frame me for Lance's death so that nobody will know she exists!"

Ms. Borden sighs. "Mark and I can keep you covered," she says quietly. "It's risky, but we can. I know what you're saying is true, though. I've been doing a lot of research on it myself. On Arcona Village's unique status. I had my conspiracies, but now I'm certain. The company Vitarine Inc. has something to do with this, Sigmund."

 "What?"

"I don't know how deep into the company this conspiracy goes, but I knew there had to be some reason they built a Vitarine building here in town. They wanted some way to watch over Arcona Village. You say that you're the only one who can kill her?"

I nod. "It's this pendant, I think."

Ms. Borden nods her head. "Why didn't you kill her then?"

"I get sleep paralysis, Ms. Borden," I murmur. "I wasn't able to move my body. Sometimes I just shut down. That was the first time it happened to me, though, during the day. It normally only happens when I'm falling asleep or when I'm waking up."

 "But you're saying you fell asleep shortly after?"

 "Yes," I state. "I fell asleep within minutes."

 "You're the only one that can kill her though…"

 Ms. Borden thinks for a moment. "Sigmund, if you could have killed her then, would you have?"

 "What are you saying!?" I burst out. "Of course I would have! She killed people, my friends, right before my eyes! I…couldn't do anything, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to. I want nothing more but to take that bitch and tear her limb from limb! She deserves to die. If I'm the only one that can do it, I'll be the one to do it. I'll find her, wherever she is, and slaughter her. And even if I die in the process, I'll drag her pathetic soul down to hell with me."

 I stand up and place my hand on my head. "I will kill her. I'll go right now, I can't waste any more time. I know where she's going. She's going to Pearl City to find the body of another damn Spirit. I'll go there. I'll get there before her and find that damn Spirit before she does. I'll wait for her to come and when she does I'll chop her into pieces."

 "Calm down, Sigmund," Ms. Borden shakes her head. "You won't make it to Pearl City, especially not if you keep thinking like that. I can help you, though. I'll give you the mission of finding this Merava."

 "You can't just send him out on his own!" Kavella shouts at our Instructor. "He'll die! He's too stupid to make it on his own!"

 I ignore the comment, because my emotions are running too wild to care. Ms. Borden sighs. "I know you and Sigmund are close," she says, referring to Kavella. "If you want to accompany him, I will help you out as well."

 "If they are both going, I have to go too," Kael stammers. "Just the two of them are ill-equipped to succeed on a mission this critical. They need me, too."

 Ms. Borden shakes her head, rapidly processing the situation. "The three of you can go, I'll pay you all in advance. You'll need to leave tonight. We have to hide the fact that Sigmund was discovered next to Lance's body, because if they find that out, there's no way this boy is escaping a prison sentence. Not if Vitarine is behind this. I fear the worst if they are involved. Framing someone for murder is child's play with the resources at their disposal. That's just the way it is. So…Sigmund, you're going to have to become a missing person."

 "What!?" I can't believe what I'm hearing.

 "You heard me. Squad Leader Gerald. There was nothing to show that he was ever there at the crime scene. The same goes for Marc Olsen...there was nothing left of either of them. We'll have to make you disappear as well. It's the only way I can throw the blame to Merava and take it off of anyone human."

 Ms. Borden looks from Kael to Kavella. "I'll write the mission off as you two being sent out to search for the missing survivors. I'll write up fake mission reports from you two here and say that you have discovered the Spirit responsible for this. I'll share the reports with everyone else and let them know a humanoid Spirit is on the loose. In the meantime, I expect you three to bring her to justice."

 "Ms. Borden, is this wise?" Kael says. "Wouldn't it be better to testify that the Spirit has appeared now, and use Sigmund as a witness?"

 "No, Kael," Ms. Borden snaps. "If that man the Spirit talked to had Sigmund's body moved in such a way that he would be framed for Lance's murder, then you can be sure that man has other ways of making sure Sigmund gets convicted. We can't trust anyone at this point, only the people that are in this room. I'll do whatever I can to help you, because I believe you. Mark Copper will believe you too. Maybe all of the Spiritguards here would believe you, but…"

 "But?" Kavella asks.

 "But it isn't about the Spiritguards," Ms. Borden complains. "The Company, Vitarine Inc. The local law enforcement. For that man to have Sigmund framed and to be dealing with a Spirit, I'm sure he has connections with either Vitarine, the law enforcement, most likely both. We can't trust those people, do you understand me?"

 We all solemnly understand what our Instructor is trying to say. She's an incredibly smart woman, after all.

 "Plus, getting other Spiritguards involved isn't going to help if Sigmund is the only one that can kill her. You know how that works, don't you Kael? It was one of the extra materials you studied for class."

 "Yes, of course," Kael says. "A Spirit Lord cannot exist in this world unless they make a pact with a living human. That pact is made by making physical contact with a human, or by giving the human a Spirit Artifact. In this case, the Spirit Artifact in question is that pendant there. Whoever is given that pendant has the power to slay the original owner."

 Kael clears his throat and makes another comment. "While other humans can wound a Spirit Lord, they cannot be sent back to the other world unless someone with the power to kill that Spirit fights against it and deals a deathblow. To that end…unless Sigmund is able to get in and kill her himself, she is basically immortal. Also, while wearing that pendant, Sigmund will have a natural immunity to the Spirit Lord's attacks. That about covers it."

 Ms. Borden looks grimly toward the clock. "Well, here are your checks," she says as she pulls something out and scribbles numbers on it. "I'll give both you and Kavella three months' payment, Kael. Two for each of you, and then you'll both share the other portion with Sigmund. From this point on, I ask that you three trust nobody in this village, and especially trust nobody from Vitarine until we know what exactly is going on. I'll do my best to inform the local Spiritguards of the situation and try to bring Merava to light, but I can't guarantee how successful I'll be. All I know is that this is what must be done."

 I can't deny that I am feeling overwhelmed by the flood of information that has just come at me, so I'll try to break it down into pieces.

 One. Lance and Marc are dead. This…this should be harder to deal with for me right now, but I don't feel like I've had any time to mourn. Maybe once I get some time to myself, I'll be able to think more about this, but right now it doesn't even feel real.

 Two. The Spirit known as Imp Queen Merava is responsible. She's the one who has caused all of this grief and tragedy. She's the one that I have to kill to end all of this. She's a murderer, and a monster. As a Spiritguard, I pledged that I would defend my country and eliminate the Spirits. Killing her is my mission, and I will not fail.

 Three. We cannot trust anyone. Because of this, I have to become a missing person. I can't come forward to the authorities, because there are potentially spies all over this village. I agree with this. That man I saw in my dream was definitely real, and I have just remembered how I know him. That was the man that came to my house on Commencement Day and brought me to see my mother. He is in Vitarine Inc. I mention this to Ms. Borden, but it's no bother. I don't know the man's name and we're already certain Vitarine is involved at this point.

 Vitarine has as much power as the government in our nation, because everything we have is dependent on them. If my enemies are in Vitarine, which means it will be insanely difficult for us to get anywhere. I don't understand why Vitarine would be involved with a murderous Spirit who wants to free other Spirits, but I have to let that one slide. It doesn't matter why. All that matters is that Merava is killed and that the people who were working with her are brought to justice. I'm sure Ms. Borden will help out with that.

 "I'm going to get you a carriage tonight that will bring you to Greenwald," Ms. Borden states. "You're going to get on the next train to Pearl City as soon as possible. That Spirit won't be able to ride the train, so you'll be able to get to Pearl City much quicker than her. Hopefully the extra time will let you find out where the Sealed Spirit is being kept and you can stop Merava before she gets another ally."

 Right before we leave, Ms. Borden stops Kael and me. "I'm really sorry it had to come to this," she says quietly. "I knew they were planning something, but I had no idea it would be so horrific. Trust me when I say this, I understand your pain. I know what it's like to lose comrades…" her voice trails off. "Don't let Lance and Marc's death weigh on you. Use the memories you have of them to remind you how important it is you stop this female Spirit. Don't let anyone else fall victim to her evil, please."

 Kael and I nod, and we follow Kavella out. Ms. Borden is getting a trusted Spiritguard to bring a carriage out to the edge of town. We will be heading there as well, but first I need to stop by my house. My father's sword, Crossed Heart, is there. That sword was my father's pride and joy, and it is the very embodiment of what a Spiritguard must be.

 That is the sword I will kill Merava with. With that sword, I will have the strength of my father at my side, and together he and I will make that disgusting creature pay for what she has done.

 Kael is going to stop by his parents' house as well. He thinks that the least he can do is leave a small note that states he'll be on a mission and that he'll return home as soon as he can.

 I feel like I should have convinced Kael and Kavella to stay behind, but I know they won't. I'm also happy, in a way. They're coming with me to give me support. Kael has been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and Kavella has become dear to my heart as well. I can't think of any two people I'd rather have by my side for this.

 My mind flashes to Marc for a moment, and I remember a conversation he and I had long ago. Marc had said that he was afraid of dying, and the only reason he became a Spiritguard is so he could appease his family. I think back at the injustice of that situation, and I feel a tear fall down my cheek as I walk toward my house.

 Marc deserved so much better than this. In those last moments, he was so filled with fear that my heart nearly burst. He was an amazing man, and a better soldier than he ever realized. His untimely death will not be in vain. I will fight in memory of him, and Merava will pay a hundredfold for what she has done to Marc.

 I think back to Lance as well. About his dying moments. How many times over the past several years have I thought of Lance as nothing more than a selfish bully? Yet…in his very last seconds alive, was he not charging at Merava, intent on saving a Squad Leader we didn't even know?

 He has lost his life because he was selfless. He could have run. He could have defended himself should Merava approach. He did none of those things. All he could think about was saving that Squad Leader's life.

 I'll regret not seeing how Lance changed for the better. I'll regret that for the rest of my life. He was a truly good man, in the end, and I never really let myself see that. Mira saw it. Kael saw it before we even started our training. But me…I thought of him as a bad person. Even when he reached out to me.

 I'll fight in his memory as well, and I'll always remember not to judge someone like that ever again. Lance deserved a better treatment than the one I gave him.

 When Kael is done writing his letter, and when I pick up my sword Crossed Heart, we are ready to go. Kavella has been awfully silent this night, as has Kael. Undoubtedly, I've been quiet as well. There's not much to talk about, given the circumstances. We all know what has happened. We were all friends with Marc, and we all know that Lance was a good person. I imagine Kael is taking this harder than anyone. He was much closer to Marc at the end than I was, and he was close to Lance all throughout our training. Even though I think Kael should be devastated, I haven't seen him cry once. I haven't seen a bit of sadness cross his face. 

 Perhaps Kael is even smarter than I give him credit for. He seems to be in complete control of his emotions. He knows that now is not the time to grieve or mourn for our lost comrades. Now is the time where we need to focus on our mission. Our mission is to eliminate Merava. We will cut her down, and she will burn in hell for everything she's done. She robbed three people of their lives, three people that deserve to be alive even now.

 There has been a bond between Kavella, Kael, and myself for quite some time now, and tonight that bond has become unbreakable. We are all putting everything on the line, because we know if we don't, the world could potentially fall into disorder. We know that what we're doing is dangerous, but we didn't become Spiritguards so that we could live in fear.

 Ms. Borden said it herself at graduation. We're three of the best she's ever seen. Kael has enough intelligence for all three of us, and his absolute control of his mind is undoubtedly going to help us. Kavella is strong, especially when it comes to knowledge of Animus techniques. She's got a good head on her shoulders as well, and she's more than a capable fighter.

 Then there's me. I'm not an idiot, but I'm not a genius either. I can think enough to get myself through situations, though. And I am one of only two people to have a perfect score when it comes to fighting. The three of us may not have as much experience as some of the other Spiritguards, but we have the hope and the diligence to take us through this.

 We board the carriage at around four in the morning, and we set out toward Greenwald Village. I don't know the driver, but I know he is someone that Ms. Borden trusts deeply, so I have no fear.

 We will kill you, Merava. I keep telling myself this, over and over. She will pay for what she has done.

 And after I kill her, I'll kill every single Spirit left in the world. I won't let anyone else needlessly die to those damned things ever again.

 That is what must be done.