Time Holders: The World of Balance

”Aldrus?”

I kept trying to close the distance to his silhouette, but every step I took brought me closer to the realization that he was getting further away.

”Aldrus? What’s wrong? I’m here; it’s me!” I called, each breath growing heavier than the last.

Since the second I woke up and we got separated, the air tasted different, and uneasiness began to consume me. I didn’t really consider myself to be a faint-hearted girl, but as soon as Aldrus’s voice reached me, my body reacted very unusually—I felt the urge to skitter away.

Thinking about how strange it was to panic at his call, out of all people, caused me to remember faintly what it was I had dreamt mere moments ago. I remembered dreaming about him and something about my family, but I didn’t know exactly what. I didn’t know either if Aldrus and I were the only ones by ourselves; maybe Aiden and Cedric still held together and were looking for us. I hoped so.

I drove my thoughts away, and I called Aldrus again. And then again, and again. But he didn’t answer. For some reason, worry wasn’t the only feeling I got due to his silence. I felt relief too. I wondered why it was I didn’t want to hear his voice. That voice. But worry won out, and so I just pushed forward despite the uncertainty of it all.

My head still throbbed as I tried to push the pain back by gripping my clothes tightly. I wasn’t sure if the blur before my eyes was just the fog or serious signs of internal damage. I didn’t know if the weight upon my body was a fever or if the mist was growing solid. All I knew was that walking became harder.

After what felt like an eternity of chasing his shadow, I managed to get close enough to reach him if I were to raise an arm... but I decided not to. Instead, and for some reason I did not understand, I stopped my pace and remained as still as a startled deer. I asked once more.

”Aldrus...?”

I waited for his voice, but what I got instead made all the pieces click together.

People say a strangeness happening once is worth raising an eyebrow. They say it happening twice is called a coincidence. But let it happen one more time, and you will know for sure that such a thing is all but natural.

”Alice,” a different voice answered this time, coming from the exact same shadow. It was my mother’s voice. And that’s when I realized where my anxiety came from, all this time.

A-A Specter!

I immediately stirred out of my dizziness, pivoted, and sprinted as fast as I could, away from that thing. A monster with no body, though physically harmless, was the one thing you’d want to get away from if you valued your sanity at all. And even more so if said monster was an Orange-Class.

The specter didn’t wait a second; it seemed to know I intended to flee, because as soon as I was starting to gain speed, it followed me, slithering through the mist with vastly greater speed than my legs could muster. My breath hitched in response.

”Alice,” it said again; this time it was my father’s voice, which I preferred. At least hearing that tone call out my name sweetly kept my head clear and my heart convinced it was just an illusion. On the downside, though, such thoughts became no stranger to the monster.

”Alice.” The whisper changed again.

”Shut up! You’re not him, you’re not Aldrus!” I shouted lamely, knowing very well my words meant nothing to it. Still, I felt the need to try and let it know, so I shouted. I shouted many times and got the same results, then what followed was me covering my ears in desperation, but I could still hear it just the same.

The specter tried it all, as much as I did. It called me like my mother, my father, my siblings, and my housemaids. I tried to focus on the pattering of my boots against the ground, but it was too weak. I cocked my ears, trying to catch the rustle of the leaves; too subtle. Nothing seemed to work; it was getting in my mind. I resorted then to memories, setting out to sweep aside their voices with the real ones, but they sounded much too alike.

I was growing hopeless. I knew of specters, at least to some extent, but I wasn’t familiar with the consequences of letting them inside your mind. I didn’t have any time to think of a solution, let alone wonder why they dwelled on the island. I just knew my body yearned for a different noise. And as if from heaven they answered my call—my sprint came to a halt the moment four more shadows could be seen emerging through the fog.

However, whether those shadows were a blessing or a curse, I was about to find out.

Eight crimson eyes flickered bright in front of me. I recognized them at a glance: those were black wolves’ eyes. The situation didn’t look good, but I felt the knot in my stomach unweave a bit knowing the presence of those dogs might just be precisely what I needed most.

By sheer instinct, I squatted, and the specter’s silhouette passed cleanly over my head and directly in front, facing the hungry beasts. I knew now what had knocked me unconscious earlier was one of the wolves, and I instantly deduced it had likely bolted off at the sight of the ghost. But black wolves were resentful; they held a hundred grudges, shared them with their kin, and paid off unsolved debts in a pack. It was a bad day to be a specter.

The reddish glow in their eyes flared up into a fire of vengeance, and as if they knew about specters better than I did, the first attack didn’t come from claws or jaws. It came from that ear-splitting screech I’d heard more times than I would like. I peered through my soaked bangs and watched as the shadow that had been following me incessantly squirmed and bent much like the fog. If the thing was difficult to discern before, now it practically blended with the mist.

I was safe from it, for now. But a dog can’t cease its hunger with a shadow. I took a mouthful of air and rose to my feet. As expected, they lost the ghost from sight, and their wild eyes darted in my direction. Clenching my teeth, I brandished my sword and braced myself for whatever came next.