Dead Soul Exorcist

03 | Bloodthirsty Revenant

Kieran drew his dagger. This time, he wasn't as confident as before when he fought against Dravon. Uncertain of his ability to defeat the invisible monster with a dagger, he hesitated. Nevertheless, facing the creature with the hiltless swords he carried was not an option he favored.

Somehow, Kieran could sense the hunger and hatred of the monster. He could feel the dark cravings of a dead soul. In an instant, the creature arrived before him, claws digging into his shoulder, causing Kieran to wince in pain. His hand trembled as he gripped the dagger. Hatred and anger erupted within him as despair and past grievances seized control.

"You killed my parents," Kieran whispered. He closed his eyes. If he couldn't see the monster, then he didn't have to see.

The monster swiftly moved past him. Kieran's body spun, his dagger slashing in a clockwise motion. As the blade's tip hit something soft, Kieran's lips curled into a heartless smile. He focused on his sense of hearing and touch. His body moved agilely, attempting to evade attacks while his hands sliced through the unseen monster. Eventually, the creature managed to tackle him and claw at him. Kieran was thrown to the ground. Blood flowed profusely from wounds on his shoulder and neck. He had lost so much blood and energy that his vision blurred and swayed.

Then a scream rang out. A woman ran towards him, standing boldly in front of Kieran's body. Her black dress billowed with the movements caused by the monster.

"Hold on, Kieran!" the woman murmured with a brave voice. Fear immediately spread through Kieran's body like a tingling sensation. No. Not Eliora. If Kieran died tonight, his curse would save him. But not Eliora. Lunabelle and the other children at the orphanage needed her! Kieran needed her!

"E-Eliora..." Kieran uttered the name with difficulty. "Run!"

Eliora didn't flinch, gazing at him with determination. Her face looked so gentle under the moonlight. "I fail as your guardian if I let you die here, Kieran!"

The night wind blew fiercely, lifting the strands of Eliora's pale pink hair and Kieran's hair as dark as the midnight sky.

"Don't fret," Eliora whispered. The woman exhaled, her right hand rising into the air, clutching something that gradually materialized inch by inch until it formed a bow. A bow crafted from a cluster of diamonds, sturdy and resilient, each facet reflecting various colors on Eliora's skin as she held three arrows between her fingers, extending the bow parallel to her eyes. Taking aim at the unseen monster that continued to rampage around them.

As Eliora released her arrows, they shot so swiftly, hitting the unseen target. Kieran could see the claw marks on the trees as the monster attempted to withstand Eliora's magical arrows, roaring in a sound only Eliora could hear.

As the unseen monster writhed among the dead leaves, Eliora retrieved her arrows again. "Kieran, they are called the dead souls," she explained. "You may not be destined to see them like other teens blessed with magical powers, but you can sense their despair. They are as cold as death itself. And there are hundreds of them in this town. Two dead souls are approaching this place."

Kieran rose with difficulty. Unable to find his dagger in the darkness, he pulled out two swords without hilts from the box. He held the blades in a way that prevented his hands from getting injured.

In less than a breath, Kieran sensed the presence of their two guests. Swiftly flying from the east and south, they shook and clawed at the trees in their path. Eliora nocked another arrow, targeting one of the dead souls. Kieran tightened his grip on the sword, standing ready for the other approaching dead soul.

Kieran's vision remained blurry and unsteady. Blood still flowed from the wounds on his neck and shoulder. However, in matters of life and death, he trusted only his body's instincts. He regulated his breathing and began to move forward, wielding both sword blades in a dance he had memorized by heart.

The dead soul moved around him. In a fraction of a second, Kieran sensed the dead soul about to attack his face. He lifted one of his swords to slash the part of the monster's body that was about to touch him, and the other sword was used to stab the monster's body. His slash hit its mark, and Kieran could feel the cold mist spreading around him. However, his stab only grazed, causing Kieran to be pushed to the ground by his own force.

He tumbled, his nose catching the scent of soil and leaves. The monster hunched over him, clawing at his back. Instantly, he felt a strange sensation he had never experienced before. A sensation akin to floating and being enveloped in an incredibly cold mist. The sensation when the dead soul sucked the life out of him.

"Kieran!"

Kieran couldn't muster the strength to move his body. He felt so powerless and dazed. He began to feel oxygen-deprived as Eliora ran frantically toward him. One fatal move that caused the woman to be pursued by two monsters at once.

"Kieran, hold on!" Eliora shot one monster with her arrow, but suddenly the other monster disarmed her bow and threw it to the ground. The diamond-made bow fell in front of Kieran's face, unbroken despite being thrown so forcefully.

Before Kieran's life faded away completely, he saw Eliora thrown before him. Her eyes locked onto his, whispering words that Kieran couldn't comprehend, before her gaze became unfocused and unresponsive.

Eliora has already perished.

Kieran's heart instantly felt shattered. His breath slowed. He could see a faint light slowly leaving Eliora's body. A light that almost blinded Kieran's eyes.

Kieran was never ready to die, even if he lacked the powers of a revenant. He would never be prepared to face his parents as a cowardly weakling.

Suddenly, Kieran felt a surging power within his body. His vision began to sharpen. The scratches on his body were no longer bleeding. And Kieran could see the monsters clearly before him.

The dead souls looked like ordinary people dressed in ragged formal attire, their pale eyes shrouded in a cold mist covering their entire bodies. One of them had a severed hand – undoubtedly the dead soul Kieran had fought earlier. The other was of towering stature, standing at eight feet tall and three times as wide as an adult.

Kieran didn't know what was happening to him. However, seeing Eliora's lifeless body made him grit his teeth. He picked up Eliora's bow from the ground, gripping the bowstring tightly in his hands. Kieran couldn't use arrows proficiently, but he did something his father had taught him well.

'When those closest to you are killed by the enemy, all you can do is avenge their deaths.'

His parents have perished in the hands of the dead souls. Now Eliora too. Kieran couldn't bear more loss.

Miraculously, an arrow appeared between his fingers. He rolled as one of the monsters attacked him, then shot the monster he had faced earlier. The monster howled in pain, its cry so high and sharp as if capable of shattering glass.

Kieran fired three arrows at once towards the giant monster, his heart pounding as he dodged its attacks and ran toward the smaller one. Swinging his bow like a makeshift club, he sent the smaller monster rolling away. With his sword close by, Kieran dropped the bow and picked up the blade, gripping it so tightly that blood seeped through his fingers. But he paid it no mind, forcefully thrusting the sword into the heart of the monster before him.

That night, for the first time, Kieran went berserk and lost control. When he woke up the next morning, he saw one of his sword blades right in front of his face, amidst the corpses of leaves. He sat up, feeling his unscathed shoulders, a stark contrast to his torn and tattered clothes.

Then Kieran saw Eliora's body. Memories of the night flooded back, and tears threatened to sting his eyes. As more details and blood emerged in his recollection, tears fell down his cheeks. In her final moments, Eliora conveyed something that was difficult for Kieran to grasp as she was on the brink of death. But now he remembered it vividly.

"Guard Lunabelle for me," were Eliora's final words.

Kieran knelt before Eliora's lifeless body, touching her now stiffened hand. "Eliora, I will keep Lunabelle safe for you," he promised. He was about to lift Eliora's body when suddenly the sound of hooves neighing nearby reached his ears.

"Kieran Nyxshade."

Kieran turned, startled to face Dravon sitting atop his horse's saddle. Strangely, he was alone, without any guards or companions. "Help me."

Dravon chuckled in disbelief, looking at Kieran with suspicion. "Did you kill that woman?"

Kieran blinked. "What? No!" he denied. "She was the one who cared for me at the orphanage."

"Do you think I'll believe that?" Dravon dismounted his horse and walked cautiously towards Kieran. Dravon's chest deflated with disappointment as he examined Eliora's lifeless form. The man turned abruptly and walked back to his horse. "I will report this. You deserve to be punished for your actions."

"What do you mean?!" Kieran stood up, glaring at Dravon as sharp as a dagger. "I was walking in this forest when those dead souls suddenly attacked me. Eliora saved me, and she ended up dead because of it."

Dravon stooped, picking up something near Eliora's body. The object was presented between them, its blade not gleaming under the morning sun. A dagger stained with blood.

"Save your defense for the trial, Nyxshade."

Kieran immediately grabbed Dravon's shoulder and clutched the collar of his luxurious attire. "Dravon," he hissed. "I know you despise me. But Eliora entrusted her very young daughter to me. That child must be waiting for her mother at the inn. I cannot be imprisoned on these absurd accusations of yours!"

Dravon's hand gripped Kieran's and forcibly released Kieran's hold. Instead, he tightened his grip on Kieran's hand. "Do you think I don't know?" Dravon shouted in a trembling voice. Kieran realized Dravon was consumed by anger and fear. "I heard it directly from the Highest Priest. That Revenants can absorb the power of their fallen comrades. You must have deliberately killed that woman to gain her strength!"

Now, Kieran's body trembled with the same anger. He did feel something odd about his fight last night. He should have died in that battle, yet Eliora perished before him, and afterward, his body became stronger. Now, Kieran didn't know what he felt other than anger and disgust. Disgust towards himself. And he didn't know who to vent it on other than the betrayer standing before him. "Dravon, you—"

Suddenly, the sound of many approaching hooves echoed. Someone shouted, "Prince Dravon, why did you leave ahead of us?!"

Dravon tightened his grip and locked eyes with Kieran. "I do hate you, Nyxshade, and I would love to kill you with my own hands," he whispered, full of hatred and disgust. "But I also want to see you sentenced to death for your actions. That way, my hands stay clean."

The palace guards, along with their horses, arrived, and Dravon released his grip on Kieran.

"Arrest him!" Dravon's command echoed in the forest.

The palace guards dismounted and roughly bound Kieran's hands. Kieran glared at Dravon angrily. "If anything happens to Eliora's daughter, I will find you and kill you, Dravon!" he shouted.

Dravon laughed without a hint of joy in his expression. "Isn't it rather fitting for you, bloodthirsty Revenant?"