The counsel of the souls

The fire had gone out.

I woke up to the blazing sun beating down on me in the middle of a field. I sat up slowly, groaning, and spotted my sword lying in the grass beside me. Still there.

“Ahhh... crap. This sucks.”

Mom... she’s gone. My home — burned to the ground. Honestly, I hated that town. The people were annoying, the festivals were lame, and worst of all... the girls were ugly.

“I see you’re awake.”

Ari’s voice startled me a little.

“Yeah, I’m up. My back feels a million times better — thanks,” I said. I never thought magic could actually work that well.

“We need to talk,” Ari said, her tone suddenly serious.

She took a deep breath.

“You’re not the only one with a soul-taking weapon. There are five others. Each, according to prophecy, must gather at the Holy Shrine to form the Council of Souls. Together, they will unite the kingdom of Sernia once again. You must head to the capital. It’s your destiny.”

I clenched my jaw, teeth grinding.

“Destiny? Are you kidding me? I didn’t even get the chance to bury my friends. And now you’re saying I have to march off to the capital like some hero?”

She looked at me with those dull grey eyes — calm, steady, unreadable.

“If you don’t, more people will die,” she said softly. “The dragon attacked your village because the weight of sorrow and death from the war has begun to twist the minds of creatures and monsters. The balance is breaking.”

“Yeah, well, destiny sucks,” I snapped, glaring at her. “What about my mom? My friends? They deserve more than some prophecy bullsh*t.”

Ari’s face didn’t change. “None of this will matter if the kingdom falls to chaos. You have power now — whether you want it or not.”

I looked down at the sword. The weight on my back felt heavier than ever.

“Why me?” I asked quietly. “Why did I have to kill that dragon? What makes me special?”

She sighed, her breath visible in the cold morning air. “Because your sword chose you. Because you survived. Because you carry the souls of the fallen within that blade.”

I swallowed hard. The memories of the dragon’s eyes flashed behind my lids. I could still feel its soul trapped inside the sword — screaming.

“What happens if I don’t go to the capital?” I demanded.

“More villages will burn. More people will die. Darkness is spreading. And the others...” she hesitated, “some of them won’t want to unite. Not all wielders are heroes.”

I shivered. Not all heroes. Great.

I rubbed my aching back and stood up. “Fine. But I’m not doing this alone.”

Ari’s eyes softened for the first time. “Good. You won’t be.”

“And what do you get out of this?” I asked.

“I need not tell you. I have my own reasons for going with you,” she responded rather curiously.

“Well then, it’s settled. We’re headed to the capital.”

I began to roll up the sleeping bag she had given me and put it in the backpack, which already contained two sleeping bags, some rations, a map, and a keg of water.

“Well, you pack oddly light,” I remarked.

“What does that mean?” she snapped back.

Inspecting the bag again, I said, “Well, you’re a lady, right? Don’t they pack a lot of stuff? At least, that’s what my mom said.”

I looked up to see her hood pulled up, twirling her foot in the dirt.

She muttered, “So... I’m not a lady...?”

I froze, realizing I might have just dropped the ball.

“Anyway, how far is the capital anyway?” I nervously changed the subject.

“Well, it’s about six months of walking, give or take, if things go smoothly,” she casually replied.

“Six months?! WHAT THE HELL!” I said rather loudly. Six months is a long way to go. The most I’ve ever traveled was seven days, and that felt forever.

I slung the backpack on my back. “Best be going. I think the nearest town is about a week away. That should be our next stop.”

She nodded quietly, stomped on what was left of the fire, and we headed off.