Lover's Soul

Red. I observed her glowing red eyes looking at Renae. The witch's face was not too clear. Hidden behind her disheveled, gravity-defying long hair, her face was pallid as a corpse and cracked like porcelain. But somehow, it reminded me of Aika again. I mentally shook my nonexistent head, chastising myself. "Why does every woman I encounter stir memories of her?" I scolded my own wandering thoughts.

I found myself rooted to the spot, gazing at the witch who had bowed her head towards Renae, like searching for something. With a soft voice, she whispered to the girl, her words flowing like a murmuring brook in a quiet valley, "You possess 'The Lover's Soul'".

Then suddenly, the witch seemed to suck something that looked like a golden aura from Renae's body. Without control, my scream echoed through the cave's corridors, "No!"That's when the witch's eyes sharply turned to me. Her indistinct face under the ragged hat, stared at me with a gaze that gave off a bone-chilling cold. 'He can see me?' I hesitated in disbelief.

She growled with a deep voice, "Restless spirit". With a quick and precise hand movement, she conjured black fire magic that directly lunged at me.

Everything became blurry, as if I was thrown into an ocean in a middle of the night. My last conscious thought, a plea for Renae's safety, echoed in the boundless void before darkness claimed me.

When my consciousness returned, The witch had vanished, leaving a trail of destruction and despair. In fear, I saw Renae's body, previously glowing with the radiance of life, was now ashen, bereft of the soul that had warmed it. Panic surged within me, the raw edges of fear gnawing at my existence. Where was the witch? What had she done?

In a panic, without thinking, without considering what would happen, I tried 'Possess' again. I focused my mind, looking at her body below me, grabbed all the courage and belief that remained within me. 'Possess!'

Then, everything went pitch black. Again.

A heartbeat. A breath. Sensations foreign and long-forgotten overwhelmed me. Exhaustion coursed through me, an echo of aching muscles and weary bones. Pain, sharp and piercing, radiated from every corner of my being. My eyelids fluttered open, revealing a view from a height shorter than my own a seconds ago.

A sensation of an horrid smell something that never occured to me since the first time I arrived at this labyrinth, now suddenly coming in. My stomach lurched, and I found myself retching, the taste of bile lingering in my mouth.

Every inch of my body felt heavy, a stark contrast to the ethereal lightness I'd known for so long. I glanced down, my eyes meeting a pair of slender arms, pale and delicate. Trembling fingers stretched out before me, their movements mirroring my thoughts. This shock made me sit up and scream, my voice echoed in the cave. It was not a voice I knew, it shrieked high-pitched, a woman's voice. There was no mistake, this time I successfully possessed Renae's body...

I gradually adjust to Renae's body. It feels odd, alien, but also familiar. Memories, fragments of Renae's life, merge with my own, creating a strange tapestry of shared knowledge. She was a princess — an interesting tidbit, but irrelevant right now.

"Why could I possess Renae?" I wonder aloud, my thoughts spinning. The only explanation I can summon is a loophole, a glitch in the system of life and death. Renae's body exists in an in-between state, soulless but not quite dead, a state that allows me to inhabit it despite my apparent lack of skill.

"But what if..." I pause, a more frightening thought surfacing. Rigor mortis started from hands within three to four hours of death, and spreads elsewhere within 12 hours. No, brain damage will be faster as mere 60 seconds of oxygen deprivation is enough to make the cells begin to decay...

"What if this is a one-off chance? If my spirit leaves Renae's body... Could I return? Or would she just... die?" The questions hang heavily in the silence.

Memories of Renae's life flutter in and out of my mind — fragments of her love story with Gavin. Theirs is a story that began in childhood, sweet, innocent, and growing stronger with time. I can't help but remember my own failed love story, a stark contrast to their enduring bond.

"I won't let it end," I find myself whispering, a fierce determination rising within me. "I won't let your story end, Renae." This miracle, this second chance at life, it can't be squandered. In the absence of my own purpose, I've found a new direction.

Gazing around at Renae's fallen friends, my heart clenches. Auro, burnt inside his own armor. Rienwald, blood seeping from his nose, mouth, and ears. Belize, lifeless and wounded. And Viana, her body marred with a ghastly slash across her torso.

Belize groans, breaking the eerie silence. I rush to him, kneeling beside his frail form. His gaze meets mine, or rather, Renae's, a hint of relief in his dying eyes.

"Renae..." he croaks. "Thank god... you're alive. Warn... everyone... the witch... the Pandora tome... She... she intends to..." His voice trails off, his life slipping away.

Looking at my fallen friends, the harsh reality hits me. Renae and her formidable friends, who just minutes ago were laughing and chatting without a care, are now lifeless. It's a harsh, cruel reality.

Survival instincts kick in. I scrounge around for anything useful — bottles that might be healing potions, small weapons, light armor, a ring with rune circling a small blue gemstone from Auro's finger. Renae's memories guide me, telling me what's important. Downing a potion, I instantly feel stronger, healthier.

With newfound strength, I approach each fallen comrade. A small act of closure, I gently close their eyes and rearrange their bodies into more dignified positions. The wave of Renae's grief surges, threatening to drown me, and I find myself blinking back unshed tears. Memories of camaraderie and shared laughter surface, their poignant sweetness now tainted with regret. I wish I could have given them a more honorable burial, a better farewell, but circumstances are cruel.

Silently apologizing, I move away, leaving my friends in their eternal slumber. With a final glance at my fallen companions, I steel my resolve and move forward, the specter of survival guiding my every step.

And so, my new journey to escape this labyrinth begins.