Oswin offered me some meat he had from hunting down rabbits while he hunted down souls. It was rather surprising how the events turned out to be.
I must admit, the store back then used to run well only because girls would stop by to look at Oswin. He was the appealing standard. After he vanished, the store's business dropped.
It was hilarious, and at the same time I felt out of place now that he wasn't there.
"You know," Oswin broke the silence after he sipped his hot drink in the cold hours. "It's unbelievable how I found out I could see souls."
This was his camp, where we sat down in front of a small bonfire that was enough to keep up warm.
"What happened?" I asked, chewing on the meat.
"My grandma was a half-noble." He took another sip of his drink. "I hadn't told anyone about it since none of my parents nor my siblings could awaken their abilities. And no one would believe me anyway."
I blinked, "Why did you not tell me? I would have definitely believed you."
"I once told someone about it, and they brushed me off. Then I tried telling more people, but they just wouldn't listen. I gave up on asking anyone to believe me." He shrugged, his face lit golden due to the fire. "Because who cares if they didn't believe me, the truth won't change. So what would be your reason to believe me?"
"I-"
I realised something. I couldn't tell him about me and my sister.
Trust no one.
"I?" He looked at me expectantly.
I looked down at the meat, fiddling with it between my fingers. "I'm your friend, that's why."
"Right." He smiled brightly, patting my back. "So one day at night I saw a bright light hovering over a bench. And when I focused my sight, I could see a human form around the light. It looked like a ball of fire but not really burning."
"Sounds like a horror story." Not with the horrors again. I shook my head in dismay.
"It wasn't. It was a soul, not a ghost. And I did not understand the purpose these souls held, until I learned it myself from a local legend which stated that these souls were troubles and stuck on the pathway to atonement." He let out a tired sigh. "It bothered me so much that I started looking for ways to release these souls."
I listened as he talked. This was the first time I had seen him so clueless.
"Why did you run away from the town?"
Oswin let out a hearty laugh. "I wanted to find someone who can help me in my new gained ability, and my dad was totally against it."
Rustwood was a small town, compared to any of the other towns that I knew. It was in the coastline but not too near to the sea.
I and Aenor would occasionally walk to the sea to play around for a while. It helped me take my mind off of unfortunate events.
Sometimes, Oswin would join, and it was be a happy day.
"Did you find?" I asked him.
"Find what?"
"That certain someone who could help you."
"Oh yes. I was heading out there today, I heard he lives in Clearfield."
My eyes widened. "Is it possible that we are headed the same way?"
"Yes, didn't you say Oldwest town?" He lied down, using his hands as pillows and his empty glass placed on his chest.
"Oldwest town indeed." I nodded.
"Bingo." He smiled. "We're partners in crime now."
That was a relief. I'd have never expected to have met Oswin on my way let alone have him go with me.
But now I wasn't alone. I had company.
I knew I could trust Oswin, so why was I so hesitant earlier? Why could I not give away my secret? Do I not trust him enough?
Why? Have I always been this timid?
"Say, Quinn, do you want to see a soul too?" Oswin asked, and I turned look at him and he was suddenly sitting. Wasn't he just.. lying down?
"What do you mean?"
"Don't move."
My body went rigid.