[Continuation of Flashback]
Why did I even accept this job in the first place?
"Ugh, I really thought it was just a simple request for apples." I whispered to myself and loudly sighed. Looking around the place I was in, the only sources of light were from the torches on the pillars beside every 10 cells or so, which means that the middle parts in between would have little to no light.
An underground prison.
I closed my eyes and tried to think of ways to get out of here. While thinking of ways to escape, my encounter with little girl who became my first client crossed my mind.
As I strolled down the streets of Avado, enjoying the sights of fresh fruit stalls lined up on every side, an object with a red shade that disappeared in one of the alleys caught my attention. Curious of what it was, I entered the alley, only to find out a mess of long red hair sprawled in the ground, with a little girl wearing a white dress who was crouching and covering her face with her knees.
"Hey, what happened?" I knelt down beside her, trying to look at her face. I almost took a step back when she immediately raised her head and looked at me with her round black eyes moist with tears. It took me a while to register her identity.
She's a soul. A lost soul.
I figured it out when I saw her lips which were no longer having the color of a human's, but natural dark blue lips that indicate that she's already dead. Also, when I got closer, I just got to see the bright white light that made her glow, which was way bigger and brighter than the light when I first saw Serene.
"You can see me?" She tried to cling to me, only to have her hands pass through. I wasn't able to immediately identify her a soul since she wasn't as transparent as Serene. It must have meant that she only died recently.
"Yeah, I can." Her eyes reflected shock, but in a second, it changed to happiness. The tears were gone, replaced with a sparkle of hope. "Then, can you help me?" She asked, the tone of excitement was evident in her voice. I contemplated for a while then gave her a small smile.
"What is it about?" Her face looked brighter even if I didn't affirm anything. "Help me find and eat that delicious apple again!" I was surprised with what she said and it took me a while before I slowly melted into a soft smile.
"Okay. Let's make a contract, shall we?" Her eyebrows crossed and she tilted her head to the side. "Contract? What's that?" Innocence was reflected in her question and I established an idea that she's someone who's been quite spoiled as a young girl.
"It's something that would keep my promise to help you find that delicious apple and let you eat it again. Is it okay with you?" From curiosity, her face showed enthusiasm and I can't help but smile. I looked around and upon seeing that there were no other people in the alley, I removed the hanging earring from my left ear and used the sharp tip of the pendant to make a small wound on my pointer finger.
"What's your name, little girl?" She was looking at my wounded finger but turned her gaze straight to my eyes after I asked the question. "Jean. That's my name!" Her voice was bright as she gave me a bright smile. I gave her a nod and slowly let my mind focus on the flow of power inside me.
"I, Zeshia Kylio Edregburn, with the demon's blood running in my veins, swears to put Jean, the lost soul, in peace by fulfilling her request in exchange of..." I stopped in the middle when I realized that there was nothing that I would get in this contract. Shit, I can hear Serene cursing me from the distance for being stupid.
Jean looked curious as to why I stopped in the middle. Her round black eyes were purely looking straight at me, with no malice or disdain.
Ah, shit.
"Nothing. I will fulfill her request in exchange of nothing, and with that, the contract shall be sealed." I reached out my hand to the little girl in front of me, and the moment she held my hand with hers, the wind blew from the East, swaying her long red hair which burned like fire.
"Aihsez." A red light glowed in the middle of our hands after I said that word, but it was too faint for her to notice it. She smiled at me and started to tell me about the certain fruit that she wanted to taste again. I thought it would be a piece of cake, considering on how abundant the fruits are in this place.
However, never did I expect that accepting her request would get me in the jail.
I never thought that the black apple we'll be searching for was in a property owned by this city's leader. The Avadons.
"Sorry, Zeshia." Her fiery red hair got in my line of sight as I opened it and she was already floating in front of me. Her eyes looked down, looking teary, and her shoulders were crouched, a sign of guilt.
"I can't say it's okay, but did you really eat that, Jean?" She froze on her place and I saw how her expression stiffened.
As I thought, there's something more to this.
"That was nowhere near a black apple, Jean. That was a black jewel. How did you even eat that? Or did you really eat that?" Yes, the "black apple" wasn't anything near a fruit, instead, it was a gem on a size of my fist. However, the peculiar thing was that it was really connected to a living tree.
"I'm sorry. Jean is really, really sorry." She broke down in front of me, crying, as she covered her face with her hands.
Ah, I can't take this.
"Tell me. What happened to you, Jean? Did those black jewels have something to do with your death?" She cried even more and started to go hysteric. The screams that came out from her mouth sounded very familiar.
Those desperate and painful screams of agony.
Fuck. Stop it.
"Ahhh! No! I never wanted to take it! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please bring me back!" She was pulling her red hair tightly, and I can't take it anymore.
With a portion of my power, I leaned towards her and touched her cheek. I was able to use this by Serene's help, wherein I'd be able to make physical contact with a lost soul for a short while, since I'm already half-dead myself. However, I shouldn't sustain it for too long or else I would turn to an existence similar to a lost soul. I'm not really sure on how it works, but that's not the main point here.
Jean looked at me, with her eyes still brimming with tears, but she seemed a lot calmer. She tried to reach for my hand that was touching her cheek, and I saw the shock on her face when she was able to hold it.
"I, I can touch you now. I'm alive?" She looked at me with her hopeful eyes but it all turned dull when her hand passed through mine again.
"I'm sorry. You're not. That was just a portion of my magic. I can't use it again." Her face was crestfallen but I tried to give her an imaginary pat in the head.
"Jean... Can you tell me what really happened to you? And what do you really want me to do?" I tried to keep my voice as calm and empathetic as I can, and it seem to work. Jean bit her lower lip and slowly revealed her answer to my questions.
"That black apple... it took me to a different place after I took a bite." Her voice started to get lower as we were nearing the end.
"How did you even take a bite? Wasn't it a jewel?" Her eyes stared at me straight, showing that the next things she'll say would not be a mere delusion.
"A black snake with red eyes picked the jewel and used magic to make it an apple. It offered the apple to me, and when I took a bite, I popped up in another place. It was dark and cold, and I wasn't able to see Mom, Dad and older sister and brother after that." My mouth gaped open upon hearing her story. Then I slowly realized...
Isn't this a case of kidnapping?
And how could a snake even be an instigator of the situation?