"Hestia, 2022:
"What do I do now, Hanife? I-I cannot stand it anymore. The pain that I feel in me is killing me, Hanife. What have I done? My son… My son is no more… no more!!"
"You have two sons, Misha. Why are you only so affectionate towards M-"
"BECAUSE HE WAS THE ONE WHOM I TRAINED TO BRING ME PEACE!! He- He was the one, whom I filled with vengeance. I knew he would be the one to bring forth balance, and equality. But- But I couldn't do that, Hanife. I COULDN'T DO IT THIS TIME TOO!! What happened, Hanife?! What went wrong?! Everything was going so perfect, SO perfect… and then…"
The woman on the other side got up from her seat. They were sitting in a dimly lit, low set room, covered with black, translucent veils all around. The low set table in front of her contained various scrolls and scripts, of which, only one was kept open… "The Tale of Malvictor"
"The girl was smart, Misha. But not too smart."
"What? What do you mean?"
The woman walked over to the table and picked up the open scroll, and held it above the candle burning on the table. The flame rising from the candle turned the paper pitch black on one end, as she set it down.
"W-What are you doing?! That's an important note, I-I only somehow managed to get it!"
"Shh, shh. Let me do my job, Misha." She said, continuing to scrape the black off the paper. Going on for a couple of minutes, she smirked. She then held the paper up to Misha's face, making Misha gasp.
"B-But… But how?! If that is true, then… there was a big loophole in her idea… and that could only mean…"
"You can still save him. Bring him back."
"How?! HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A BODY, HANIFE."
"Neither did he have a body when he escaped the crevice of the dome, Misha. What did you do then?"
"I- I brought in a carrier. I used the serpent tempter's poison to kill that- that city guy and brought him as a carrier."
"Mhm… two birds with one stone- destroying the soul stone, and giving a body to Mal… you did execute a good plan, a great plan even… but oh well." The woman said, scoffing at Misha. Misha fumed.
"Just tell me the remedy, Hanife. Cut the crap."
"I already told you, Misha. Two birds with one stone. Get a carrier."
"But- But even if I do, how is Mal going to get to them? He is non-existent, Hanife. That's why I'm so nervous. He wasn't non-existent last time, he was trapped between realms. So I could bring him back last time but what now?"
The woman rolled up the scroll and tapped on it. Her eyes were fixed on the flame of the candle burning in front of her, as she smirked.
"We need a different carrier this time, Misha. A sick one. Mentally unstable- willing to die, but suffering in eternal pain. A vampire."
"A- A Vampire? But- wh-"
The woman raised a hand stopping Misha mid-sentence.
"Mal wasn't in his second hypostasis, yet. So it was easy for them to send him into the realm of non-existence. But this time, we'll just speed up the process of him getting to his second hypostasis."
"O-Okay, but where WILL we find him?!"
"Where?" The woman snickered, "Where all the dead loom… where all the non-existent entities flock together. "His" realm, is where we'll get him, Misha. We'll need to do The Ritual."
"T-The Ritual? But… What if something goes wrong?! You know it's irreversible!"
The woman laughed out loud. Her shrill voice almost shook the walls.
"If something "goes wrong"?! What would go wrong? They're gone from here, Misha. There's nobody to stop us. NOBODY. And well, as far as the ritual is concerned, I hope YOU won't be the one to mess this up for your child, now would you?"
Misha breathed deeply, as the woman laughed hysterically again. It was as if they had a triumph already. Her laughter was so intense that it almost seemed as if the whole world was shaking with her laugh. The vibrations travelled far and wide, making every mortal-being shake in their existence- making every mortal-being afraid of the worst calamities.
"Ah!" I winced in pain as the knife sliced through my finger.
"Moon?! Wh-What was that? What happened? Are you alright?" Vic said, as he came running up to me and took my hand in his to examine me, as the blood kept gushing through my newly cut wound.
"Moon, what the hell?! Why couldn't you work a little carefully? See what you've done?!" He said, as he held my finger to his lips, sucking the blood.
"Vic, it's- it's alright, I- I am totally fine!"
"Oh shut up, I can see how much you're 'totally fine'. Now let me do my job." He said, continuing to suck on the wound.
While he never failed to amaze me with his gestures, it made me a little nervous to think about the laughter that I had just heard. It wasn't the kind of laughter I had heard in Hestia… but a little different than that. Was I imagining things? Or was this a sign of something ominous…?
"Here, take the first-aid box, Vic. Simply sucking on her finger won't help." Anya said, as she nudged him in the finger and passed the first-aid box.
I was glad that everything was finally coming back to normal. It had been about two weeks since we moved back in, in the U.S, and Vlad and Vic were slowly taking to our way of life. Vlad took up a part-time job, while dad offered to help Vic find a good art college to study in. Grandpa and Grandma were also doing well. It was only mom that I missed the most. Her mere presence would always light up the room, and I missed her aura so much. Her way of speaking, her way of living, doing everything with a high-head… I missed it all so much. And so did Anya and dad.
"Ah, Vic- slowly!" I winced as Vic slowly and carefully put a band-aid on the cut. I was finally able to move my finger.
"Now move away, I'm not letting you work here anymore." Vic said, almost pushing me out of the kitchen.
"Vic, I- what? I was literally doing fine! Let me just finish my work-"
"Absolutely not. I can work better than you. You're a clumsy little rat."
I gasped, taking offence.
"YOU TAKE THAT BACK, MISTER."
"Mmm… nope. I don't think so." He said, laughing away, as I kept hitting him on his back.
"Moon! Vic! Come to the phone, quick!! Astra called!" Anya almost squealed as she entered the room and informed us. Our faces lit up immediately, as we ran up to the phone and almost on cue, said "Hello!"
"Hi, guys! How are you all doing?!" Astra said.
"Good, good, what about you?" Anya asked.
"I'm doing good too, thanks! How are Vlad and Vic adjusting there?!"
"Pretty good! Vlad already took a part-time job, and dad is helping Vic get into a good art college here." I said.
"Oooh that sounds fancy!! I'm glad they're doing well! I mean- I never thought they'd be adjusting well in the city life."
"Well- neither did I. But- you have to adjust, to live." Vic said, holding me sideways by the waist and pulling me closer. I blushed intensely as I slapped his hand.
"Uh- hey, so I was actually calling to inform you about something really important. And I kinda need to talk to Moon about it. Can I have her on the phone?"
Anya, Vic and I all exchanged glances at that, as I responded, "I am right here, Astra. What is it?"
"Um- can the others hear me?"
This was weird. All three of us exchanged glances yet again, before I said, "Yeah. Why?"
"I- I need to speak to you privately, Moon. If that's okay."
Astra's words concerned me. What was she going to say that was so private? Did something bad happen again? My thoughts were going wild by the minute, and so was my heartbeat. Vic placed a hand on my shoulder, and as I looked at him, he nodded. I took the hint, and took the phone to the other room and closed the door.
"I am alone now, Astra. Nobody can hear you. What's up? Is- Is everything alright? You don't… sound too good."
"No, it's um- nothing much… By the way, what happened with um- Caleb's family? You said… you all went to them a few days back?"
I sighed at the question. It was exhausting to even think about it, since it always took me back to the events of the fateful night.
"Yeah. We did. It was… naturally- difficult for them to deal with. In fact, they even blamed us for this to happen. And… I don't blame them. It was our fault that he even went to Hestia in the first place. Maybe… maybe he could've been alive if he didn't go to Hestia. Maybe the end could've been different, then."
"Don't beat yourself up over it. It isn't your fault. Caleb was the one who fell for the money and came to Hestia. And well, the rest was… Misaii's wrongdoing."
"Hmm."
I agreed with her. Mostly because there were no other answers to look up to.
"We did offer to host a funeral for him and mom. And it's happening tomorrow. They did say they would attend, but… I don't know after that."
"Hmm. That's understandable." Astra said, and went silent for a bit. But was that all she wanted to say? This wasn't even that private, that she needed me to go to a different room altogether.
"So… Is that it? Or did you want to say something else?" I asked. Astra hesitated for a bit, and I could hear her nervousness through her voice. But every passing minute made me even more anxious.
"Astra, what is it? Is everything alright?"
"I- um- yeah. Pretty much."
"Pretty much? Okay, now you're making me nervous, what is happening there?"
"No, No, Moon- I'm sorry I did not want to make you nervous. It's just that… you know I've been helping with renovations around the town, and fixing everything here as much as I can."
"Yes?"
"Well, even our house got fixed. Like, two days ago. And… when I was re-arranging everything, I um- I couldn't find the… the letter that Dione had given Elena."
"Astra- WHAT?!" I nearly screamed. "The Tale of Malvictor"? It's- it's gone? But where?!"
"I don't know, Moon. It was with Vic, but before he left, he gave it to me. And… I don't know if I simply misplaced it or… or someone took it, but… it's gone…"
I sank into the chair nearby, almost on the verge of crying. Why would someone steal the Tale Of Malvictor? Who could it be, and what could be their interest?!
"Moon? Moon are you- are you okay? I-I promise I'll look into it. Don't worry, we'll figure something out."
"Mhm." I said, knowing very well that it did not give me peace on the inside. I cut the call and sat on the chair silently for a while. Did this story of Malvictor not end yet? If it did, then why was I being dragged into it yet again?! First the ominous laugh this morning, and now this. It all seemed sort of a well laid out sequence for me to go back to Mal again. But why? I finished him already. This could not be happening again. I shook my head violently trying to get rid of the thoughts.
"Nothing will happen, Moon. You're… you're fine. Mal is gone. And- And he will never come back. Never."
I took a deep breath and gulped. I had not even realised when my hands became cold. I began rubbing my palms together, looking around the room. Every bit of me screamed that Mal was gone, so then what was this foreboding feeling in my heart?
"No, no, no, Moon- focus. You have an event to attend tomorrow. You- You need to be okay. Get a grip."
A sharp knock on the door brought me to my senses. It was Vic. I walked towards the door and opened it.
"Moon? Is everything alright? You've been in here for quite a while."
"I- y-yeah…"
"Is… everything okay with Astra? What did she say?"
I didn't know what to say. It was hard for me to understand whether it was right for me to tell him or not. But he knew very well how to read me- how to read my body language. And he knew I was hiding something.
"Moon- if there's anything that's bothering you, share it with me. We'll get through this together, I promise."
I looked at Vic, and took a deep breath.
"The Tale of Malvictor is missing."
Vic and I spoke about it all. And in the end, both of us decided not to overthink. We decided that it was best to live in the moment and take things as they come.
"Moon, everyone's here. Come out soon." Dad said, as he walked outside. It was the day of Mom and Caleb's funeral. A lot of mom's colleagues and Caleb's friends and family gathered outside in the yard.
Vic and I wore dark clothes, as we went outside to meet the others. A lot of people were sobbing, some were murmuring. And their main concern was "how did they die?"
It was hard for us to explain. In fact, we did not want to explain anything at all. Hestia was almost like a hidden magical town that nobody knew about. And it was best for the town to remain hidden from the outer atrocious world. So, we decided to tell everyone a simple sob story.
"I thank everyone for gathering here today at Natasha, and Caleb's funeral." Dad began his speech. "Natasha and Caleb were phenomenal beings. Natasha, my wife, and mother of Anya and Moon, was a wonderful woman. She was a strong woman, full of life and courage. Her whole life, she wanted nothing but the best for anyone she came in contact with. And she worked tirelessly as a philanthropist for various causes. She passed away recently, at the age of 43, still full of life. Her evergreen smile is what gives us hope in this dire world. She passed away in a plague that hit Hestia recently. We were all forced to come back from Hestia for the same.
Caleb, on the other hand, also very courageously decided to stay and help the people in need. He was a good man. A young, 21 year old boy, who was passionate, full of life and ambitious. He was Moon's dearest friend, and he boldly chose to sacrifice his life to treat the people of Hestia. Unfortunately, he succumbed to the same. On this day, we gather around to commemorate their lives, and to remember them for their work. And even though we are not with us today, they shall forever remain in our hearts."
As soon as Dad finished his speech, someone from Caleb's side went on with their speech. While Vic and I stood silently, listening to the speech, I felt a tug at my arm.
"It was all your fault. Everything."
It was Caleb's mom. She was upset, and she had the right to be. The last time we went to visit them and tell them about Caleb's demise, she almost went berserk. She absolutely denied believing that we had nothing to do with it. And in fact, she claimed that whatever happened, was because of me. And that I could've saved Caleb if I wanted to. And even though a part of me agreed and felt guilty about it, a part of me knew that I had nothing to do with it.
"Ms. Miller, I know you're upset, but-"
"Upset?" She almost shouted, "UPSET?! WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK I WOULD BE?! HAPPY?! Y-You could've saved him if you wanted to. But you didn't! You could've told him to come back, but you didn't, you lowlife!"
"Ms. Miller, I promise you I had nothing to do with this. I was dealing with my own issues, and Caleb was dealing with his."
"Oh CUT IT- I know my child would've been alive if you insisted him to come back. Why, you could've stayed if you were that worried."
"I did. I did stay."
"And you could've died, instead of my child-"
"Ms. Miller, that is enough." Dad intervened. He was equally as mad as the rest of us. We knew she was devastated, and mentally unstable at the moment, but she was going crazy whenever she saw me.
"Moon, come along. You don't need to stay here." Vic said, as he pulled towards the other side of the yard. The drinks and food were laid out this side of the yard, and Vic got me something to drink and calm down. I took a sip and sat down on a chair. I held on to Vic's hand, next to me.
"Do you… really think it was my fault? Maybe I- I could've done something differently?"
"Moon- no! Stop guilt tripping over something someone else said. YOU know very well what you went through- what we all went through. So how can you even say that to yourself?"
"I- I don't know Vic. Ms. Miller knew how much I loved Caleb. So it's not wrong for her to think that I could've saved Caleb if I wanted to, but-"
"But nothing was in your hands, Moon. You cannot beat yourself up over this. This wasn't even your fault. Misaii did this. She used the poison tempter's blood, and then-"
"Aha! That's what I thought- because my records did not show signs of people dying in a deadly plague, in Hestia." A voice coming from behind me, almost startled the both of us. We immediately turned to look around at the young man standing behind us.
"Y-You are…?"
"Ah, sorry for being intrusive. I-I did not mean to startle you two. Hi, I'm Nathan. I'm an anthropologist."
"You study ants?" Vic said abruptly, not knowing what it meant. Nathan only laughed a little.
"Ah, no. Well, the study of insects is called 'entomology', while the study of ants in particular is called 'myrmecology'. But anthropology is something totally different. It's the study of human societies, cultures, and their developmental history from the past till now."
"Oh… interesting." Vic said. But I was worried about something else. How much did he know about Hestia? And if he knew that there wasn't a plague, or well- the fact that the plague wasn't the main issue there, then how much did he know about the whole event? Was he going to tell everyone?
"Um- Nathan. How come… you know about Hestia? I mean- there was a plague there when I was there."
"Well, it's simple. And not that simple at the same time. Plagues usually don't just occur out of nowhere and then vanish into thin air. It takes a long time to heal from a plague, and the aftereffects still stay for a long time. As far as I know, there was a plague, but before it could get deadly, people left the town. But there were other things as well and I wanna find those reasons out."
"But- why?" I asked, fidgeting with the glass in my hand.
"Like I said, I'm an anthropologist. It's my job. But Hestia isn't a part of my job. I decided to know more about Hestia because of all the stories I read about it. It's fascinating. And if I ever get to know more about Hestia, I do not plan on selling it out to researchers." Nathan laughed out heartily. I felt a little more relaxed on hearing that. Knowing that he only wanted to know more about Hestia as a passion project, made me feel better. Hestia was a small village with huge secrets, and it was best for it to remain behind closed veils.
"You aren't wrong, Nathan." Vic said. "There were other things, but- I think you'll figure it out as you go. But… as of now, I'd request you not to give out any information to anyone outside. Because, you know- it's hard to explain anything other than this, to them. And they are already very distressed. So-"
"Of course, don't worry. I won't say a thing." Nathan said, and smiled. I heaved a sigh of relief.
Soon enough, people started gathering around the food court, so I decided to head inside. While dad, Vic and Anya stayed outside to entertain the others, I went inside to freshen up. Closing the main door, I turned to go to the washroom, only to hear a doorbell ring.
"Ugh, seriously? Right when I'm about to shower?" I groaned, as I went to open the door.
"Who is it?" I said, as I opened the door, but to my surprise, there wasn't anyone around.
"The hell? Must've been some mischievous kid." I said, and I was about to close my door again, when I looked down at the threshold.
"What… What's this? A- letter…? For me-?"