In Christianity, many believe it is the eyes of God watching you, and in Islam, it's your guardian angels, protecting you from evil. Ever since I was a young child, I recognized the sense of being watched. It's an annoying feeling, paranoid that something is always watching me. I used to tell my mom and friends whenever I got the sensation, but they always brushed it off as "my imagination". But the more I grew, the more it became apparent that it was not. It was more than I could imagine, more than any regular person could.
I began seeing them more frequently when I turned 12, dark shadow figures, small and big, always following me everywhere I went. Despite it all, I knew I wasn't crazy. I never had psychotic impulses or violent thoughts. Schizophrenic? No, I never had voices tell me what to do, and I never felt the urge to do something that wasn't in my line of action.
When you're a kid, wild things you say will always be brushed off as funny or having no merit. But when you become older, saying crazy things you think are true, makes you a prime victim for being made fun of. So after middle school, I just stopped talking about the figures, allowing them to engulf me entirely. Every day, they get closer and closer to me, eventually I could no longer ignore them, they've become the only friends I'd ever get to make because everyone else thought I was mental, disturbed, scary, and weird. Until the day I met Gerold.
I remember it very vividly, a cold winter morning, I woke up with an aching appetite, and as soon as I stood up, I had visions. I couldn't tell you what they were, just that they made me anxious. I went into the kitchen where a plate of eggs and rice was left out by my mom. She had gone off to work like usual. I sat down, and as expected the figures sat next to me.
"Finally, I've found you," a voice from the chair to my right said.
I let out a loud scream and threw my plate through the thing.
"Calm down Ian! Calm down!"
"What the hell, you guys can talk?" Strangely enough I was not scared, I was just shocked that the figure actually spoke words, "How do you know my name!?"
"Boy is the boss going to be happy I found you," the thing said, now floating above the kitchen table.
"Hello? Answer my question."
"Oh right! no, I can't talk- YES I CAN TALK, are you an idiot son? You don't hear me talking right now?" he said sarcastically.
"I-I've always tried to talk to you guys, but you've never responded."
"Well, only a few of us can understand how humans talk," The thing became more detailed as the seconds passed, no longer was it just a dark featureless mist, like the ones that always followed and watched me. It started to form hands, eyes, and hair. "And I'm not one of those shadows that follow you either, those are your mother's."
"What?"
"Yes, they're the sole reason why it took me so long to find out where you are, those things can make the ugliest of beings disappear into thin air."
"But she doesn't even know they exist."
"Obviously, she's lying to you, Ian"
What even are you?" My curiosity quickly consumed me as the thing gained its distinct features, it had blue glowing skin and a blue mist surrounding it, It had the face of an average person, except for the fact that it had no pupils and teeth.
"My name is Gerold. Unfortunately, Your personal assistant in the future. I'm a soul."
"What is that?"
"Geez, your mother really told you nothing, we souls are the true essence of life, a soul is a sole reason for humans."
"Hold on, how do you know my mother and what do you even want from me?"
"Well of course, your mother, the queen to King Geen, your father."
"My father? My mom told me he died in a car accident when I was 3."
"You really know nothing of your father?"
"Other than faint memories, no" I replied, waiting for the soul to continue on.
"Well, he's alive and well, you can ask your mother about it later, right now what I need, is for you to stay very still." Gerold came closer to my face and pointed his fingers at me like he was going for a pinch.
"Ouch! What was that for?" Gerold had picked an eyelash from my face.
"Now, she can never hide you again."
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing," Gerold said as he swallowed my eyelash, "Be expecting company, Ian!" He begins to fade away into the air and before he went, he yelled, "Her shadows already told her, so you can put that down!", referring to my phone.
"What just happened?" I thought to myself. "Who is Gerold? Who's my dad? What are souls? Am I really crazy?"
Then a buzz from my pockets woke me from the thoughts, I knew it was my mom and I didn't know how to feel. Why would she lie to me about this? Why would she lie about my dad and about the figures? I decided to not answer the call, I was angry at my mother. For the first time I get reassurance that I'm not imagining things or crazy, and the reassurance wasn't from my mom. It was from a soul, a random soul, a soul named GEROLD for Christ's sake. I needed somewhere to go cool off, so I went to my local park.
All the trees were leafless, a blanket of powdery snow on the ground, and a frozen pond greeted me, and then the shadow figures.
"Go away!" I yelled, despite my pleas it was useless to tell the things off. They were like metal and I was a magnet to them. I went to sit down on a bench and the shadows followed me once more.
"Ian," said one of the shadows, it sounded like my mom's voice.
Surprised, I looked into the shadow, into its dark and emptied body, I stared into the darkness and I saw her face.
"Ian."
"Mom?"
"Ian I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth, believe me, it was for your sake."
"Believe you?! I can't believe you anymore! You made me an outcast! I have no friends, for god sake everyone thinks I'm a crazy person!"
"I'm going to make it right Ian, you will know, you will know soon enough."
"I want to know now, why did a soul tell me dad is still alive, was he lying?! Is Dad still alive?"
"Yes-"
I stopped looking at the shadow and instantly my mom's voice went away. Then I ran, I ran as fast as I could, trying to escape the reach of the figures but despite my efforts, everything was the same. Every attempt to escape the figures so far was futile, so I decided to fight it.
I was never the violent type I never had violent urges despite being bullied through middle school and into my freshman year of high school. I never tried to fight the shadows when I was younger because I was scared of them, and now I wouldn't fight them because I knew how weird it would look to others if I ever swung at the "air", they definitely think I was crazy then, but I didn't care anymore, I didn't care what others would think because I knew I wasn't.
I waited until it got close, I didn't know how it was going to end, I was basically going to punch the air,. There was nothing solid about the figures at all. Despite that, I punched, and I felt it. It felt me, the shadow ran away like a rat.
I looked at my hands confused, then another shadow appeared from the corner of a tree, but something about this shadow seemed different, something in its demeanor, usually the shadows were scaredy cats trying to avoid my line of sight, despite them being very noticeable. However this one did not care to meet the gaze of me, it lunged at me with great speed, luckily I dodge the grasp of the shadow, "What are you?"
"Gerold sent me to get you back to where you belong, camp serpent."
"Oh yeah, and If I don't want to go?"
"You don't have a choice kid, now come with me peacefully. I don't want to have to chase you."
"Too bad, you're going to!" I threw a ball of snow at the thing, and it went through him. Once more the shadow lunged at me and barely missed, I ran away and it chased me. After 2 minutes I was tired so I went to an alleyway hiding behind large and smelly trash bags.
Ian held his breath making sure to not give away his position by breathing too much. For a moment he thought he was safe, then the air began to feel warm, Ian looked above him and the shadow was there, he could feel its smile as it grabs onto his arms, lifting him up into the air, through the walls of the building.
"Woah" Ian marveled, "Did we just go through a building?"
"It's the state of unity, right now we are one and since I'm a soul, you are now also a soul temporarily." The shadow said in its deep voice.
"Let me go!" Ian yelled, "I do not want to be part of yours or anyone's bullcrap!"
"You don't seem to understand the situation at hand, oh well it's my job to give you the information anyways." The soul began to morph from a shadow to a being just like Gerold, this time it glowed green and had the features of a woman, and now in a softer voice it says, "My name is Frolla, I'm taking you to camp serpent, as requested by your father."
Ian started kicking and flailing around like a fish caught on a hook, eventually, he surrendered and accepted that he was not getting out. After a while, Ian's head began to fill up with questions and thoughts then Ian decided to make talk with the soul to feed his curiosity, "I don't have a father."
"Of course you do child,"
"I mean I don't know him, I have no clue who he is, what he does, my mom told me he died and we moved away."
"Your father is the current king of spirits, and your mother is the witch of darkness. You've seen those shadows all your life, but she's never told you why they existed, has she?"
"Why?"
"They exist to keep your location a secret from the king and only the king knows the true reason why she would do that."
"My father, I haven't seen him in 11 years, I don't know to feel about it."
"Feel happy," Frolla said, "Your father is ecstatic to meet you, after all, he is the king of spirits, you'll find out you both have a lot in common."
As they talked, they traveled across the city where Ian stayed, passed the countryside and a giant forest, and now they were reaching an endless sea, "Why are we at the ocean right now!"
"Because camp serpent is in the Amazon forest."
"Amazon forest?! The Amazon forest?! What about my mom? I know I'm mad at her, but I don't want to leave her forever, she's probably worried sick!"
"Your mother is well aware of the situation, I'm sure you will be seeing her soon."
"You mean she knows where I'm going?"
"Let me put it like this child, your mother is the type to never stop until she gets what she wants. Obviously, she wants you Ian, and we don't expect to keep you at camp serpent forever either, just until you manifest your abilities."
"I have abilities?"
"There's no doubt about it, you are a descendant of the spirit god and the son of a witch, after all, your potential for greatness is beyond imagination". Frolla thought to herself, "and perhaps big enough to challenge the big 5."
The travel across the ocean was the longest it took almost 2 hours to reach land and 3 hours to reach the destination in the middle of the Amazon forest.
As they got closer to camp serpent a dome appeared on the horizon, big and purple, Ian was awed by its presence, "I can feel it from over here" Ian stated.
"Camp Serpent is the 3rd largest camp, it schools children like you who are about the age of manifestation."
"What do you think I'll manifest?"
"If I were to guess it would be something similar to your father's speed techniques, but manifestations are not a predictable thing, everyone is unique to themselves."
As they arrived at the big dome, Ian marveled at its size and presence once more, they pass through the dome and entered a whole new world. Inside was a complete contrast to the outside. It was at least 300 miles wide and 100 long. It was not just thickened with forest and brush, It had flat lands and lakes and only some parts were forested.
"Is that a dragon? a unicorn? a - what is that?" Ian pointed at a glowing red ox-looking creature.
"We call them the unnatural, Creatures of manifestation, all of them could've been created by a conscious being or collective, for example, that dragon is a dragon manifested by the humans, and that Goaboloo you pointed at was manifested by souls,"
"Where are you taking me, we're here already aren't we?"
"We're going to the House of Spirits, where your father anticipates a meeting with you" Frolla looked at me once more and said, "I can tell you're anxious, but you'd need not worry your father is a kind and honest spirit."
They arrived at the doors of the House of Spirits. It was a wooden building with lots of windows, and inside was like a library, with lots of books and a very quiet atmosphere. The only person inside was a desk lady and Frolla went to talk to her.
Ian sat down in a chair waiting for Frolla to signal him to come to her. As he waited he tried his best to make out what Frolla and the Desk Lady were talking about. Suddenly Frolla's tone turned sour and she walked back to Ian. "Your father will not be meeting with you today, I'm sorry Ian."
"Are you kidding me?! You mean I came all this way for nothing?!"
"Would you like to go back then, Ian? To a place where you do not belong, where you're an outcast? Where your mother can continue lying to you? Is that what you want?"
"No, I want to know the truth. I'll stay here until then."
"Let me show you to where you'll be staying before the sunsets, the barracks of the spirits," Frolla walked Ian 1 mile north from where the House of Spirits was, they stopped as soon as they saw the barracks and the campfire being lit by the other spirits.
"Before you go Frolla something has been itching in my mind," Ian said.
"Go ahead and asked,"
"All my life I've been a human, I've interacted with them, I touched and felt them before when I was a child, and now you're saying I'm a spirit, a son of a spirit? Am I a human still?"
"No, Ian you are no longer a human, you're now a spirit, you were a human only because your mother casted a spell that would make you human in the eyes of the unnatural and natural, however, because you are in the dome, the spell has been lifted."
"Thank you Frolla for everything today," Ian said as Frolla walked back.
"Oh and one more thing Ian, don't forget to never tell anyone who your father is!" Frolla disappeared into the night.
Ian began walking to the campfire, as we got closer he thought about the times he was never able to make friends as a human being. He was always too weird, too crazy, and too strange. But now Ian has a chance to start all over again, he was finally with people who would understand him, he thought, "I better not screw this up."
Ian went to the first person he saw, a kid with freckles and blonde hair, with a mark under his chin. "Hello fellow, spirit, I'm Ian how are you doing," Ian said smiling strangely and leaning into the person.
"Who are you?" the kid said in a monotone voice.
"Ia-"
"Go bother someone else."
"Not very friendly are we," Ian thought to himself, Ian then went to another person, then another, until he could no longer, every attempt he made, he was just too awkward. So Ian decided to sit down near the campfire where the majority of the spirits were located.
"You're in my spot newbie," a deep voice said from behind Ian.
Ian turned around and it was a tiny girl.
"oh sorry, I didn't know this was-" Before Ian could finish the sentence the girl pushed Ian off the seat and Ian fell onto the cold damp ground. "What the hell is your problem ass hole," Ian said in retaliation as the other spirits began to laugh.
"Eh, Jason look the newbies getting bullied by Fiona"
"Hahaha, fight back, newbie!" they said in unison "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Fiona jumped on Ian and started to throw punches,
Ian tried his best to deflect and dodge the punches but the best course of action was to get Fiona off of him. Ian grabbed onto her hair and pull it to the ground beside him, successfully bringing the fight back onto the feet.
"How dare you use such cowardice tactics, You should be ashamed to have a mark of spirits," Fiona said this time her voice no longer deep.
Ian notices and then says, "Were you trying to make your voice deeper earlier?"
"Don't change the topic newbie!" Fiona yelled, her face a little flustered.
"I'm not trying to fight you, You can have your dumb spot!"
"This ain't settled till one of us is on the floor sleeping!"
"All this over a chair spot?! Listen to yourself!"
Fiona lunges at Ian once more and the crowd begins to become louder and louder until a tall guy with brown long hair came to separate the crowd.
"If you guys are already fooling around I expect that you are ready to go back to the Slagger!" he said, the crowd broke and he grabbed onto Fiona's hand. "I expected better of you Fiona, remember how you felt when that was you" he pointed at Ian.
Ian breathing heavily, with bruises on his cheeks he utters thanks to the guy. The guy let go of Fiona and she runs off to a barrack, with people chanting her name in the background.
"Nice job holding your own," the guy said.
"You saw?"
"I was there for the last parts of it, my name is Kin, and I'm the leader of the spirit's crew."
"Nice to meet you Kin, I'm Ian. Thanks for saving my ass."
"Well us spirits gotta look out for each other, and don't think too much about what just happened."
Ian looked at him confused, "I was being beaten, how could I not!"
"Well at least don't put too much hate on Fiona, she was just participating in an old stupid custom."
"Beating up people is your guy's customs?" Ian said agitated.
"Newbies, beating up newbies, the last newbie beats the new newbie to show the rest that they are worthy of the having the spirit mark."
"I don't have to do that right?"
"No, you don't have to and you shouldn't"
"Did you do it?"
"Yeah, I did, it was great, but that custom is old. Honestly just focus on manifesting your powers."
"So you're used to this already huh."
"Well yeah, I've been here for 3 and a half years,"
A few minutes later Kin would round up the spirits and everyone was off to wherever their barracks were. I followed kin as he lead me to mine. Tired of everything I quickly fell asleep.