The weeks flew by, and things returned to some semblance of normalcy for Rin. He was still careful in destroying the evil spirits and demons that he encountered but otherwise tried to leave them alone. If they possessed other humans or tempted humans into committing murder, he'd leave them be. It was of no concern to him. The people he was willing to protect were safe for now and that was all he wanted at the moment.
Rin hadn't encountered any abnormally powerful spirit since the last spirit that had possessed Leah. So, he was grateful that the didn't have to put himself in a compromising position, given the Spiritualists that seemed to now be on the move in the city. Not long ago, Rin had sensed a lot of the evil energy permeating within the city being snuffed out. It wasn't his doing, so that only left one group. The Spiritualists. They usually operated sparingly not really making their presence noticeable, however, these past few weeks he noticed that their presence in the city had grown. Almost as if it was for another purpose. Were they trying to lure someone out? Rin couldn't help but think.
Regardless, he had to be extremely careful. So far, he had not given himself away with his true identity. Kief and the others had no clue, and his friends were none the wiser. His secret was safe for now. Despite having this knowledge, he couldn't help but feel he was being watched.
Rin was on his way to school one morning, walking at his usual lazy pace. He looked at the people milling about around him. There were various expressions on their faces as they made their way to their morning destinations. While he walked through the throngs of people around him, he felt it again. There were eyes on him. He was being watched again and it was starting to anger him. Knowing he couldn't act on his anger, he kept his balled fists in his pockets and continued his walk to school.
After arriving, he made his way to the classroom, just as the bell was ringing. Making eye contact with his teacher, he shrugged and found his seat. When he sat, Leah was already beaming at him, giving him a small wave. Zel on the other hand, actually took notice of Rin this time and stared at him with a peculiar look before going back to the book in front of him.
The school day passed in a blur and before long it was time to go home for the day. Rin, Leah and Zel packed up their things and prepared to leave the school grounds. They walked their usual route home chatting amongst themselves. When they got to the block where they would normally split up Leah hesitated.
"Rin, are you headed straight home?" Leah looked to Rin expectantly.
"Yeah, it's my turn to make dinner tonight," Rin lied. Truthfully, it wasn't his turn to make dinner, but he knew what Leah was going to suggest so he thought he'd better come up with an excuse. For the past couple of weeks, Leah had been subtly making advances towards Rin. At school she'd sometimes lean closer to him as he spoke or would reach out and touch his arm as she'd laugh at a joke he made. She even came over to his house a couple of times to study with him for tests at school. The times she did come over and they happened to run into Kief, he would always have a knowing smile on his face, no doubt teasing Rin, and it would piss Rin off.
It's not that Rin didn't necessarily want Leah's advances, but he was afraid more of the consequences that could come from it. He didn't want whoever was watching him to turn their sights to Leah. She had already been put in danger before, unbeknownst to her. So, he decided to lie.
"Sorry," Rin said with a shrug. He at least looked apologetic. Leah sighed and then smiled. Zel looked between them, his face unreadable. He then spoke up. "Actually, I'm heading in your direction, Rin. I have to stop by the store before I head home. I'll walk with you for a while."
Rin blinked in surprise but nodded. Zel and Rin waved goodbye to Leah and headed off. For a while they walked in silence. Rin couldn't help but think that Zel had something on his mind. Finally, Zel stopped on the sidewalk and turned to Rin.
"Are you and Leah…together now?" Zel asked, looking Rin in the eyes. Rin jolted in surprise at his question. Zel has always been the blunt type, never holding back his true feelings on a matter. He always spoke his mind and apparently today would be no different.
"Well….no," Rin said with a frown. "What made you think that?" Now it was Zel's turn to frown. He gave Rin an incredulous look before retorting, "Rin, you and Leah look very much like a couple half the time. It's obvious. There's clearly chemistry between you two, so I know you both are interested in each other…well, at least she is." As Zel spoke he grew more and more angry, which completely confused Rin. Why was he making such a big deal about him and Leah? he couldn't help but think.
"You can relax, Zel. Leah and I aren't together at all. I'm not interested." Rin couldn't listen to this anymore, he had to get home.
"Don't walk away from me!" Zel shouted. Rin jerked in surprise at the yell, before he started to get angry himself.
"What's your problem? Why do you care whether Leah and I are together? What's it to you?" Rin had enough. Zel was starting to piss him off with his accusatory tone. Zel looked as though he'd been slapped and his face paled. "You really don't know?"
Rin just arched an eyebrow in response. Zel slowly closed his eyes and then opened them again. He sighed and then said, "just…don't hurt her Rin. You're smart but also really dense sometimes to emotions. I think Leah loves you."
Rin froze on the spot not expecting Zel to admit that to him. He recovered quickly and then snorted a laugh. Zel looked to be getting angry again at this, so Rin decided to placate him. "I know you care for Leah, Zel. You can relax. I can't hurt Leah, because Leah doesn't love me, alright?" The two stared at each other for a beat before Zel sighed. He turned around with slumped soldiers and headed home.
The bastard didn't even go to the store, Rin thought to himself. Zel had been standoffish toward Rin for a while. Rin had wondered what the issue was, but now he knew. It was Leah. After watching Zel turn the street corner, Rin continued in the direction of his house. "Leah can't love me, Zel, she doesn't know me," Rin said quietly to the empty street in front of him.
For some reason, that made him feel a bit awkward. Was he sad? No, that wasn't it. For the first time he wondered what would happen if he revealed himself to Leah. What would she think of him? No doubt, if she found out his true nature, she wouldn't be so eager to be by his side. If she knew of his past and the things he had done…
Rin let out a frustrated sigh as he walked. Humans were truly too much work. The day started off so well, and now it went to shit in the blink of an eye. Between his friends and his chaotic household, he was becoming stressed.
Rin was deep in thought when he turned another corner and rammed straight into someone. The person stumbled back a little before recovering, but the same couldn't be said for the grocery bags the person was holding. Green onions, carrots, and seasoning scattered onto the sidewalk. Rin swore under his breath and muttered an apology. Before he bent down to help pick up the items, he spared a look at the person he bumped into and swore again. The gods are mocking me, he thought to himself as he stood back up. He was standing face to face with Nessa.
"Why hello there, Rin. It's been a while," Nessa said with a smile. She was wearing jeans and a fitted black shirt. Her shoulder length dark hair was blowing gently in the wind and behind her the streetlamps illuminated her form. She looked positively ethereal with the light shining behind her and Rin couldn't help but admire her beauty. Rin sighed and mumbled, "yeah it has." He grabbed her bags, stuffing all the spilled items back inside them.
"Thanks, Rin. How have you been?" Nessa said as she took the bags from him. She was holding four bags in all, some looked to be a bit heavy. Rin looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there, but answered her. "I'm well. Everyone else is doing okay as well." Rin didn't want to make small talk with her. He wanted to leave. Nessa sensed his urgency but didn't relent. "Rin, I'm sorry to trouble you, but can you help me carry these groceries to my loft? It's not far I promise, just one block down."
Rin was about to quickly think of an excuse but before he could respond, Nessa was already handing him two of the heavier bags. Rin clenched his jaw and took them. Nessa had won this round. The two walked in silence toward Nessa's loft while taking in the light breeze as dusk fell upon the city. After walking one block there were a set of 2 story buildings. On the lower level there were various shops and boutiques busy with the after work crowds. On either side of the buildings there were a set of stairs that led up to the lofts on the second floor. Nessa led Rin up the stairs to the second floor before setting the grocery bags down on the mat and grabbing her set of keys. After opening the door, she broke their silence and spoke to Rin.
"You can place the bags on that table there," Nessa pointed to a small round dining table that was straight ahead. Upon entering the foyer, to the right there was a small living room with sleek grey couches. Nessa's round dining table sat to the center of the room and to the left was the kitchen. Between the kitchen and the dining area there was a short hall that likely led to the bedrooms. The loft was quite small but very neat and clean. Neutral colors could be seen throughout the place. There were unique art pieces positioned on small end tables and wall shelves, but strangely Rin did not see any personal effects or photos. It looked more like a showroom than it did a home.
Rin fumbled with the bags and walked the short distance to the table before setting them down. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, eager to leave. Rin did not want to be in the home of a Spiritualist, let alone a powerful one. Nessa chuckled looking at Rin before teasing, "Why do you look so nervous? I'm not going to bite you."
Rin then explained, "Sorry, I just have to head home. It's my turn to make dinner." His guard was up as he spoke. He didn't know if Nessa knew about his true nature or not. He didn't know if she doubted that he was human. He watched Nessa walk around in her kitchen preparing to make a pot of tea.
She had just put the kettle on the stove to boil the water before she turned back toward Rin and said, "Surely, you can stay for tea? I promise it won't take long." Nessa walked to the cupboard and pulled out two cups. "I want to speak with you properly, Rin."
Rin wanted to argue, but then thought that if she was indeed suspicious of him then it'd be best to not give her more reason to be. He pulled out a chair from the table and sat patiently. Nessa smiled at him and then brought a small bottle of cream and a ceramic sugar bowl to the table. After fixing a plate full of crackers and cheese, she then placed it on the table and sat across from Rin.
"So, Rin, tell me about yourself a little. I find you very intriguing. How long have you been living with Mr. Raggon?" Nessa rested her elbows on the table and placed her head on her interlocked hands. This must be a habit of hers, Rin thought before answering.
"For two years now. I was living alone, but paying bills as a high school student was difficult. I only got so much money to live off from the government." In truth, Rin had earned money in other ways, but he wasn't about to tell her that.
"Oh, I see. And Mr. Raggon found you and took you in? How generous. You must be very grateful to him." Rin's face soured when she said this, and it made Nessa chuckle. "Well, I wouldn't say he took me in out of the kindness of his heart. Truthfully, we barely interact with each other. It's just a place to stay for free."
Nessa cocked her head and really looked at Rin. She could tell that he wasn't being exactly truthful. "Is that so? I don't know Rin, looking at you right now, I would say you actually care about Mr. Raggon. I know you care about the two little ones there as well." Rin looked at Nessa, saying nothing. Did he care? He told himself multiple times that he didn't care about the humans he interacted with. After all, he was only in the Human Plane temporarily. As soon as he regained his powers, he would leave this place and return home. His real home. However, after spending almost two decades in this plane, he was slowing starting to feel something for a few humans outside of animosity. Rin didn't like where this conversation was headed.
Rin's brow was furrowed in thought, before Nessa spoke again. "Rin, let me ask you…what do you think about the Human Plane?" Rin looked shocked. Why was she asking him this? He recovered from his earlier shock and then asked, "What about it?" Rin was restless in his seat, unsure about this topic of choice.
Nessa continued, "I mean, thousands of years ago, this plane was overwhelmed with demons and evil spirits. Humans feared for their lives and erected shrines and temples to the gods of Heaven Realm. They wanted the gods to deliver them from their inevitable fate." Nessa's brows came together in a frown as she continued to explain. "At the same time, Spiritualists sects began to grow. Thousands would join a sect to cultivate on their paths. They endured great strife and pain along the way, but it would be worth if they could ascend and become gods…"
Nessa looked as though she was trying to put a piece of a puzzle together. "Once these Spiritualists ascended as gods of heaven, they would be exalted and answer the prayers and cries of the people. It was known, 'the gods passed judgment from the heavens and the Spiritualist carried out the sentence below on the Plane'. That continued until the demons and evil spirits dwindled down to a small number." Rin was listening to Nessa intently now. His guard was beginning to drop as he listened to her words more carefully.
"Now you barely see any temples or shrines. The same people who once respected and deeply regarded the Spiritualist, now akin them to nothing more than a weird cult. The gods are all but forgotten, except by a few." Nessa, who had been staring at the same spot on the table while she spoke, suddenly looked up to Rin. "You can imagine how Spiritualists feel about the current state of affairs, but how do you think the gods feel about this?"
Rin didn't have an answer for this. The gods didn't really interfere with the Human Plane anymore. There was no reason for them to. The threat had dropped significantly over the many centuries, and the people of the Human Plane were finally living in peace. However, had he been a god… contentment with the Human Plane is not what he would be feeling. He'd feel…
Nessa then broke his private thoughts and moved on from her first question and asked another. "Rin, what are your thoughts on humans?" Every muscle in Rin's body stilled. He didn't know if this was a trick question or not. Nessa sat there across from him staring expectantly, waiting for his answer. Rin had recognized Nessa's strong aura a few weeks ago. And though he realized she was strong and would give him enough trouble if they fought, he wasn't afraid of her in the least.
Rin straightened his back and answered honestly. "I think humans are abysmal creatures and we are fully capable of bringing about our own demise without demons or evil spirits. We are a greedy race of people and don't care about reaching the top while crawling over others. Ultimately, we are destined to be ill-fated." Upon hearing this, Nessa threw her head back and gave a throaty laugh.
Rin had spoken truthfully but didn't want to give himself away, so he had included himself in that description. Nessa settled and then said to Rin, "I see, you're very cynical. I like that because it means your honest." As she spoke her next words, she resumed a serious expression and then asked, "If one day, you determined humans were redeemable, would you then save them from their ill fates, if you could?"
Just then, a whistling noise pierced through the air. The teapot vibrated on the stove alerting that it was ready. The cap opened and closed as the steam escaped the pot, but neither Rin nor Nessa broke their stares. Nessa waited for Rin's answer patiently. He didn't know what type of answer Nessa was looking for, but he could only speak truthfully. But what he said actually shocked him. "If they were redeemable…maybe."
Nessa looked satisfied with his answer and nodded before she got up to get the teapot. While her back was turned, she spoke, "You know, when I ask other people these questions, they either look at me like I'm crazy or they skim around the truth. It's like they are afraid of being honest with themselves about their human nature." Nessa turned back to the table with the teapot in hand. She placed it on the table and settled down into her chair again. Nessa poured two cups of tea and then took a tentative sip from her cup while looking at Rin.
He had been quiet for a while and was now staring at his teacup. Abruptly he stood and said, "I'm sorry but I really have to go...I'm sure I'll see you around though." Rin made his way to the door without looking back, while Nessa stared at his retreating form. She continued to sip her tea with an amused look on her face.
After Rin left, he walked the remaining blocks home in silence. His fists were balled in his pockets. What the fuck just happened? He didn't know if Nessa was toying with him or not. During that entire interaction she had totally dismantled the carefully placed walls he built around himself and got answers out of him. Answers she was obviously looking for. She clearly had some endgame, but Rin couldn't tell what it was. At first, he was beginning to think she realized he was actually a demon, but as she spoke, she didn't give anything away that would justify that thought. Afterall, she was a former Spiritualist, so it was actually a very typical line of conversation. Spiritualists constantly contemplated life and the meaning of it. Cultivating among their paths was their means to gain the answer to that conundrum. The more Rin thought about his conversation with the former Spiritualist, the more unsettled he felt. He was beginning to feel as though he was slowly stumbling towards a cliff and was about to fall.
.
.
.
The temple of Aeger stood against the black night in all its ancient glory. Despite the crumbling façade it was still an impressive structure. The moonlight shone from high above, cascading light down upon the temple and the surrounding temple grounds. Torches were lit along the pathway and at this time of night, the disciples were already sleeping.
Standing just outside the temple doors were the four elders of the temple. They had just returned from the city after concluding their recent investigation. The week prior, there was a case of a young mother who had recently given birth. She was loved by many for her sweet and kind nature, including her husband, who doted on both her and their newborn child. Not long after giving birth the woman was at home, when she had suddenly become very destressed. Her mental state quickly deteriorated and the husband had no choice but to commit her to a mental facility. She was evaluated, but the doctors could not diagnose her. After a couple of days, the woman broke free from her hospital bed restraints and climbed the stairs to the roof. She stepped onto the ledge of the building, and with tears rolling down her face she spread her arms and threw herself from the building.
It shocked those who were close to her, as they couldn't understand why a young new mother would take her own life. Her and her husband were happy and with a newborn, they were finally settling into their new life as a complete family. The distraught husband refused to believe his wife would take her life willingly and in desperation called upon the local Spiritualists. After thorough investigation, they concluded there was indeed traces of evil energy residue residing in their family home, in her hospital room, and even around their newborn.
The likely scenario, was that the woman was slowly being cursed. There were evil spirits who would latch on to mentally weak individuals and manipulate them. This woman who had just given birth was the perfect victim for these types of spirits. It likely weighed her down slowly and waited until the mental strain of being a new mother exhausted her completely. At that point it would complete the curse on her. It would cause hallucinations and make her see things that weren't there. She would then become paranoid and have strange outbursts. Finally, after being admitted to the hospital, it probably whispered dark words into her ears, until she was compelled to jump from the roof.
The Spiritualist told the distraught widower of their findings. After which, they blessed his home and newborn child before returning to the temple. The Spiritualists were discussing their recent investigations, when they sensed someone walking towards them. On high alert, all of them took a defensive stance with a palm raised, ready to blast away anyone who posed a threat with spiritual energy. When the figure finally stepped in the lit grounds of the temple, their eyes jumped in surprise before relaxing their bodies. They knew the person who was walking towards them very well. When the individual stopped in front of the four elders, Head Elder Wynn spoke first.
"Ah, Nessa, my child we have been waiting to hear from you. Come inside and relay your findings to us."