Chapter 13 - XIII: A Pursuer

Judith froze for several seconds as though she was immobilized, which raised some concern on the little girl. But before the little girl could react to her odd behavior, Judith had spoken.

"You're the one who sent me here." 

"Bingo!" The girl said with a cheer to her voice.

"How…why?" Judith had asked, unsure what to say or even how to behave at the moment.

Her question left the little girl with a look that screamed of confusion.

"You…don't like living?" The little girl had said with a tone that only seemed to frighten Judith.

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean…"

"I know it's a lot to wrap your head around, but I didn't come here to give you exposition on anything that is irrelevant. I came here to warn you." The little girl's voice still carried the menacing tone she had dawned ever since her last question, causing Judith to become more and more uneasy as the seconds counted down.

"A warning?" Judith had repeated the little girl's words, an annoying behavior instinctive to humans.

The little girl had stared into Judith's eyes, keeping her gaze for several moments before a smile had formed on her face.

"What do you think of my outfit? Do I look cute in Ancient Chinese attire?" The girl had said, and began to twirl so the rim of her robe circled into the air.

Judith, at once became perplexed by this girl's behavior. Most especially because this was a stark contrast from the little girl she knew and or saved.

That girl literally didn't speak until she revealed herself to be a being of extraordinary prowess.

She was always quiet and demure, Judith had thought. But now, she was more eccentric, oddly too eccentric.

"I…um, what do you mean a warning?" Judith took a few steps closer to the little girl as…

"My name is Sun Qi." 

"Huh?"

"My name is Sun Qi, stop referring to me as 'the little girl.'"

"But…I didn't refer to you as anything." Judith stopped in her tracks by Sun Qi's odd behavior.

"I wouldn't call it odd." Sun Qi had said, further confusing Judith.

Without speaking a single word, she rushed over to the wall/closet, which she was investigating earlier.

"It's cool that this is here," Sun Qi said as she began to ransack the closet. "A broom, a washing board, ropes." She listed while throwing each item out the closet and into the room.

Judith had become a world of confusion as she stood and watched Sun Qi.

She was still lost on what to say and…

"Enough of the boring narration already. Let me talk a little okay? I ransack the closet, then I turn to Judith, who is obviously stunned by my odd bahavior. She stares at me as though I'm some crazy lunatic, but is fully aware that I'm a being of…how did you quote it?" Extraordinary prowess. "Yes, extraordinary prowess. After I decide I want to speak with Judith, I get out of the closet, then I make my way to her. Once I'm in front of her, I look up, as I'm too little to meet her gaze at eye level. She stares at me, as I continue to speak…to myself."

Is it okay if I continued now Sun Qi?

"Go ahead."

Judith at this moment in time, felt a sudden fear in her heart, fear that told her this was all an illusion, perhaps she was in limbo or something of a sort. And was living out a fake life that would dissolve at a moments notice.

"Judith, this isn't fake. None of this is fake." Sun Qi said to Judith, who was at a loss for words, not exactly sure if she could speak anymore.

"Will you say something?" Sun Qi said to Judith, who was still frozen. And now lacked any sufficient words to say, except one.

"What do you want from me?" 

"I…" Judith's words had rung into Sun Qi, as she thought on…why she was doing all of this. "You helped me so…I wanted to help you too."

"Help me?" Judith had repeated, with a mute ironic laugh in her throat.

She walked a few paces away from Sun Qi, then had gently sat on the ground, in the style of ancient Chinese women, that is sitting on her calf.

"If you wanted to help me, then why did you send me to a place where a psychopath wants to skin me alive? Is this some form of entertainment for you? That's really popular in Asian stories so I would like to know if it's what is happening here."

Judith had based her words on the numerous novels and comics she had read throughout her lifetime. In which humans would be put through cruelty just for the pleasure of bored celestial beings.

"I can assure you Judith," Sun Qi walked over to Judith, then sat on the floor the same way as Judith did. "None of this is entertaining for me." Sun Qi said, taking on a more serious tone. "I'm sorry if I came off as maniacal back there, I just…" She lowered her gaze. "Wanted to act like everything was okay." 

These words had caught Judith off guard, just like everything Sun Qi had done so far.

But this in particular she found more confusing.

"What's wrong?" Judith had asked, pinning her gaze on Sun Qi.

"Like I said, I didn't come to give you unnecessary exposition, I came here to give you a warning." Sun Qi's tone had shifted once more, so Judith's uneasiness sprouted within her yet again.

"I uh...broke a rule when I brought you to this world. You are not supposed to be here." Judith began to hear her heart beat into her ears as Sun Qi's voice carried its menacing tone like before.

"Then…" Judith had stuttered. "What does that mean for me?"

"It means that a god will be coming, he will be coming for you."

Judith felt the room become smaller the more Sun Qi spoke.

"If you want to stay in this world and not return to the one where you're bound to die. Then you must never doubt how much you need to be here." Sun Qi stood and made her way to the window behind Judith.

"What happens if I do?" Judith had gotten up as well.

"Then he will have acquired the means to take you back." A sudden glow had enveloped Sun Qi as she spoke, which became brighter with each passing second, causing Judith to shield her eyes with her hand.

It was evident by this glow that Sun Qi was leaving, but Judith had questions she still needed answers to.

"Wait, how…how will I know him when he comes for him?" Judith had asked.

"You'll know, it won't be difficult to tell." Sun Qi said as the glow became too bright for Judith to bear, so she had shut her eyes and looked away. "Remember Judith, never doubt yourself."

With these last words, Sun Qi had disappeared, leaving Judith alone once again in the room.

Judith stood still, trying to process everything she was just told.

She wasn't meant to be here.

A god was coming for her.

To take her back to her death.

Judith clutched her chest, as the fear of the unknown began to creep in.

'Who…is this god?' Judith had thought, and just then, an intense scream had exploded into the air, tearing through Judith like a scythe.

'What was that?'