Sera hadn't expected to feel this drained after guiding a soul. It was as if she had carried the weight of the man's suffering, absorbing his pain, and though he was now free, the exhaustion clung to her like a second skin. Her legs felt weak, and the air around her felt heavier, denser. The oppressive atmosphere of Limbo seemed to press against her chest with each breath she took.
Damian stood beside her, unbothered by the darkness that still swirled around them. His eyes were fixed on the spot where the soul had vanished, his expression unreadable.
"Is it always like this?" Sera asked quietly, breaking the silence.
Damian turned his head slightly, his gaze settling on her. "What do you mean?"
"The feeling," she said, trying to put words to the storm inside her. "It's like… carrying someone else's sorrow. I can't shake it."
He studied her for a moment before responding. "You feel what they felt," he said. "That is the price of guiding souls. Their pain becomes your burden, if only for a moment."
Sera swallowed hard. "And what happens if I can't handle it? If it becomes too much?"
Damian's gaze darkened. "Then Limbo will consume you. Just as it would have consumed him."
The weight of his words settled over her like a shroud. She had been so focused on saving the soul, she hadn't considered what it might cost her. Could she truly survive here, guiding souls for Damian, when every moment felt like she was one step away from breaking?
Sera shook her head, pushing the doubt aside. She didn't have a choice. If she didn't learn to handle this, she'd never escape Limbo. And there was still so much she didn't understand about this world—or about Damian.
"Why are they all trapped here?" she asked, her voice quiet. "The souls. Why can't they move on?"
"Every soul has its reasons," Damian replied, his tone distant. "Some are bound by regret. Others by anger, like the one you just guided. But the truth is, most of them don't even know why they're here. They're lost, blind to what keeps them tied to Limbo."
Sera frowned. "And what about you?"
Damian's eyes flickered, but he didn't answer right away. For a moment, the shadows around them seemed to shift, swirling with an intensity that mirrored the question hanging in the air.
"You've asked too many questions for one day," he said, his voice colder now. "Rest. You'll need your strength for what comes next."
Before Sera could press him further, Damian turned and started walking. She hesitated, staring after him as his figure began to blend with the shadows. Her frustration simmered beneath the surface, but she followed anyway. She couldn't afford to wander off on her own, not in this place.
As they walked, the oppressive silence of Limbo was broken only by the sound of their footsteps. The grey sky overhead seemed to shift with every step, like an endless curtain of shadows swirling above them. Sera couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.
After what felt like hours, Damian finally stopped in front of a large, twisted tree. Its bark was black as coal, and the branches reached out like skeletal fingers, twisting unnaturally in the dim light. At its base was a small, worn bench, seemingly out of place in the eerie landscape.
"Sit," Damian instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Sera sat down on the bench, her body aching from the exhaustion. She leaned back, her eyes scanning the twisted branches above, but her mind was still focused on the soul she had just guided. The way he had looked at her, his anger melting into sorrow, still haunted her.
"You're thinking too much," Damian said, as if reading her thoughts.
Sera looked up at him, frowning. "I can't just shut it off. That soul… he was trapped here for so long, and I can still feel his pain. How do you deal with it?"
Damian stood silently for a moment, his gaze distant. "I don't."
She blinked, surprised by his answer. "What do you mean?"
"I don't carry their pain," he said quietly. "I've seen too much of it. Felt too much. After a while, you learn to shut it out. Or it destroys you."
Sera's heart sank. Damian wasn't just cold—he had to be. It was a necessity, a defense mechanism against the endless sorrow of the souls he ruled over. She wondered how many centuries it had taken for him to become this way.
"And what happens to me if I can't shut it out?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Damian's eyes softened just slightly, a flicker of something almost like empathy crossing his features. "You learn," he said, "or Limbo will take you."
The words hung in the air, heavy and foreboding. Sera looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers as if she could feel the weight of the souls she would guide in the future. She didn't know if she had the strength to do this—but she had no other choice.
They sat in silence for what felt like hours, the twisted tree above them casting long, jagged shadows across the ground. Sera's mind raced with thoughts of the souls trapped here, each one carrying their own burden, each one tethered to this place by something they couldn't let go of.
Damian had said most souls didn't even know why they were here. But Sera had a sinking feeling that Damian knew why he was here—and that whatever it was, it was much darker than anything she had faced so far.
Suddenly, the air around them shifted, and Sera felt a cold, creeping sensation at the back of her neck. She sat up straight, her body tensing.
"Damian," she whispered, her voice tight. "Something's wrong."
Damian was already on his feet, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the horizon. The shadows around them seemed to thicken, coiling like serpents as the sky darkened overhead.
"We're not alone," he said, his voice low. "Stay close."
Sera stood, her heart pounding in her chest. The oppressive silence of Limbo was suddenly replaced by a low, distant rumble, like thunder echoing from far away. She could feel it—something was coming.
"What is it?" she asked, her voice shaking.
Damian's jaw clenched. "Something you're not ready to face."
The shadows around them began to move, swirling faster, closing in from all sides. Sera's breath quickened, panic rising in her chest. She looked to Damian for answers, but his face was set in a grim mask, his eyes focused on the darkness ahead.
And then, from the swirling shadows, a figure emerged—tall, cloaked in black, its face hidden beneath a hood. But unlike Damian, there was nothing human about this figure. Its presence radiated malice, a cold, gnawing hatred that seemed to seep into the air itself.
"Who—what is that?" Sera asked, her voice barely audible.
Damian didn't answer right away. His eyes were locked on the figure, his body tense. "A soul... but not like the others."
The figure stepped closer, and Sera could feel the temperature drop. Her body froze, the cold so intense it felt like her skin might crack. The figure's presence was suffocating, its hatred palpable.
"This soul wasn't just bound by vengeance," Damian said softly, his voice carrying a weight of dread. "It's been... corrupted."
Sera's blood turned to ice. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't here for peace. It was here for destruction.