The void was endless.

  Before Aksel even opened his eyes, he could feel the deep, frigid bite of the cold washing over his body, all the warmth he’d once felt inside himself gone.

  Was he still in his body?

  His memories were fuzzy, trying to align themselves within his barely conscious mind. He felt… Nothing. There was nothing to see, nothing to feel, to taste, to smell, to hear, there was only the darkness and the cold his “body” was floating in.

  Flashes of the past filtered through his consciousness. He remembered dying, the empty field that felt so familiar to him, the angel called down from the Heavens to take him to paradise. Then, his blessing was stolen away, taken by the oily shadow that had always haunted his nightmares, leaving a hole in his chest which… That was odd, where did the hole go?

  Ah, that was right, now he remembered.

  He was a soul trapped inside his own corpse.

  Somehow, he knew it was true, a self-diagnosis with 100% certainty.

  How long had he been like this? What was he supposed to do now? If things continued this way, it felt like he would freeze to death. Then again, can a soul die like a person could? Could it die of cold? It wasn’t something he wanted to find out.

  During this time, something peculiar began to emerge. The feeling of… something crawling in his skin. It started in his left arm, small at first, but growing as time went on. Aksel glared at the limb, but it appeared to be fine. Trying to relieve the feeling, he scratched at the most uncomfortable spot, yet it only spread further, slowly spreading in all directions from the single point it spawned from.

  “Beautiful.”

  “…?!”

  A stranger’s voice echoed across the void; a child-like whisper spoken far too loudly. Aksel turned his head, twisting his body, but there was nothing there, nothing but the darkness.

  “Beautiful.” The voice repeated itself, closer than before. Whatever was speaking to him was heading his way, approaching from the endless void.

  “Beautiful.”         “Beautiful.”       “Beautiful.”

  “Beautiful.”       “Beautiful.”

  “Beautiful.”        “Beautiful.”       “Beautiful.”

  Suddenly, the one, child-like voice became many. Men, women, young and old, in pitches of all kinds. Aksel began to panic. Though the words may have been innocent, he could feel the terror in his very core.

  The discomfort in his arm was getting out of control. He tore the sleeve of his shirt, clawing away at his own limb as though was his only hope of survival.

  The voices repeated, over and over again, inching their way toward him as he struggled in vain, until the word spoken right next to his ears.

  “Beautiful.”

  Then, there was light.

  Like bonfires blazing into the night, hundreds, maybe even thousands of lights lit up across the void, like stars piercing through the great unknown.

  “Beautiful,” the voices echoed, now retreating into the distance, uninterested in Aksel. Just like himself, they seemed captivated by the lights shining in the distance, all the while chanting on an endless repeat.

  As the voices faded, so too did the crawling in his arm, leaving only his raw, near bleeding skin behind. He breathed a sigh of relief, beyond thankful for whatever was drawing the voices away.

  Taking a moment, Aksel looked at the many stars around him.

  What are these things? His mind pondered, curious what secrets these mysterious lights were holding. Above that though, he had another motive while longing for the distant flames. Staring at one star in particular, Aksel clasped his arms around himself as he floated there. The cold had dug so deeply into his body, it was unbelievable. Without the warmth of his blessing keeping him going, his body felt consumed by ice.

  The light was so distant, yet his lust for warmth overtook his mind. He too, much like the voices, wanted to head for those stars. He wanted it so badly, more than life itself.

  It was so cold,

  It was so cold,

  It was so cold.

  His mind turned blank again, akin to when his blessing had been ripped from his chest. He need rest, yes, rest would help. Perhaps he could just close his eyes for a moment, and wait until his body, or rather, his soul, wasn’t so cold anymore.

  Aksel’s eyelids flickered open and shut, his unconsciousness drifting. He was only a fraction of a second away from falling back into a deep slumber when his eyes opened on something familiar, granting him a second wind.

  He found himself seated in a chair at an all too familiar table, one battered, knocked and dented from repeated use. The void space was previously in was replaced by a small dining room, illuminated only by the freshly lit candle burning away in front of him, the voices surrounding him gone entirely. It was strange, was the table always this tall?

  “You had another nightmare last night, didn’t you?” A voice he recognised instantly spoke to him, her figure coming into view as she took the seat directly across the table.

  It was his mother, Ida Malory. The person he’d left behind when he set out on his journey to finally join the Faith. Her curly brown hair was longer than he remembered, her blue eyes he’d always envied seeming tired. She even appeared younger.

  How am I back here? Aksel questioned, his mind feeling numb. Was all that stuff just another nightmare? Did I even leave the village? He pondered. Suddenly, he felt silly for even thinking that all that stuff with Carnifex, magic, and Vine ever truly happened. Despite the intense cold, he felt at ease for the first time in a while, feeling almost a dull pleasure at being home once more.

  “I… I guess I did,” Aksel responded honestly. “It was different from the others this time. I made friends, tried to help people like a hero, but I still ended up dead again.”

  “Ugh,” Ida sunk into her hands, hiding her face from sight.

  “Mom?”

  “It’s nothing, Aksel. Don’t worry. We’ll go see Mr Parson again first thing in morning. Do you think you can wait until then?” She asked. Though she was trying to act motherly, there was a hint of irritation held within. He didn’t want to bother her any more than he had to.

  “Yes mom, sorry,” he felt ashamed, wishing he didn’t have to keep bothering his family with something as petty as his nightmares, but lately, they had been getting worse, becoming more graphic and violent than ever. Whereas before, he could handle the strangely cruel dreams, now he just couldn’t stop waking up screaming, annoying his older brother, and unfortunate roommate, to no end.

  “It’s okay. I’ll come up with a story book in a little while. Just head back to bed and try not to wake your siblings,” his mom asked. Aksel nodded and got up from his chair.

  The scene changed in an instant. The dark living room he once found himself in was replaced by a room of stone, one he similarly recognised in an instant. It was his home church, specifically in Mr Parson’s quarters at the back. He’d rarely come to this room growing up, after all, he’d only ever needed to attend the church services at the front. Much like his own home, the place was devoid of light, except for two candles on a nearby dresser.

  It’s still so cold, Aksel noted, his body shaking slightly. Even with his mother’s hand clutching his, he felt no warmth. Her grip was too tight, hurting him a little, but he didn’t say a word, not wishing to bother her more than he already was. He’d woken everyone up again after another nightmare, though of what, he couldn’t recall. He didn’t even have time to change, as his mother had dragged him out of bed and all the way to the church in their nightwear.

  “Please, there has to be something you can do! I’m at my wits end with all these non-stop nightmares! It’s every night now! Aksel just wakes up screaming his head off and nobody in our house can get any sleep! I dread to think what everyone here thinks of us. Please, I’m expecting my fifth soon and I feel like I’m going crazy! Our family can’t take this any longer,” Mom increased her grip on Aksel’s hand while rubbing her stomach. Right, she was pregnant with… Huh, that’s odd, why did he think he knew their name yet. Mom and dad were still deciding it, though he hoped he’d get a little sister. Then he’d have every type of older and younger siblings.

  “I’m sorry, Ida, but Aksel’s nightmares are simply beyond the Faith’s abilities to determine. We’ve already tried everything we can think of, and I don’t think your family can afford another trip down to Treda-Lake for another determination,” Mr Parson told her.

  “But what are we supposed to do?! All they told us was it’ll pass, it’ll pass, it’ll pass. Well, it hasn’t passed! He’s been like this since he was a baby. It was supposed to be a miracle he survived, but now…” Ida stopped, as if remembering Aksel was present. “Please… I’m begging you. Help us.”

  “…” Mr Parson looked at us, his stare serious and focused.

  “I never wanted to suggest this, but it is possible that Aksel has been targeted by the Nithic world. Specifically, a Nithic dream stealer.”

  “N-nithic?” Mom questioned. Aksel wasn’t sure about the word either.

  “It’s quite rare, especially without any mana left in our reality for the creatures to survive on, but it’s not impossible that one has taking a liking to your son from their side. If that’s the case, then I’m afraid this is something Aksel will have to live with for the rest of his life.”

  “But that—!” Mom was about to say something, when Mr Parson put up a single finger to quiet her down. Standing up, he walked over to a locked cabinet, grabbed a nearby key, and unlocked it.

  “It’s a little unorthodox, but I do have something that might help,” he told us, picking out a small vial of pale grey liquid. “I used to dabble in potion craft once, just a little hobby of mine. They’ll never quite be as effective as their magical counterparts, but one potion I found you can produce quite easily from this area happens to be a sleeping draft. More than once, I’ve had someone complain of a restless night, so I prep these just in case,” the priest took his seat, placing the vial on the table.

  “Mind you, I usually brew them for adults, not children, you’ll probably want to give him about half this much when you get home. But, if a peaceful night is what you are after, I can start making these for you as well.”

  “H-how much?”

  “No charge. If you or your boys can fetch me the ingredients, I’ll be happy to make it. While you can never be too cautious, Dungeon-kin are few and far between in these parts, so it should be safe enough for a little nearby herb gathering,” Mr Parson offered. Ida dragged Aksel over to the desk, hope returning to her eyes. “You’re a lifesaver, Paul. The First truly blessed us when he sent you to our village.”

  “It’s no trouble at all. Just give Aksel some tonight and if you need more, speak to either myself or one of my guides for the ingredient list. And remember, half doses only.”

  “Thank you, I will. Say thank you, Aksel.”

  “Thank you,” Aksel spoke, waving to the priest through his blurry eyes. The priest waved back with a smile. He was already sleepy, even without the potion. His eyes flickered open and shut—

  “You wicked child! Drink the medicine and go to sleep already!” His mother screamed, trying to shove the potion into his mouth, Aksel’s arms could barely keep her at bay, tears running down his cheeks with his back to the wall.

  The scene had changed again. He was in his room now, a small place on the first floor at the front of the house, just large enough to fit his bed up against the window with some storage for his belongings. It had been years since he had been separated from his other siblings, both as a way to make space and to isolate him and his night terrors. His dad stood by the door with candle in hand, while another was placed on the floor just by his mother’s side, the only sources of light in the darkness as he stared at him with an annoyed disregard.

  “I don’t want to drink it! I can never wake up from the nightmares anymore! I don’t wanna die, don’t make me die!!!” Aksel screamed his lungs out, snot dripping from his terrified face.

  “We’re not doing this anymore, Aksel! Drink the bottle and go to sleep!” Mom ignored his pleas, her tired eyes filled with rage.

  “No!” He cried, not caring who could hear him.

  “Don’t make your father have to hold you again. Just drink it already!”

  “No!!!”

  “AKSEL, LISTEN TO ME AND TAKE THE FUCKING MEDICINE!”

  “NOOOOO!!!!!” Aksel finally slapped the bottle out of his mother’s hands as the glass vial smashed against the wall. Everyone stared at the pale grey potion, its contents slowly sliding to the ground, as a silence overcame them.

  *SLAP!!!*

  Mom’s palm struck Aksel across the cheek, almost knocking him to the bed.

  “Ida!” Dad finally spoke up, as Aksel turned to see his mother’s face, still holding his reddening cheek as a queer feeling of liquid ran from his nose, leaving him wondering if it was simply more snot or blood. Never in his life had he seen his mother so enraged, her eyes losing all motherly kindness. He remembered hoping this was just another nightmare, but he wasn’t so lucky.

  “Daddy, what’s wrong?” his youngest sister, only about two years old at the time, came walking down the hall, her candle lighting up the landing.

  “Lena, I told you that you had to be quiet,” Andrea, his oldest sister said from the distance.

  “Ida,” Dad said in a hushed voice, as Mom’s eyes lost their intensity. Turning her back on Aksel, she collected her candle and went for the door.

  “Go to sleep, Aksel.” She told him, a cold indifference overtaking her anger as she closed the door, leaving him alone in the dark. With little else to do, he curled up, placing his head into his knees, and silently sobbed, the muttering outside his door soon fading away. He refused to ever go to sleep again and closed his eyes.

  When they opened, he was in the kitchen. Unlike the other times, there were no candles, only a thin veil of light coming from the outside from the stars above, reflecting very faintly against the knife. He hadn’t slept properly in over a year, forcing himself to stay awake for days at a time to the point of delirium, and only resting when he could truly no longer take it

  It was torture.

  His body barely functioned, unable to focus, from eating, to speaking, to reading. When he slept, he slept longer and deeper than even the sleeping draft could achieve, unable to wake up no matter what cruel demise the nithic creature had in store for him.

  “I can’t take this anymore, I should have died back then…” Aksel whispered to himself, his frozen hand trembling. He hated his life. His mom hated him, his dad hated him, his siblings hated him, the villagers hated him. He was a burden, making everyone’s lives worse by existing. It didn’t matter how many times she apologised, promising not to make him take the potion again and doing everything in her power to make it up to him, he knew she was right. He was a wicked child.

  Placing the knife against his wrists, he closed his eyes, trying to summon the courage to put an end to this nightmare.

  “Aksel?” A small voice called from behind him, as candlelight filled the room. Panicked, Aksel quickly turned, hiding the knife behind his back, his heart racing, momentarily clearing away the exhaustion pressing against him.

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  “L-Lena, what are you doing up at this time, Go back to sleep.”

  “What are you doing up, big brother?” Lena questioned.

  “Nothing, just… passing the time,” Aksel lied.

  “Are you still having nightmares?”

  “I’m always having nightmares… Sorry, I promise I won’t bother anyone with them anymore.”

  “Otto, Andrea and Asta keep saying you’re sick, and that I shouldn’t talk to you about it, but I don’t understand. I thought we didn’t get sick anymore,” Lena asked. It seems she’d been learning about The First’s blessing recently.

  “I’m not sick, I’m cursed. Bad things keep giving me bad dreams.”

  “Bad things, oh no!” Lena said with innocent concern.

  “Yep, and it’s every night too.”

  “Is it really bad?”

  “… You don’t need to hear about this. Just, go back to sleep Lena.” Aksel told her, but his little sister held out her arms.

  “Okay, can you carry me?”

  “I’m… busy right now. Just go back to sleep.”

  “Busy with what?”

  “You’ll find out tomorrow,” Aksel told her, leaving his words vague. Lena didn’t let up however, stretching her arms out as far as she could, jumping up and down.

  “MMMM, Aky! Carry me, Carry me!” She demanded in the cute manner only a three-year-old could. Aksel smiled, for the first time in so very long.

  “Heh,” he let out a mirthless laugh, dropping the hand hiding the knife, the blade becoming visible to Lena’s eyes. “Sure, I’ll just put this back.”

  “Were you cooking something?”

  “Nothing you’d be interested in.”

  “Tell me.”

  “It wasn’t cooking, just a little… Carving. It’s fine. Let’s put you to bed,” Aksel knelt down, picked up his sister, and turned the corner out of the kitchen.

  The room stretched out before him as the scene shifted. He sat at the table with his mother facing him once more. He was much taller than the last time he remembered doing this, though that was to be expected, given he was fifteen now.

  “Please, Aksel, you don’t have to lie and pretend the nightmares have suddenly disappeared. You can talk to me,” Ida begged. Strange, his mother seemed so concerned about him now that he was doing better.

  “I told you already, Lena is a miracle worker.” Aksel lied, as he held up the handcrafted angel around his neck—

  As he pulled out his little sister’s pendant, he revealed a second necklace that was strung around him. “That’s odd, when did I get this one?” Aksel spoke aloud, holding what looked like a pendant a pilgrim of the Faith would wear. It was... warm.

  “Wait, Aksel, don’t touch that!” Mom yelled, standing up from her chair. The more Aksel thought about the pendant, the hotter the item grew, creating a shine that illuminated the room even brighter than the candle on the table. A smile grew across Aksel’s face as the sensation of warmth finally reached his skin.

  “GET RID OF IT!” Mom screamed, already in front of Aksel as she ripped the necklace out of his hand and tossed it to the ground with a haste only a concerned mother could display. Before Aksel could react, her foot came crashing down on the object, extinguishing the light in an instant, robbing him of any warmth it could have provided.

  “What did you do that for?!” Aksel shouted, rage enriching his voice. He’d been cold for as long as he could remember, and the moment he was about to achieve some level of comfort, his mother smashed it to pieces. Ida, however, didn’t respond, only providing a look that screamed of disappointment and regret. Without a word, she retook her seat back at the table. Placing her arms on the tabletop, she clutched her hands together. Just like Aksel, she too was now shivering… or, was she trembling?

  “It’s probably too late for me now. The best I can do is forward you somewhere else,” Mom stated, refusing to meet Aksel’s gaze.

  “What are you talking about?” Aksel asked, bewildered by her words.

  “I’m sorry, you’re probably too confused to understand this right now, but we don’t have much time. Just, please, I know you have a taste for it, but don’t interact directly with the lights we’ve made. Do you understand?”

  “I... I don’t—”

  *knock knock knock*

  Someone knocked on the front door, making mom almost jump out of her skin. Briefly, she glanced in the noise’s direction, before turning back, the candle on the table flickering in the dark.

  “Beautiful,” a voice from outside spoke, carrying through into the house. Aksel felt a chill run down his already frozen body, a sense of panic reemerging. Before he could react, however, his mother spoke once more, this time returning to her calm, motherly tone.

  “Just remember, Aksel, I have always loved you. No matter what happened between us, I’ll always be there for you,” she told him, the kind smile he’d always wanted her to have stretching across her face.

  *knock knock knock*

  The knocking was louder now, but mom didn’t react, continuing to speak to Aksel.

  “Now, why don’t you go play with your sister while I see who’s at the door,” mom suggested.

  “Wait, you shouldn’t—” Aksel blinked midsentence, his arm outstretched as if to prevent her from leaving. When his vision returned only a fraction of a second later, he was standing in a field, a broken broom handle in his hand while Lena stood on the sidelines, another candle present in her hands. She’d grown up so much now, almost nine years old. Much like their mother, she also retained short, brown hair, but had the same brown eyes has Aksel.

  “100! You did it big bro!” Lena threw her arms into the air, praising his efforts.

  “Lena? What was I…?” Aksel paused, unable to keep pace with the sudden changes. He was nineteen again, just like he remembered he was before, but he couldn’t quite—

  “Are you okay, Aksel? Did the training take it out of you, or are the nightmares keeping you awake again?” Lena asked, concerned over his health. Falling back into his old habits, he tried to hide his feelings.

  “Oh, no. Don’t worry Lena. Ever since you gave me that charm, I haven’t had a single nightmare,” Aksel offered a confident thumbs up, doing his best to stave off the shivering plaguing his body. At his reassurance, Lena gave a joyous smile. “But... did I lose track of time or something? Why are we standing out here in the dark when it’s so cold out?” Aksel looked back to the sky, once again seeing the thousands of stars, yet there were no moons. His mind was muddled, making it difficult to discern what was real and fake.

  “Ah, I see, you’ve started to notice again,” Lena responded, her eyes downcast.

  “Notice? What are you talking about? What time is it?” Aksel asked, as she leant forward in a cutesy manner.

  “The shadow ripped it out of our chest, remember?” his sister’s innocent tone didn’t match the barbarity of the words coming out of her mouth.

  “W-what was that?” Aksel turned to his sister, surprised, as a flash reel of memories reminded him of his past, seeing the creature from his nightmares stick its appendage inside his body and rip out his blessing.

  “They’ve caught onto what we're doing. That mother you were speaking to has already been corrupted,” Lena informed him matter of factly. “Information is still coming in too slowly to say what’s happening out there, but please be aware that our soul is currently being devoured. For now, we recommend you keep sheltering inside your memories until we get a grasp of the situation. Please, stick around with us for a while, okay big bro?” She gave a smile just as bright as the candle she held.

  "... Who are you, and I mean, who are you really?” Aksel questioned the girl wearing his sister’s skin.

  “I’m you, silly. Or a part of you, at least. Sorry, it’s difficult for us to describe too. It’s the first time something like this has ever happened. Still, we can be thankful that our countermeasures are working, even if it’s not being used for our intended target,” Lena explained.

  “Intended target?” Aksel asked, only growing more confused with every question.

  “I’ve probably said more than I should. You don’t need to worry about that part, big bro. For now, it’s best we keep you focused on the situation at hand,” She informed him, not comforting in the least.

  “What are you talking about, tell me what—”

  “Well, look at you, working hard as always,” Aksel felt a stick slap his butt, yelping at the sudden contact with his ass. Turning to see who in their right mind would interrupt this important conversation in such a way, he was unsurprised to see his little brother, Asta, resting the offending stick on his shoulder while holding a candle in his free hand. Despite recently turning fourtheen, he was still a complete brat to be around. He wore his brown hair extremely long, reaching past his rear, smiling innocently at him with mother’s blue eyes. “Your reflexes look like they could use some work though. It’s probably the reason we’re in this mess,” he remarked playfully.

  Aksel glared at him as he rubbed his posterior, when his vision wondered down to the candle burning away in his brother’s hand.

  “Do you think I can hold that for a moment? I can’t seem to get warm here,” he requested, suddenly feeling the urge to hold it, his breath feeling frozen in his throat.

  “What? There’s no way I’m letting you hold this? Did you learn nothing when mom had to smash that pendant around your neck. You can’t make or touch any light sources, or they’ll find you in a heartbeat,” Asta waggled a finger at his brother.” Anyway, I came to get you for dinner. Everyone is here to see you. Come on.”

  Before Aksel got the chance for any sort of follow up, he blinked once more, finding himself returned to the dining room table. His entire family was present. Mother, father, older brother, older sister, younger brother and younger sister, they were all seated around the table, each with a candle by their side, eating a finely prepared meal.

  Aksel looked at his plate, but had no appetite to partake. Bringing a single hand up to his head, he tried to gather his thoughts. His head was a mess, unable to keep track of what was happening.

  “Hey, are you feeling okay, Aksel? You’ve barely touched your food,” Andrea asked, having watched Aksel struggle since he arrived. Ever since she became a mother herself, she was always the caring sort, even to him. She had long brown hair, though not as long as Asta, sharing their father’s eyes.

  “Maybe he’s just gone off Mom’s cooking, Ha ha ha!” His older brother, Otto, chimed in, giving a ruckus laugh at his own comments. He rarely saw Otto anymore, Aksel remembered, ever since he got married and left the village to start his own family. In fact, this meal might have been the last time he saw him. His resemblance to their father was almost uncanny, minus the bushy beard and plus their mother’s blue eyes.

  “My cooking is fine, it’s obvious Aksel’s still not feeling well. He won’t say it, but I know those nightmares are still keeping him awake at night,” his mother, Ida, spoke up. She never did believe his lies about him being cured of his nightmares, always checking on him long after the medicine incident. He also found it strange that she was here again, considering… Huh, why did he think it was strange she was here?

  “Your cooking is as delicious as ever, sweetheart. I’ll be more than happy to eat for the both of us,” his father, Rudolph, brought his boundless energy into the conversation. Despite his muscular build, he was a gentle soul that wished nothing more than a quiet family life while running the village’s general store.

  Normally, he’d avoid causing a scene in front of his family, but Aksel couldn’t help but to hunch over, unable to properly focus on the events around him. Having noticed this in the middle of the family conversation, Lena leant in to speak once more.

  “I know this is difficult for you, and we can’t say when you’ll recover your strength, but you must endure an existence without The First’s guiding light,” she told him, a seriousness alien to the sister he’d always known.

  “That blessing was the only reason I survived being born. Now, everything is so damn cold, I feel like my fingers are about to snap off,” Aksel told his sister, before glancing at the candles scattered across the table. “Why can’t I just hold a candle for a little while? I just need a little warmth to help me get through this,” his voice was almost pleading, like and man dying of thirst spotting several cool glasses of water.

  “I see, you’ve grown a taste for warmth once more. I’m sorry, but if you were to hold them, even for a moment, the creatures scouring this world would find you in an instant, and should they get their hands on you, everything will be lost,” Lena explained, as Aksel did his best to concentrate. “Your body will be rotting on the outside, but in here, inside this soul space, you’ve been trapped. We don’t know how, but something prevented the blessing from delivering us to the Heavens, and the shadow took advantage, preventing the angels from collecting us directly. Whatever it’s motives might be, however, stealing our blessing may have just saved our life,” Lena explained, before scratching the back of her head. “Or maybe bought us more time would be more accurate. Without that light in our chest, the things out there shouldn’t be able to pinpoint you. To them, it’ll be like searching for a person swimming in the ocean at night,” She indicated towards the candles that was in everyone’s possession. “With thousands of decoys and red herrings. Our mission is to ensure they don’t find you.”

  “If you’re trying to hide me out here, then why have the candles at all? Just turn them off so we’re completely invisible.”

  “If we were to suddenly go dark without a reason, that would be more suspicious than being one of many lights. Besides, they can still find you without the fires, but these help not only to mask your presence but draw their attention away. Trust us, this countermeasure is the best chance we have until we can learn more.”

  *CRASH*

  The noise from one of the nearby houses roused Aksel from his slump, the entire gathering turning in its direction.

  “What was that?” Aksel questioned, getting to his feet, only to almost fall to the floor from the mere act of walking, his collapse only prevented by his arm hooking onto the table’s edge.

  Why am I so weak? Aksel thought. He felt fine earlier, he was sure of it.

  “His withdrawals are getting worse,” Lena said, looking to the others. The entire Malory family glanced around at each other, a knowing look in each of their eyes, as they calmly rose from their seats.

  “Lena,” Ida call to her youngest daughter, her voice sounding resolved yet mixed in with hints of sadness. “Take Aksel upstairs and hide him away, please. We’ll buy as much time as we can.”

  At her mother’s order, Lena helped Aksel up and took him by the hand, leading him to the nearby staircase, Aksel meekly following along with their wishes.

  At a brisk pace, the two entered Aksel’s room. It was little different from when he was younger, though now a small desk was by the window, with his bed shifting to the side. Lena wasted no time in using the internal lock that was set up inside his room, one of many failed attempts meant to help Aksel combat his nightmares.

  His eyes naturally wandered over to the window, wondering what was out there. Without a word, he stumbled over to take a peek.

  “No, don’t look out there!” Lena attempted to warn him, but it was too late.

  Leaning over the desk, he peered out the window overlooking the village, the perfect view for an active imagination, though this time, it seemed, the monsters he often imagined were now all too real. Most of the village was shrouded in darkness, and the parts that still had lights shining in their windows were quietly vanishing.

  Once again, he heard the chanting, the ceaseless remarks of beauty with no clear direction or target. He looked down to the path leading up to his family home, and saw a person stumbling towards the house. They seemed familiar, somehow, their features matching someone Aksel had seen before, perhaps a local from the village, but for the life of him, he couldn’t think of a name.

  Dragging Aksel away from the window at last, Lena leaned over and quickly drew the curtains shut, cutting off any view of the outside. Rather than being annoyed, however, Aksel’s mind was once again drawn to the candle in her hand, now so close to him. It wouldn’t take much to simply reach out and take it. Surely a few seconds of warmth wouldn’t hurt, just enough to unfreeze his aching hands.

  Before he could lay his hands on the candle, is vigilant sister spotted him, slapping his hands away as though he had personally offended her.

  “Have you listened to nothing we’ve been saying, you stupid, selfish, conscious dumbass! Read my lips, you, can’t, touch, the, light! Under any circumstances!” Her face was filled with rage, as Aksel rubbed at his stinging hand.

  “Y-you don’t understand how difficult this is!” Aksel retorted, as an aggressive banging crashed against their home’s front door, but Lena didn’t back down.

  “You’re not the crumb of subconsciousness that’s going to die, so shut up and listen to me!” Lena screamed, loud enough for Aksel to be physically taken aback by the outburst. A moment later, the sound of the door breaking down reached their ears.

  “T-they’re inside!” Aksel threw his head back towards the room’s locked door, worried it would be the next thing to come crashing down.

  “Can you make the next jump yourself?” Lena asked, confusing him.

  “What?”

  “They seem to have locked onto this cluster now. We can’t risk bouncing you elsewhere ourselves anymore since it appears they can extract that information from us when we’re corrupted. Even more than that, there’s no guarantee one of us will always be there to move you between memories. You need to jump yourself now before it’s too late, like you did the first time.”

  “Forget about that, what about everyone else downstairs? We all need to leave right now, don’t we?” Aksel questioned his sister, who could only provide a weary smile.

  “Aksel… Everyone downstairs is gone.” Her statement made Aksel’s eyes grow wide in disbelief. “And… It’s my time to go too,” She moved past her brother to make her way towards the door, only for Aksel to reach out and grab her wrist before she could escape his reach.

  “D-don’t go out there. It’s a death sentence! Just stay here and we’ll figure something out.”

  “Aksel, I’m not your real sister, I’m just a small fragment of you. My only purpose is to save your life. I’ll buy you more time so you can make your escape.”

  “I don’t care what you are!” Aksel roared. “Fragment or not, right now, you’re my one and only sister, and there’s no way I’m letting you go out there alone,” He shouted his declaration loud enough that even the creatures invading his soul would hear him. Lena, however, made a face he didn’t expect.

  Why does she look so distressed?

  “A-Aksel, you have two sisters, remember?” Lena told him, worry clear in her eyes. Her words made no sense though.

  “What are you talking about? You’re my only sister,” he told her, raising an eyebrow at the odd comment. He’d only ever had one sister before. After all, he was the eldest child, so it wasn’t like his parents were hiding a long-lost sibling from him. His words seemed to only make the situation worse, however. Lena looked away from him, before turning her eyes back with a forced smile.

  “I’m sorry, big brother. This time, you can’t be the hero. If they find you, if they take you, that would be the end of all of us, forever,” she spoke in a sombre tone, as her arm slid free of his loosening grasp.

  Why did she say I had two sisters? Aksel pondered the question long enough that he failed to prevent his sibling from leaving, as she made her way towards the door.

  “You may not remember her when all this is over, but remember this. Stay hidden, stay silent, stay cold. And if you see anyone untouched by candlelight, don’t trust them.” Lena gave her parting words as she unlocked the door, and exited the room.

  “Lena,” Aksel said her name one last time, as the candlelight under the door left his sight, leaving him in darkness once more. Stumbling over to the door, he contemplated following after her, but he couldn’t find the will to turn the handle and give chase. With gritted teeth, filled with regret, he relocked the door. In the distance, he could hear several footsteps tapping away, and then… nothing.

  The house fell silent, as if the world itself had frozen over. Aksel felt his breathing, something he realised he was still doing, even as a soul, turn short and quiet as the tension in the air rose.

  I need to figure out how to do one of those jumps to somewhere safe, Aksel thought to himself. He’d managed to enter this place initially, so there must be a trick that he could do to move somewhere else.

  Before he had time to contemplate that thought, however, the stairs began to creak outside. The creaking grew closer, until it finally stood in front of his door.

  *Knock knock knock*

  Someone rang their knuckles against the door, though Aksel didn’t respond.

  “Aksel… it’s me, your mother,” Ida told him, loud and clear through his door. his eyes grew wide with surprise at hearing her voice after he’d taken her for dead. “It’s okay to come out now, all the horrors have gone. We can all jump together, as a family.”

  Aksel wanted to believe that was really his mother speaking to him, more than anything. Yet, his eyes told a different story. Ever since arriving in what has been claimed to be his memories, every person he’s interacted with has always held a candle, providing light in the darkness.

  Yet, under the door, he saw no sign of light at all.

  “Stay hidden, stay silent, stay cold. And if you see anyone untouched by candlelight, don’t trust them.” Aksel repeated his sister’s words in his head, as he backed away from the door.

  “Aksel? Aksel? Aksel? Aksel? Aksel?” The voice of his mother continued to caw in an unnaturally stagnant tone, before ceasing abruptly. For a moment, the house fell silent once more.

  Without warning, the person behind his door began pounding with the ferocity of a savage animal, almost giving Aksel a heart attack, a constant barrage that his simple, cheaply locked entryway wasn’t going to withstand for long. With little other option, Aksel hobbled over to the window, climbed onto the desk and drew back the curtains.

  Below, a crowd of people were staring at him, as if captivated by his mere presence. In unison, their arms reached out fruitlessly for him, there mouth repeating the same word over and over.

  “Beautiful.”    “Beautiful.”     “Beautiful.”     “Beautiful.”     “Beautiful.”

  “Beautiful.”    “Beautiful.”     “Beautiful.”     “Beautiful.”    “Beautiful.”

  “Beautiful.”     “Beautiful.”    “Beautiful.”     “Beautiful.”     “Beautiful.”

  Aksel turned his gaze upward again, to the stars above, and noticed that there were less than when he first saw them. The reason didn’t matter though, as he tried to ignore everything around him, thinking of nothing else but reaching safety.

  His mind focused in on what safety meant for him, looking into the myriads of lights overhead, and in a flash, he was gone from that world, just as his door came crashing down.