Nightfall and Yiska are a little shocked to hear this. They begin to pay more attention to the ladies and notice they are both wearing limbo bracelets.
“Now that is strange,” implies the Ancient, pointing his hand towards them. “Neither of you should still be in such a place now, centuries after your deaths.”
“Yeah good point, old friend… What a puzzle.”
“I will head back and ask my brothers about their case, hopefully that will shed some light on things.”
Yiska nods in agreement.
Then Eliza writes: The Soul Drinker brothers, they will be able to help and tell all of you about our case.
The Dreamer’s eyebrows rise and he questions, “Are you talking about, Arthur and Ashley?”
The women look at them all confused which makes Nightfall states in a soft voice, “Douglas changed his name to Arthur centuries ago.”
"That’s right we were all getting used to calling him that,” informs Bethany with a smile.
“Ah, so this happened when he had moved in with his wife Lucy. It is going to be interesting to see if he remembers.”
“It sure is, old friend,” agrees Yiska patting him on the arm. “I will drop them both a message and hopefully together we will be able to solve this case.”
Madeleine watches a huge sword appear beside the Ancient, it strakes through the air in front of him to create a portal.
“Right, see you all in a bit and ladies, try to keep your whispering to minimum.”
They both nod and answers, “We will. Thank you for helping us.”
Nightfall nods and goes stepping to the portal.
The Dreamer gives him a salute and takes a look at his mobile. “Ya in luck ladies, they do remember the case. They are also confused why ya suddenly back. They are on their way.”
Madeleine’s eyes grow wide and she gasps, “Oh my, I have just released I am going to be meeting one the most famous inventors in the world.”
Yiska smiles. “Yep. Trust me Lucy is a lovely man and will soon make ya feel not so nervous around him. After all he is just a man.”
The young lady puff and answers, “You’re right, you’re right. I will try to remember that and not faint on him.”
“Meh… do not worry he use to that happin’ to him because of his romantic deep, slightly husky voice. Ya women find it to be quiet captivating.”
All three women sigh at the thought of the famous inventor’s voice, makes the Dreamer laugh.
“Poor uncle, Ashley, none of ya are goin’ to give a look in when his heartthrob of a brother tuns up. It a good job he used to it,” he declares still giggling and shakes his head.
Eliza quickly writes: You’re right we should give him equal attention for he is just as handsome and kind.
Then a series of knocks come at the front door and Madeleine composes herself before she goes to answer it. She can hear them on the other side complementing how much they liked the house and glad to see nothing has changed.
The young lady goes on to open the door and says all bold, “Morning, Arthur, Ashley. Thank you both so much for coming.”
“Ah, as I was saying to my dear brother, I could not resist an odd case,” replies Lucy his lips forming in to smile.
“I agree, this is certainly odd,” agrees Ashley.
“Uncles,” call Yiska as they enter the hallway.
Ashley crouches down in front of him. “What I do not understand the current family have been here for centuries… I find it hard to believe the grandmother was the first to make an Ancient wait, whilst she finished something.”
“I agree, dear brother. I am wiling to bet it has something to do with the aliment of the moon,” expresses Lucy folding his arms.
Madeleine takes a deep breath and offers, “Would you all care for a cup of tea?”
The gods nod and walk with across the hallway to enter, down a small corridor which takes them into a large kitchen.
Ashley pats his brother’s arm. “I agree it is the only explanation.”
“I think one day the moon is goin’ to get tired bein’ blamed for every odd thing that occurs,” says Yiska tilting his head to one side.
“Well, most of time it is his fault for the strange phenomenons which happen in this fragile world,” expresses Lucy wiggling his fingers around in circles.
They all laugh leaving Madeleine very perplexed and she just carries on making the pot of tea.
“So, uncles, tell us is it true the girls were murdered?”
They nod and Ashley replies, “Yes. The problem was we had nothing that could tell us who their killer was.”
“All we had was a crudely made arrow that had hit the horse’s not far from his back right hip,” explains Lucy taking over the story. “Now we knew Bethany had been harassed by young man, named Thane. He just could not accept Bethany was only interested in women and she was going to marry Eliza. They had just got engaged when they were killed.”
Madeleine sets the teapot down on the table. “How awful. No wonder you gods hate us mortals when we do something like that. Killing someone over love.”
Yiska folds his arms and points out, “That the problem, love is such a strong emotion, it can make ya mortals act strange. I don’t think we will ever fully understand this drive to kill someone, all because the person did not fall for them. It just madness.”
The young woman nods in agreement. “It is such a shame we react like that sometimes.”
“It is, and it would have made our job easier,” states Ashley with a slight shake of his head. “The young man would never have harmed Bethany, it was clear how much he loved her. It was a case that really got to the Sherif, he was not going to rest until he had got the ones responsible. Every lead led to a dead end and some just sent us in circles.”
“This is why it remained unsolved,” says Lucy bowing his head. “The other possibility was, it was a complete accident and the person just did not know they had caused two deaths when their arrow had gone flying off. It is awful to know they have been in limbo all this time… Hopefully Nightfall can do something about it.”
“If not ya know who he will get to help,” chimes Yiska with a smile.
The other gods nod and Lucy adds, “It is just a shame we are not there to see Hermes in action.”
Ashley looks to the young lady and informs her, “He is a member of our family who happens to be a very powerful Soul Drinker, which the Ancients fear… Well, more the incantation he carries around his neck is what they really fear. Why did I just say that, when you have no idea what I am on about.”
Madeleine smiles and tells him, “It is all right, for do not have to know everything. I just hope he will be able to get things sorted.”
The gods all nod and Yiska answers, “Oh he will.”
In the Ancient Realm Nightfall has done just that, brought in Hermes, Shǒuwèi and Hisashi to find out why the Elders of his world have not helped to solve Bethany and Eliza’s deaths.
The girls are a little baffled why two of them are not solid, instead one is made up of a black swirling mist and the other is a bright white mist that has a faint light blue edge to it. They soon establish though who is who, because it is Hermes who does most of the talking. Bethany and Eliza can clearly hear he is getting angry that the Elder before them have done nothing. Hermes points his hand at them and snaps:
“Stop just sitting there like puppets and show us what really happened, like you should have done centuries ago.”
Shǒuwèi steps slightly forward and questions, “My old friend is right, why have you failed to perform your job and help these ladies move on. We are willing to bet, it was because my father was on the case you all chose to withhold the information. That is the real reason why you left these poor girls in limbo.”
The nine Elder Ancients seem to shift in their seats and begin to look to each other.
“Watashitachi ni iu dakedesu (Just tell us),” demands Hisashi folding his arms.
They all watch a giant spire rising up out of the mist floor, its clear surface ripples and an image of the two women when they were alive begins to appear. It shows them travelling along the road when all of a sudden the horse goes out of control, he rears up and bolts off down the lane. Bethany is doing everything she can to get the horse under control, even Eliza is helping her pull on the reins. There is nothing they can do and the horse takes the sharp bend at full speed which cases the cart to topple over and roll a few times before coming to rest near the rocks.
The image goes backwards to the point the horse is hit by the arrow and carries on follow the arrow back to where it came from. There on the hillside is a beautiful young lady, who appears to be searching for the arrow she just shot.
“Oh my goodness it is Ariana, the sherif’s daughter,” informs Bethany all shocked.
It is clear the lady in the image is young, no more than eleven or twelve years of age and has no idea what happened below was her fault.
“Finally I can tell my father he was right, it was as he thought an accident. Poor Ariana had no idea it was her stay arrow which ended your lives so tragically,” expresses Shǒuwèi pointing his hand at the frozen image.
Eliza places a hand to her chest. “If she did, she would have remain silent because Aldwin was not a good father to her. Ariana confided in us, she hated being a girl, her father never allowed her to do anything her brothers were allowed to do. Shoot a bow an arrow sword fight, climb trees or rocks. Even getting dirty she was not allowed to do. She had to be a lady, stay inside all day and do house chores. We felt sorry for her, Ariana craved for adventure and fun.”
“One day we caught Aldwin, shouting at Ariana for playing with a snail. We step in and question why he was restraining her so much. Not allowing her to have the freedom to explore and get into a mess. She was a child not a grown woman. We managed to get him to see sense, that the way he was treating her was a form of abuse and she was going to grow up hating him. Poor Ariana, it looks like she was finally allowed to do what she wanted to do and it ended in disaster… Wait, her father must have recognised the arrow was his daughters.”
“That is a good point, Bethany,” answers Hermes. “All I can think of is he knew it was an accident and could not bring himself to tell anyone, to spare his daughter from being dragged through the mud. Being the local Sherif he would have witnessed how some people can react.”
Shǒuwèi nods and pats him on the back. “Well said, lǎo péngyǒu.” He looks to the Elder Ancients and questions, “Why, did you withhold this?”
The one in the middle clears his throat and leans slightly forward in his seat. “You have already said it, your father knew the truth and he would have known it was the Sherif’s daughter. Just like him they both just could not allow a child to be accused of murder. So, they left it unsolved to spare her. You are right we should have told Bethany and Eliza the truth. We have failed to perform our duty.”
Hermes shakes his head and queries, “Sometimes I wonder why the true Elders allowed you to take their possessions, when you do things like this. How many more people in limbo have the same case as theirs hmm…? It is about time you started to perform your jobs properly and remember you are only here temporarily. The true elders will one day return and reclaim their sits.”
This outburst makes the one on the far right lean forward in his seat and softly asks, “What have you three foreseen?”
Shǒuwèi looks to his left and gives Hisashi a nod to speak.
“Kuro-sa igai no nanimonai,” he announces. “Yoi chōkōde wa arimasen.”
All the elders again shift in their seats and look to each tother.
Eliza gently pats the solid Soul Drinker’s arm and asks, “What did he say?”
“Sorry, Celest said, Nothing except blackness. Not a good sign. He is right, every time this happens it is never good. Dark Chapter, Day Walker Battles, all came after us Soul Drinkers foresaw blackness on the horizon. The ones before us could stop the next darkness from happening. Yet, Darkness, Celest and I feel you Elders are not behind it and it could be the true Elders returning.”
Bethany frowns and enquiries, “Pardon me for asking, just who are these true Elders you speak of?”
“Forgive us,” answers Hermes. “They are Dragons. In the Dark Chapter they gave up their seats to them because they understood more of what was happening. The holes in to the Shadow Realm, that were done by the Dark Dreamers, were making other Realms collide with ours, which brought fourth creatures, from those worlds. This is why we have Forest Gods, Sea Gods, River Gods… you get the picture. However, they did not sort out the chaos, it was three Soul Drinker brothers who brought it to an end. No, chaos still rules this world, because they cannot, or will not do their job and for some reason will not hand this world back to the real owners. When they do return… ooh, they are going to tear you apart.”
Shǒuwèi rises his right hand level with his shoulder and Hermes falls silent.
“My host,” he whispers taking a step back.
“Darkness, makes a good point. However, this is a matter for another time. Right now we would like to see these young ladies reunited with their families, so one day they can be reborn in to the next generation.”
The Elder in the centre nods and replies, “Yes you are right. We release you from limbo and return you to your families.”
The orb is replaced by a door which has a bright yellow to white rippling mist.
“There you go ladies, you are finally free,” expresses Shǒuwèi with a smile. “I will say one thing, this has to end, you either start doing a better job or I will take over. You know what I am capable of and this is why you fear me. I am joined to them and together we have become something which none of you for saw, because we are not chosen by any of you. This why you are truly afraid of us. We will leave now with that reminder ringing ringing in your ears.”
Bethany and Eliza watch all the Elders and Nightfall all bow their heads in respect as the Soul Drinkers turn to leave.
“Wait,” calls Bethany going to gently grab the bland hair one’s hand.
Shǒuwèi turns back and asks, “Yes Daughter?”
“Thank you for helping us and getting them to do the job they should have done all those centuries ago. Please give the lady some flowers from us and some for yourselves as a think you and dragging you in to our matter.”
“Bless you, it is our job to bring order to their chaos,” answers Shǒuwèi gently patting the back of her hand. “You both need to go and so do we. It is coming to our limit for being here.”
The women both nod and walk together into the glowing door.
The Soul Drinkers watch it close before they walk out of the chamber of the Elders and portal to Brambly House. Darkness goes wondering off around the side.
Shǒuwèi and Celestial follows him to see he is looking at a simple that had been drawn on the wall. It is a symbol of protection from things from the Other Realm.
“Fuqin,” whispers Shǒuwèi placing a hand to his chest.
“I saw it glowing. See Lucy also knew what to do if we failed, sealed the Other Realm off from this house. All he had to do was complete it.”
“He waited for us to return and already knows outcome, before we even arrive.”
“He sure does, my host other wakes he would have completed the seal.”
They make their way around to the front door and it begins to open.
“I knew you three would be able to cleanse this house,” states Lucy helping them inside.
The famous inventor does not have to be an empath to know being in the Other Realm tires them. They need to deliver their message before they need to portal home to rest.
He shows them through to the kitchen to inform the young lady her house is finally cleansed and she would be able to rest tonight knowing nothing else is going to happen.
Madeleine is so pleased with the news and glad the girls are reunited with their families. She offers them a cup of tea then Shǒuwèi has to go home to relax.
Lucy checks around the house before he too leaves along with his brother.
Madeleine closes the front door, she takes a deep breath, she can feel her home is now at peace. She decides to go for a lie down and ends up sleeping until the early hours. When she heads down stairs the young lady discovers two lovely bouquets of flowers have been left on the table in the hallway. The cards read: Sorry for the trouble we have caused you, warm regards Bethany and Eliza.
In the morning Madeleine takes some of the flowers to the local graveyard to find the gave of the young ladies. They are laid to rest beside each other with a gravestone that reflects how must their parents missed them and hope they continue to have a happy life together in the Other Realm. She fills the empty flower container with fresh water then adds to it nice bouquet she has made for them.
“Thank you both for the lovely flowers and I hope you will not mind me sharing them with you both. I also hope you both are together and one day get reborn in the next generation,” she whispers bowing to the headstone.
Brambly House to this day is a happy place where children play and parents look on happy. Never again do the unexpected visitors come. Except every night on a full moon a lovely bouquet is left on the table in the hallway. The family have no idea who keeps doing it, they just accept them and always take some to Bethany and Eliza, so they are never forgotten.
The end.
The young woman nods in agreement. “It is such a shame we react like that sometimes.”
“It is, and it would have made our job easier,” states Ashley with a slight shake of his head. “The young man would never have harmed Bethany, it was clear how much he loved her. It was a case that really got to the Sherif, he was not going to rest until he had got the ones responsible. Every lead led to a dead end and some just sent us in circles.”
“This is why it remained unsolved,” says Lucy bowing his head. “The other possibility was, it was a complete accident and the person just did not know they had caused two deaths when their arrow had gone flying off. It is awful to know they have been in limbo all this time… Hopefully Nightfall can do something about it.”
“If not ya know who he will get to help,” chimes Yiska with a smile.
The other gods nod and Lucy adds, “It is just a shame we are not there to see Hermes in action.”
Ashley looks to the young lady and informs her, “He is a member of our family who happens to be a very powerful Soul Drinker, which the Ancients fear… Well, more the incantation he carries around his neck is what they really fear. Why did I just say that, when you have no idea what I am on about.”
Madeleine smiles and tells him, “It is all right, for do not have to know everything. I just hope he will be able to get things sorted.”
The gods all nod and Yiska answers, “Oh he will.”
881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5l4sLdARP
In the Ancient Realm Nightfall has done just that, brought in Hermes, Shǒuwèi and Hisashi to find out why the Elders of his world have not helped to solve Bethany and Eliza’s deaths.
The girls are a little baffled why two of them are not solid, instead one is made up of a black swirling mist and the other is a bright white mist that has a faint light blue edge to it. They soon establish though who is who, because it is Hermes who does most of the talking. Bethany and Eliza can clearly hear he is getting angry that the Elder before them have done nothing. Hermes points his hand at them and snaps:
“Stop just sitting there like puppets and show us what really happened, like you should have done centuries ago.”
Shǒuwèi steps slightly forward and questions, “My old friend is right, why have you failed to perform your job and help these ladies move on. We are willing to bet, it was because my father was on the case you all chose to withhold the information. That is the real reason why you left these poor girls in limbo.”
The nine Elder Ancients seem to shift in their seats and begin to look to each other.
“Watashitachi ni iu dakedesu (Just tell us),” demands Hisashi folding his arms.
They all watch a giant spire rising up out of the mist floor, its clear surface ripples and an image of the two women when they were alive begins to appear. It shows them travelling along the road when all of a sudden the horse goes out of control, he rears up and bolts off down the lane. Bethany is doing everything she can to get the horse under control, even Eliza is helping her pull on the reins. There is nothing they can do and the horse takes the sharp bend at full speed which cases the cart to topple over and roll a few times before coming to rest near the rocks.
The image goes backwards to the point the horse is hit by the arrow and carries on follow the arrow back to where it came from. There on the hillside is a beautiful young lady, who appears to be searching for the arrow she just shot.
“Oh my goodness it is Ariana, the sherif’s daughter,” informs Bethany all shocked.
It is clear the lady in the image is young, no more than eleven or twelve years of age and has no idea what happened below was her fault.
“Finally I can tell my father he was right, it was as he thought an accident. Poor Ariana had no idea it was her stay arrow which ended your lives so tragically,” expresses Shǒuwèi pointing his hand at the frozen image.
Eliza places a hand to her chest. “If she did, she would have remain silent because Aldwin was not a good father to her. Ariana confided in us, she hated being a girl, her father never allowed her to do anything her brothers were allowed to do. Shoot a bow an arrow sword fight, climb trees or rocks. Even getting dirty she was not allowed to do. She had to be a lady, stay inside all day and do house chores. We felt sorry for her, Ariana craved for adventure and fun.”
“One day we caught Aldwin, shouting at Ariana for playing with a snail. We step in and question why he was restraining her so much. Not allowing her to have the freedom to explore and get into a mess. She was a child not a grown woman. We managed to get him to see sense, that the way he was treating her was a form of abuse and she was going to grow up hating him. Poor Ariana, it looks like she was finally allowed to do what she wanted to do and it ended in disaster… Wait, her father must have recognised the arrow was his daughters.”
“That is a good point, Bethany,” answers Hermes. “All I can think of is he knew it was an accident and could not bring himself to tell anyone, to spare his daughter from being dragged through the mud. Being the local Sherif he would have witnessed how some people can react.”
Shǒuwèi nods and pats him on the back. “Well said, lǎo péngyǒu.” He looks to the Elder Ancients and questions, “Why, did you withhold this?”
The one in the middle clears his throat and leans slightly forward in his seat. “You have already said it, your father knew the truth and he would have known it was the Sherif’s daughter. Just like him they both just could not allow a child to be accused of murder. So, they left it unsolved to spare her. You are right we should have told Bethany and Eliza the truth. We have failed to perform our duty.”
Hermes shakes his head and queries, “Sometimes I wonder why the true Elders allowed you to take their possessions, when you do things like this. How many more people in limbo have the same case as theirs hmm…? It is about time you started to perform your jobs properly and remember you are only here temporarily. The true elders will one day return and reclaim their sits.”
This outburst makes the one on the far right lean forward in his seat and softly asks, “What have you three foreseen?”
Shǒuwèi looks to his left and gives Hisashi a nod to speak.
“Kuro-sa igai no nanimonai,” he announces. “Yoi chōkōde wa arimasen.”
All the elders again shift in their seats and look to each tother.
Eliza gently pats the solid Soul Drinker’s arm and asks, “What did he say?”
“Sorry, Celest said, Nothing except blackness. Not a good sign. He is right, every time this happens it is never good. Dark Chapter, Day Walker Battles, all came after us Soul Drinkers foresaw blackness on the horizon. The ones before us could stop the next darkness from happening. Yet, Darkness, Celest and I feel you Elders are not behind it and it could be the true Elders returning.”
Bethany frowns and enquiries, “Pardon me for asking, just who are these true Elders you speak of?”
“Forgive us,” answers Hermes. “They are Dragons. In the Dark Chapter they gave up their seats to them because they understood more of what was happening. The holes in to the Shadow Realm, that were done by the Dark Dreamers, were making other Realms collide with ours, which brought fourth creatures, from those worlds. This is why we have Forest Gods, Sea Gods, River Gods… you get the picture. However, they did not sort out the chaos, it was three Soul Drinker brothers who brought it to an end. No, chaos still rules this world, because they cannot, or will not do their job and for some reason will not hand this world back to the real owners. When they do return… ooh, they are going to tear you apart.”
Shǒuwèi rises his right hand level with his shoulder and Hermes falls silent.
“My host,” he whispers taking a step back.
“Darkness, makes a good point. However, this is a matter for another time. Right now we would like to see these young ladies reunited with their families, so one day they can be reborn in to the next generation.”
The Elder in the centre nods and replies, “Yes you are right. We release you from limbo and return you to your families.”
The orb is replaced by a door which has a bright yellow to white rippling mist.
“There you go ladies, you are finally free,” expresses Shǒuwèi with a smile. “I will say one thing, this has to end, you either start doing a better job or I will take over. You know what I am capable of and this is why you fear me. I am joined to them and together we have become something which none of you for saw, because we are not chosen by any of you. This why you are truly afraid of us. We will leave now with that reminder ringing ringing in your ears.”
Bethany and Eliza watch all the Elders and Nightfall all bow their heads in respect as the Soul Drinkers turn to leave.
“Wait,” calls Bethany going to gently grab the bland hair one’s hand.
Shǒuwèi turns back and asks, “Yes Daughter?”
“Thank you for helping us and getting them to do the job they should have done all those centuries ago. Please give the lady some flowers from us and some for yourselves as a think you and dragging you in to our matter.”
“Bless you, it is our job to bring order to their chaos,” answers Shǒuwèi gently patting the back of her hand. “You both need to go and so do we. It is coming to our limit for being here.”
The women both nod and walk together into the glowing door.
The Soul Drinkers watch it close before they walk out of the chamber of the Elders and portal to Brambly House. Darkness goes wondering off around the side.
Shǒuwèi and Celestial follows him to see he is looking at a simple that had been drawn on the wall. It is a symbol of protection from things from the Other Realm.
“Fuqin,” whispers Shǒuwèi placing a hand to his chest.
“I saw it glowing. See Lucy also knew what to do if we failed, sealed the Other Realm off from this house. All he had to do was complete it.”
“He waited for us to return and already knows outcome, before we even arrive.”
“He sure does, my host other wakes he would have completed the seal.”
They make their way around to the front door and it begins to open.
“I knew you three would be able to cleanse this house,” states Lucy helping them inside.
The famous inventor does not have to be an empath to know being in the Other Realm tires them. They need to deliver their message before they need to portal home to rest.
He shows them through to the kitchen to inform the young lady her house is finally cleansed and she would be able to rest tonight knowing nothing else is going to happen.
Madeleine is so pleased with the news and glad the girls are reunited with their families. She offers them a cup of tea then Shǒuwèi has to go home to relax.
Lucy checks around the house before he too leaves along with his brother.
Madeleine closes the front door, she takes a deep breath, she can feel her home is now at peace. She decides to go for a lie down and ends up sleeping until the early hours. When she heads down stairs the young lady discovers two lovely bouquets of flowers have been left on the table in the hallway. The cards read: Sorry for the trouble we have caused you, warm regards Bethany and Eliza.
In the morning Madeleine takes some of the flowers to the local graveyard to find the gave of the young ladies. They are laid to rest beside each other with a gravestone that reflects how must their parents missed them and hope they continue to have a happy life together in the Other Realm. She fills the empty flower container with fresh water then adds to it nice bouquet she has made for them.
“Thank you both for the lovely flowers and I hope you will not mind me sharing them with you both. I also hope you both are together and one day get reborn in the next generation,” she whispers bowing to the headstone.
Brambly House to this day is a happy place where children play and parents look on happy. Never again do the unexpected visitors come. Except every night on a full moon a lovely bouquet is left on the table in the hallway. The family have no idea who keeps doing it, they just accept them and always take some to Bethany and Eliza, so they are never forgotten.
The end.
ns 15.158.61.16da2
