Chapter 8
EIGHT
"W hat does that mean?" I turn to Thea since she seems to have more knowledge on this than me.
"Are you familiar with the concept of reincarnation?"
"Somewhat?"
"The short version is that the soul is immortal and goes through many cycles, incarnations if you will. Forfeiting your right to reincarnation means your soul will simply cease to exist."
"But that's?—"
"A steep price to pay." She smiles sadly. "The risk must be equal to the reward. When you make that wish, you'll be gambling with your soul."
I stare at her, my mind a whirlpool of confusion.
There's only so much a person can take in, no?
Not an hour ago I was running from the police, and now I suddenly find out there are deities out there, with powers, who actually healed my broken body, and who expect me to wager my soul for the chance to fulfill a wish.
But...if there are deities, that means that nothing is impossible, doesn't it?
"Do deities have the power to bring back the dead?" I whisper, unable to believe I'm even willing to contemplate this. It could all still be just a nightmare—the rational side of me is inclined to believe that. But it could also be real and my one chance at saving my husband. My brain tells me it's the former. But my heart... My heart yearns for it to be real.
"Of course. There's nothing they can't do," Thea explains. "The messengers you were asking about earlier? They should have given you the invite in person and told you all of this."
"There was no one." I shake my head, recounting how I'd gotten the first invite and the subsequent ones.
"That is an anomaly," she notes thoughtfully.
"Now that we've gotten the boring talk out of the way, who's ready for the game?" Inu asks, eliciting cheers from the crowd.
Thea too claps enthusiastically until her brother gives her another one of his dry looks. The corners of her lips lower, her gaze dipping to her feet.
"Your brother is an asshole," I lean to whisper.
"Tell me about it," she grumbles. "I can never enjoy anything." She sighs dramatically. "But now I'm here. And I met you. And we're going to have such a fine time. Of course, you can't withdraw now, but you can do it after the first trial and?—"
"Wait a moment," I stop her senseless rambling. "Who said anything about withdrawing after the first trial?"
"Well, you wanted out. That's your way out." She smiles blithely.
"Not if the prize is any wish," I oddly find myself saying.
Until a moment ago, I didn't even think I believed this whole god talk—I'm still not entirely sure I do. But if there is the slightest chance I can get Nikki back, I'm going to take it—regardless of how crazy it sounds. The flames of revenge, previously raging uncontrollably, slowly fan out, replaced by a much more potent fire.
The goal I thought I had is all but gone until only one objective remains.
Nikki.
My beloved Nikki.
To have him in my arms once more, I would pay any price. I would even gamble my immortal soul.
"But... Luce..." She blinks in surprise. "You can't... You're..."
"I am?" I raise a brow.
"Never mind." She strains a smile.
"You didn't tell me what your wish is," I shoot back. "Why are you here?"
"Yes, do tell, Thea. Why are you here?" her brother interjects, leaning in to watch her closely.
"My wish is"—she pauses, a look of uncertainty crossing her face—"to find love!" she suddenly declares. "Yes, that's it. I want to find love."
"You want to find love?" Cer repeats ominously.
"Uhm, yes..." she stammers, looking anywhere but at him. "Like at least a quarter of the people present here do. The others want money, power, immortality, or just like you," she addresses me, turning her back to her brother, "to get back someone they lost."
I nod thoughtfully. Everyone here must have their own circumstances, and knowing my own desire, I can't judge anyone for their choices.
Turning my attention to the crowd, I note that everyone is debating the merits of the competition and if their wish is worth their immortal soul. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the girl I'd bumped into previously—the one with the fluffy white tail. My eyes slowly widen as I note that her entire body is now covered in white fur— is that even her?
"Thea?" I ask tentatively. "This isn't a costumed event, is it?"
"Costumed event?" She frowns. "Where did you get that idea?" She pauses as realization dawns on her. "Oh, Luce." She giggles.
"That's why everyone kept referring to me as human . It's because some are not human, is that right?"
Even as I utter the words, I find it hard to believe that any of this could be true. Yet if gods exist, if they have the power to heal extensive injuries, then it stands to reason that other creatures could exist, too. And considering the girl's control of her tail...that only leaves me with one conclusion. It wasn't a mechanical tail. It was a real one. Just like the other people I assumed were costumed as animals—they're not. They are the animals.
My God—or is it Gods now? This is too much information for my feeble human mind. And although I find that I am oddly okay with the existence of all these creatures, it doesn't make the experience any less eerie.
Thea gives me a tight smile.
"Yes, you would be correct." She takes a deep breath. "Most of the individuals here are not human. And those who are either have ties to the underworld, or their messengers explained the situation in detail when they were invited to the game. It's why I was so surprised you had no idea about...well, anything. It's certainly not done to not explain the situation, least of all to a human."
"You mean I'm the only one here who was clueless about it," I add dryly.
"I don't know why you got the invite and nothing else. It's not how it's done. It must have been a glitch or something," Thea adds. "But you're taking it very well considering this is your first exposure to this world," she praises.
"Thank you, I'm trying." I crack a smile.
At this point, I've come to terms that this is actually real, or I'm having a full mental breakdown. And even if the latter turns out to be true, at least in my delusion I can have a chance to get Nikki back.
"You're funny, Luce." Thea laughs. "We'll have such a good time together," she says as she pulls me into a tight hug.
"Wait a second," I suddenly say, drawing back. "You called me human , too. So if you're not human, what are you?"
Thea shares a look with her brother, who simply shrugs at her.
"We're..." she stammers. "We're..."
"She's a harpy," Cer intervenes.
Thea gasps, a horrified look on her face.
"What are harpies?" I ask.
"You've never heard of them?"
I shake my head. It's not the time to be embarrassed by my lack of knowledge.
"You should show her, sis ." Cer raises a daring brow at Thea.
She rolls her eyes at him and, lifting her hand, I notice her fingers turning into claws.
"That's..." I blink. "Impressive?" I force a smile.
Maybe I actually died that day on the bridge and now I'm stuck in an afterlife limbo filled with all types of creatures. Yes, that might actually make more sense.
"You're so cute." Thea gives me a genuine smile before she turns to her brother, baring her teeth at him. "You'll pay. Later," she hisses at him.
He shrugs, leaning back in his seat, his lips curling at the corners.
Their relationship is...peculiar.
Before I can dwell more on the fact that my new friend is not human, Inu's voice echoes in the room.
"Now that we've covered the basics, it's time for the highlight of the night. The Wishing Well."
Claps resound from the audience while I'm even more confused.
Inu takes a step to the side, and Inara does the same. Within seconds, cracks form at the level of the stage in the shape of a perfect circle. As all the dots connect, the ground collapses, leaving behind a gaping hole.
What...
Instead of the panic that I expect to see from the crowd, more cheers erupt.
"It's starting. It's so exciting, Cer," Thea exclaims, grabbing her brother's arm. He grumbles something under his breath, clearly not sharing the sentiment.
Is he even allowed here without an invite?
I hadn't considered that before. But if he came here in search of his sister, then he's not here in an official capacity, is he?
My train of thought is interrupted as Thea jumps to her feet, taking my hand and steering me down the stairs to where the main crowd is.
"Come on, we need to line up," she mentions, and I notice that everyone is forming a line in front of the newly appeared hole.
"We're not supposed to worship that hole or something weird like that, are we?" I ask in a hushed tone. My perception is a little screwed from everything I've witnessed at the hacienda, and worshipping a hole would not be the strangest thing.
Thea stares at me for a moment before she bursts out laughing.
"What? Of course not. The Wishing Well collects all the wishes. Think of it as locking in your wish before the game starts."
"Oh." I nod slowly. "So once you make your wish, you can't change it?"
"No. The wish you start the game with is the wish you end the game with."
We take our places in line. Thea is in front of me and her brother stealthily joins us, giving death stares to everyone around.
I crane my neck to see what's happening at the end of the line. The first person walks up to the stage, stopping right by the hole in the ground.
He exchanges a few words with Inu and Inara before he takes a step forward, plunging into the hole.
"What?" I gasp.
He resurfaces a second later. His clothes are wet—a sign that there is an actual well and not just a metaphor. He has a wide smile on his face as he walks to the side of the stage, getting down and taking a seat at a table. He seems fine, but that doesn't make me any less wary about this.
Think of Nikki , I urge myself. I'm already down the road of no return—I have no family, no home, and a warrant on my name. There's nothing waiting for me outside of this. No matter how crazy it gets, at least there's a chance that at the end of it all I'll have my husband back. For that sliver of hope, I'm willing to put aside all my disbelief and surrender to this madness.
Surprisingly, the line moves fast. Even with at least a couple hundred people in here, it takes only a few seconds for each person to jump in and be right back out. As we reach closer to the stage, I see that Inu and Inara greet every person in turn, exchanging platitudes.
"That's nice of them," I mention to Thea.
"Isn't it?" She sighs dreamily. "I can't believe I'll get to talk to him."
While Thea gushes about Inu and his celebrity status, I continue to look around, studying the other participants and wondering what their wish could possibly be. Now that I know most are not human, I see them with different eyes, and I can't help but wonder how their different advantages will play out during the game. Inu had mentioned that this will not only be us against the trials, but also against the other participants. Does that mean that suddenly everyone here is an enemy?
Despite the fact that my injuries have healed, I am aware that I'm neither the strongest nor the fastest person for a human . Compared to mythical creatures? I likely don't stand a chance. Regardless of that, though, I have something they don't—my love for Nikki. Conviction slowly fills me as I envision having him by my side once more. For that, I'm able to withstand anything—even the deepest circles of hell.
The line moves swiftly, and before I know it, it's Thea's turn.
She's giddy as she jumps on the stage. Stopping in front of Inu, she looks at him with stars in her eyes.
"Do I know you? You seem familiar." He frowns as he peruses her.
Her eyes widen.
"You remember me?" she asks in a small voice.
Inu smiles, taking a step closer to her.
"That little..." Cer mutters. I turn to him, but he's already gone. What...
He appears out of thin air onto the stage, grabbing Thea's hand and pulling her into the well with him.
"You're not supposed to go two at once," Inara cries out as she rushes toward them. But by the time both Inu and Inara get to the mouth of the well, they're already gone.
"You need to be more careful." Inara's eyes flash at her brother. "We can't afford any mistakes."
His brows furrow in confusion as he stares at the well.
"I could have sworn I've seen her before." He scratches the back of his head.
"You and your girlfriends." She rolls her eyes. "She could be any one of your flings and you wouldn't remember anyway."
"I'm not sure..."
The seconds pass, and Cer jumps out of the well, holding a wet and shivering Thea in his arms. Inu opens his mouth to address them, but one look from Cer and he takes a step back. Even Inara, who seemed on the verge of a fight, backs down, averting her gaze.
That is...odd.
Cer storms off the stage and deposits Thea on one of the seats—or rather, he drops her with a resounding thud. Fuming, she opens her mouth to rebuke him, but he's already turned his back to her, thereby ignoring her.
Yes, these siblings are very odd, indeed.
It's my turn to go onto the stage.
"Hello there," Inu greets me. "When you go in, think about your most ardent wish."
I nod, already picturing Nikki's face. Taking a deep breath, I jump.
Wha—
The fall is much steeper than I would have expected—at least a few hundred feet as I keep plunging down. Water breaks my fall and I sink to the bottom of the well. Still, I try not to be overwhelmed by fear as I focus on my wish.
Nikki. I want my Nikki to come back to me.
A pulsing light flashes from the ground up, charging at me and swallowing me whole. I open my mouth to cry out and water rushes in, yet my breathing isn't impacted. Somehow, I'm not drowning.
"Luce?" I hear an echo, accompanied by a soft caress.
My heart stops in my chest.
"Nikki?" I whisper, my eyes wide open as I search for him in the depths of the water.
"Luce," the voice is closer. Then closer.