I shrugged my shoulders back, readying myself for some real information.
“The spirit crossed to our realm from the Stygian,but it isweak and cannot maintain its form in our dimensionfor long periods. Whenever it is strong enough, it appears and feeds gaining strength with each feeding.” A line formed between Astrid’s eyebrows. “I began hunting it a week ago by following the reports of a rise in suicides. I noticed they were localized, but I could not anticipate where the demon would appear to feed next. Untilthe day you caught me outside the house where the family had killed themselves.”
Nausea curled around my insides. I must have reacted because Astrid’sfoxlikeeyes flicked to me. “Did you notice what they were wearing?”
“All black, yeah, they had just come from a funeral.”
She nodded. “There was a girl, in the house next to yours. She was in a car wreck and someone died.”
The sick feeling in my gut doubled. “What are you saying? The Shinigami goes after people who lost someone? Who doesn’t know someone who has died?”
“It had to have been recent. Though soon the demon will have fed enough that its power will grip anyone atany time, forcing from them a sacrifice at their own hands.”
I shook my head. “No, that doesn’t make sense. My gran didn’t have anyone close to her die recently.”
“Jessica maybe?” Travis said, suggesting the girl next door.
I shrugged. “Does it go by proximity to the person who died?”
We turned back to Astrid. She frowned. “I can’t say for sure, but it seems to target the people who are most affected by the loss.”
That didn’t make sense. My gran was saddened by Jessica’s death, but she wasn’t particularly close with the teenager. But one part did make sense in that equation.
“It came after us because my gran had passed,” I said. The words scraped up my raw throat.
Astrid’s face darkened. “Yes, but you were not the intended targets. I had been tracking deaths in a ten-mile radius andnarrowed down the chances of the Shinigami would strike next. A man had lost hisbrother to a rock-climbing accident. I set up behind their house and used a spell to lure the demon to me. In the circle of salt, I was protected but you two showed up and ruined everything. I couldn’t fight the beast as he was feeding on you, he was too strong.Then something broke his hold, there was a flash of light and it dissipated. I ran while I had the chance.”
“How did Sophie manage to not get sucked in?” I asked. "Her parents were ripped to pieces, and she’s seen monsters, how the hell did she survive in that alleyway? Or that night the death demon took Mrs. Rits for that matter?”
“I spoke with Sophie,” Gregory said, stepping forward. “Her power issimilar towhat mine was when I had powers, but I only had powers before because I was a Chevalier, a soulless one. Once I gained my soul, I lost my powers. If you say her first encounter was with the soul eater, it made have fed from her and affected her somehow? That’s the best guess I have.”
Travis and I exchanged a look.
In all that we had filled in Gregory on what had happened, there was one important key fact we missed in sharing.
Travisgave Astrid a wary glance. “We should step outside for a minute.”
Astrid sat up a little straighter as Gregory looked back and forth between Travis and me.
23
“You mean to say, I was always in possession of my soul?” Gregoryasked me. We sat in theAztec styled living roomof the main house.Krystansat next to Gregory clutchinga mustard-colored pillow.Phillip haddisappeared to the kitchen to make a soothing hot beverage and togive us space.
Inodded.Ihad been the one to read from theBookof the Lightat the Temple ofLuxis. “TellingtheKnights of the Light they don’t possess a soulwas a method by which the Order ofLuxiswas able to control the Chevalier.Yourpowers arerootedin what beliefs you hold. TheLuxismade you believe there was nothing outside of fighting darkness and were able to hone your focus to point where you could.”
Gregorywas bent forwardover his legs, hands folded.“When Diana came, I fell in love with her. I believed one could not love without a soul.” He took a moment before continuing. “To me, it followedthat,she had given me my soul back therefore leaving me powerless.”
Krystanlooked like she wanted to reach out and pat him on the back, but she hugged the pillow tighter. She was always drawing into herself when she should be reaching out. I hadbeen serious when I said we were done. As much as I wanted her, I couldn’t be the one always reaching out and getting smacked down.
“Sodo you think you can access your powers now?”Krystanasked, hope in her words.“Now that you know?”
Gregorytook a deep breathas if searching inward,thenshook his headwith asigh. “I don’t know.”
Phillip had walked back in with a tray ofwhite mugs, the smell of chocolate following him. “Belief is not so easily switched on and off,” he said. Passing a cupof hot cocoato each of us. “I did some research after my son’s periodic episodes of losing his powers.We can’t just tell ourselves we believe in something or not. Neural pathways must be built in order to create such a strong connection to that belief. TheLuxisare excellent and ingraining the Knights of the Light with their agenda,and only their agenda. Gregory lost his power in accordance with his inner logic,but the foundation was already built to support his conclusion. Rewiring that system entirely takes longer, especially in adults.In order to create new neural pathways to support our beliefs, we must spend time finding evidence to support it.”Phillip sat down on the other end of the brown leather couch as me.
“For instance, if someone needed to learn to trust more, they would have to find evidence to back up why they should trust others?” I didn’t look atKrystan.
Phillip thought about that a moment. “Yes, there is a fantastic book by Steven Covey known as7 Habits of the Highly EffectivePerson,and hewrites abouton somethingcalledthe emotional bank account. You build trust by allowing someone to make deposits into your emotional bank account by sharing with them your vulnerabilitiesand each time they reward yourtrust;a deposit is madewhich builds that trust.If you share with them andinstead theyreject you, then thatemotional bank account could eventually go bankrupt.”
