is spirit-actors. They give mini-performances, play out whole movies, organize concerts… All live. And there are no social networks here, by the way. But there is an equivalent to email: spirit-postmen can deliver a message to any part of the world in just minutes.
– Amazing! – Asya breathed excitedly. – I want to see all this!
I shook my head.
– You can’t. There are not only nice and kind spirits here but also very dangerous ones. And our magic doesn’t work here. We need to get out of this world as soon as possible.
At that moment, a blood-curdling scream came from below. Asya and I exchanged glances and rushed to the first floor. I don’t know what my bride was thinking, but my mind was occupied by only one thought – I hope we haven’t disturbed the spirits of ancient chaos.
Have you ever been afraid? Felt that nasty, vile, sticky fear wrapping around your soul? Experienced the crowds of goosebumps running down your back, making the hair on your head move?
Kazimir was afraid right now. And how could he not be, with something human-like but with scales, claws, and fangs approaching him? Yes, it was just a transitional form of the dragon’s transformation, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying. Apparently, the sorcerer had finally found his traitorous friend who had taken his body and now craved revenge. The director himself cowered under a coffee table, covering his head with his hands and screaming hysterically. Well, fine. The main thing was that these weren’t spirits of ancient chaos.
– Are you just going to stand there and watch? – Asya yelled in my ear. – He’s going to kill him! So what? Kazimir had killed us three times. Each one of us! And who am I to interfere in the affairs of old friends? But you can’t show weakness in front of your fiancée. And let’s not forget, we are in a foreign world.
– Calm down, – I said to Altair. – Don’t you dare spill blood in the world of spirits. Once we get out of here, you can even eat him. Asya elbowed me unpleasantly in the ribs. Well, it could’ve been worse… but it still hurt. There’ll definitely be a bruise.
To my surprise, the sorcerer listened to me and without argument took on a human form. Apparently, he was familiar with the customs of the spirit world.
– I don’t eat that, – the sorcerer grimaced in disgust. – We can just leave him here. Let him survive as he wishes. Kazimir, hearing his fate, jerked and hit his head on the tabletop. How did he even become the director of the magic academy? Yelling in pain, Vseslavsky began massaging the injured spot, smearing thick blood on his bald crown. Well, that’s what he deserves. Wait. What do you mean, blood?
I slowly turned my gaze to the sorcerer. Though I wish I hadn’t. Seeing fear on the face of a powerful ancient dragon is a bad sign. A very bad sign. But maybe we’ll be lucky?
The house shook. There was a rumble and the sound of breaking dishes from above. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky.
– Should we run? – Asya whispered fearfully, clutching my arm. I exhaled wearily and shook my head. It was too late to run. And you can’t escape from spirits in their world. Especially from the spirits of ancient chaos, who had been offended by blood.
The surroundings began to change rapidly. The bright hall on the first floor gradually turned into ruins. The expensive furniture crumbled into chips, the wallpaper faded and peeled off the walls, beautiful paintings transformed into messy smudges, and bright carpets became worn and stained… Everything around us descended into chaos.
We stood frozen in the center of the room, back to back. Even Kazimir took his rightful place in our ranks. After all, a grudge is a grudge, but it’s better to fight together. The room began to fill with a cold, nasty fog. Our clothes instantly got soaked, and clinging to each other became downright unpleasant.
– Everyone close your eyes! – I shouted, hoping my friends would listen. – Stand still and don’t move!
One must not look upon the spirits of ancient chaos. The human psyche is unprepared for such a shock. I heard once a Guardian survived after looking into the eyes of a chaos spirit. But upon returning home, he used pliers to pull out all his teeth, made a necklace from them, and gifted it to his beloved, smiling toothlessly with joy. Better to keep the eyes closed… better safe than sorry.
– How dare you disturb the spirits of chaos with human blood? – boomed a voice above us.
Yes, the spirits of chaos and their phrases are always disordered. Still, I wonder what they look like. Maybe just a peek? No, I mustn’t. Must concentrate and pull myself together. Am I a Guardian or what?
– We didn’t mean to disturb you! – I shouted. – We’re lost souls! Guests in your world! We just need to return!
– And how do you wish to leave? – the spirits laughed heartily. – Your magic doesn’t work here!
Of course, they’re right. Our magic doesn’t work here, and we can’t open a portal. But there are other ways – secret paths of the spirits, for example. But how to ask them to guide us? Chaos is a very poor helper. But what if…
– You’re right! – I took a risk. – We want to stay in the world of spirits!
– What?! – It seemed both the spirits and my friends shouted simultaneously. Well, I do know how to surprise.
– For your audacity, back to your world you shall be sent! – thundered the voice above us. I must be a genius. Good thing the spirits of chaos love to do everything backwards and aren’t particularly smart. – And you’ll be stripped of your minds too!
That, I hadn’t accounted for. Thousands of quiet whispers began to sound from all sides, merging into an unpleasant mush of hissing sounds. The mind tried to analyze the information, but the meaning of the words kept slipping away, scrambling thoughts in my head. Why do I always miss some detail when I make brilliant plans? How could I forget the spirits of chaos’ ability to affect people through the auditory sensory system?
– Everyone, think of something good! – I yelled, hoping to drown out the chorus of ghostly whispers. – Distract yourselves! Remember the best moments of your life!
The worst part was that it was impossible to shield oneself from the spirits’ influence by simply plugging ears. The voices sounded inside the head, distracting and confusing. Gathering all my willpower, I tried to relax and remember the best day of my life. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Either because memories kept slipping away, or because I simply had nothing to remember.
Stop! There it is! When was it? Probably five years ago. I was standing on a small cliff, and beneath my feet stretched an endless sea. I watched as the sun slowly sank below the horizon, painting the sky in a gentle pink hue and leaving a bright sunset path on the dark water. A light breeze picked up the spray of the waves crashing against the rocks and threw it in my face, like a kiss. Somewhere in the distance, I could see the white sail of a magnificent yacht. It didn’t disturb the moment… on the contrary, it completed the picture, making it whole, real. What did I need on that cliff? I don’t remember. Seemed like I was hiding some ancient artifact. Successfully? That’s not important now. At that moment, I found something greater – inner peace.
The
