Celestial Saga: Exiled to Earth II - Chapter 18：Stage SEVENTEEN

Freyja saw a little girl, around eight years old, with short black hair and brown eyes crouching in front of the black board, crying. She’s wearing a big white shirt, short shorts and a pair of pink flip flops. She doesn’t appear to notice her so she crouched beside her. Before she knew it, she’s already speaking to the girl. “Hey, what’s the matter?” She held the little girl’s ice-cold shoulder. It is so cold, as if she’s touching a corpse. Freyja instinctively pulled her hand away. The girl at last, turned to her.

“I… I can’t solve this problem…” The little girl pointed to an unfinished problem written on the board. Freyja reflexively chuckled and took the chalk. “This one is easy. It’s just multiplication!” She wrote her answer on the board. The little girl could only look at her in amazement. Though cheery, Freyja carefully observed the little girl’s every move.

“What is your name?” The little girl asked.

“I am Freyja.” She replied, almost out of instinct. The girl fell silent.

“F—Freyja?” The little girl’s voice sounded constricted. Noticing this, Freyja had a serious face on, on guard. “Yes. I am Freyja.”

The little girl glared at her and grabbed a bread knife on the table. Freyja jumped back and grabbed a nearby stick. The little girl cried as she threw the bread knife straight to Freyja. Thanks to her quick reflexes, she was able to deflect the knife. “What are you doing?” She can’t tell if the girl is a Phrein or something else. She has never seen her kind before. Worse, she can’t even see aura from her. Freyja observed further, before making her move.

“I don’t like it here…” The little girl said, “I hate this world….” She sounded more and more like in terrible pain, sorrow. Tears gushed from her eyes as she clumsily tried to attack Freyja over and over with a bread knife that mysteriously re-appears in her hand every time she throws it.

“I want to go away… I want to die…”

While Freyja focused on reading her movements, the more the little girl cried and spoke, the more she’s losing focus. A sharp pain in her chest, whenever the girl speaks. “No! I must concentrate!” She told herself, but the heavy emotions of the girl were disturbingly strong, it started affecting her too. Freyja felt her feet wobble all of a sudden. She fell on her knees. To buy time, she asked. “Who are you? What is your name?”

The little girl appeared to calm down for a while. She slowly walked to Freyja and gently held her hand. Freyja can’t escape. Her feet won’t move. “Guess my name!” The little girl said, with a naughty smile. Freyja peered into her small round face, trying her best to recognize her. She feels that she knows this girl somewhere, but for some reason, it’s like her memory won’t allow her to recall. Just like what happened with the suppressed memories of Celestia and Kirin.

The little girl was getting impatient. She couldn’t answer. She squeezed Freyja’s hand so tight, it hurt. “Hey, you know me, don’t you?” She asked, her face now warped with a mix of grief and anger. “TELL ME MY NAME!” She demanded.

Still, Freyja can’t answer.

~ o 0 o ~

“Hey wait! Where are you going!? Stop running!!!” Scarlet has been running after the shadow for quite a while. It’s not as fast as Van, but whenever Scarlet is about to catch it in a corner, the shadow disappears and re-appears behind her. Scarlet is getting more annoyed than afraid.

Finally, she saw the shadow stop, and it calmly walked into a room. Scarlet followed.

The room, much to her surprise, was bright, filled with dolls and plush toys. Scarlet almost did not recognize the room except that it looked so much like the one of the rooms in Freyja’s house.

On the floor, Scarlet found a little girl with short black hair wearing a pair of pink pajamas and pink flip flops. She was busy playing with her dolls, on a rubber mat. “Millie is sleepy…” The little girl hummed a familiar tune while holding a doll in her arms. “Sleep now baby Millie…”

Scarlet raised an eyebrow, “Hey, do you know where I am? Have you seen my friends?” She asked. The little girl pouted. “Shhh! You’ll wake Millie up!” She scolded her before carefully laying the doll down on the mat.

“Do you live here by yourself?” Scarlet asked, almost a whisper.

The little girl shook her head. “No, I have a lot of friends! Millie, Daisy, Nokita…” She pointed to her dolls and stuffed animals one by one.

“I see. What is your name? May I ask?” She crouched and held the little girl’s hand, but just like a ghost, her hand passed through her. She quickly pulled her hand back, careful not to show her fear.

The little girl smiled and said her name.

When she did, Scarlet jumped away, her eyes narrowed. “What did you just say!? “Scarlet can’t hide her surprise and fear this time. Her entire body trembled, her face pale as a ghost. Scarlet closed her eyes and focused her aura hard.

“This is crazy!” Scarlet thought while sweating heavily, “That is Freyja’s given name in this world… what on earth is happening!?” She can’t help but remember the question that has been bugging her for days. She never wanted to get the answer she’s looking for this way. But now she is more than certain she was right. The creepy little girl in front of her, is the real owner of the body that Freyja took to survive. “So she was trapped in here all along? Who trapped her? Was it Freyja? Is she the one who trapped us here now?” Questions after questions piled up in Scarlet’s mind. As the little girl walked closer and closer to her, fear got the best of her. She called her firey-red arrows… but they won’t appear. “Hey! Phoenix! Hey!” She tried over and over, but it was as if she’s back to being a normal human being. Scarlet dashed out of the room, desperately searching for an exit. “Freyja! Van! Aya!” She shouted, but heard nothing except her own voice, and tiny footsteps getting closer and closer. “Freyja!” Scarlet desperately called on to her aura over and over. But it won’t appear.

~ o 0 o ~

“Please, I’m begging you. I have to see my friends.” Aya pleaded. She is getting tired of following the little girl in move in circles. For hours, they’ve been walking around the house, and now in circles. The little girl appeared to be searching for something, but she realized she may just be walking around for fun. “Hey, can you hear me?”

The little girl stomped and glared at her. Aya thought her heart would stop, seeing her creepy pale face warped in wrath. Immediately, she regretted provoking her. “BE QUIET!”

Then, in an instant, her face changed back to a sweet, smiling one, “We have to look properly. There could be an angel hiding behind the bed!” The little girl instructed so innocently.

“Listen, I have to go back to them. I want to go back, I’m scared. Please.” Aya mumbled.

“Aren’t you happy in this adventure? It’s fun, isn’t it?” The little girl giggled. “Let’s go look for the angel!” Seeing she can’t get through the girl, Aya had no choice but to keep following. She hummed while skipping her way through the halls of the house.

But, something caught Aya’s eye. On one of the walls in the living room she saw a familiar pink sticker. Her eyes wide open, hope filled her heart. “Scar!” She cried, running towards it. “This is her talisman! How did it get here? She must be here somewhere!” Aya remembered doubting if it will work. But right now, she’s most thankful to see something from the ‘real world.’

“What’s that?” The little girl’s constricted voice shattered her happiness. When she turned back, the little girl jumped to her and bit her hand. “ARGH!” She shoved her away, scraping her hand in the process. Aya never wanted to be on the aggressive side. But this time, she is fed up. She focused all her aura into her hands fiercer than ever. She called upon her whips.

But, they won’t appear.

Her aura won’t even show itself. Nothing. “Hey! What’s happening! Come on! Whips! Why won’t you appear!?” She desperately tried to summon them, but she can’t.

“You’re not going to quit this adventure! No!” The little girl ran to her, and Aya could only desperately run away. She was too fast, and like a shadow, she could not escape her. Still, she ran and ran, calling their names out desperately, “Scarlet! Van! Freyja!”

In desperation, Aya closed her eyes and gave off a loud screech. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

~ o 0 o ~

“Kirin! Kirin!” Van ran and ran, following the silver haired young man, when suddenly—

“Kirin!” The voice of a little girl overlapped hers.

“Kirin… is it really you, Kirin?” The young man stopped running. Van carefully reached her hand out to him. But before she could reach him, he looked back at her. She is positive. It really is Kirin’s face. But because of her experience with the Phrein in the tunnel, Van had her doubts.

All of a sudden, a little girl, with short, pitch black hair and round brown eyes ran past her, and jumped onto Kirin with open arms. She’s wearing a white blouse, dark blue skirt, white socks and black school shoes. Unlike the Phrein’s illusion, Kirin just stood there as if the two of them didn’t exist.

A few seconds more and the silver haired boy vanished, leaving the little girl shocked and speechless.

“I knew it.” Van thought. “I’m not gonna fall for the same stupid trick again. Now tell me who you are!?” She punched the wall beside her, making the little girl look at her.

The little girl fiercely glared at her. “I see. You’re trying to take him away from me!” She shouted, surprising Van. “Easy there, kid. Mind the age gap!”

The little girl’s eyes narrowed. Van felt a strong sinister presence as the girl held her hand out. A short but sharp fruit knife materialized in her hand. “H-how did she get that?” Van subtly looked around for an escape. The little girl slowly stepped closer and closer to her. Van felt she’s in danger. She dashed out of the room, but the girl appeared on the door before she could get out.

“GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!” Van kicked the little girl, but, like a ghost, her foot just passed right through her body. The kick threw her off-balance. The girl saw the chance and threw the fruit knife to her. She dodged, but it grazed her arm. “Dammit, the knife was real!” She cursed. Every time the girl holds her empty hands out, fruit knives materialized. Van ran for her life.

“Hey! Who the hell are you and why are you attacking me!?” Van tried to get clues out of her while avoiding her knives the best she can. The little girl didn’t answer. She only stared at Van with dark murderous eyes.

“Fine! If that’s how you want it!” Van stopped running and summoned her aura. She focused hard, and called her aura daggers out.

But, not even a glimmer of aura would appear.

“Goddammit!” She cursed and cursed, but the aura won’t come out no matter what.

Van ran again, but the little girl kept on appearing before her wherever she went. Van ran and ran until she reached a dead end. In the room of Freyja’s grandmother, and the creepy little girl behind her.

“Van, Kirin belongs to me, okay?” She chuckled, getting closer and closer with a knife on her hand. “No way in hell. Even Freyja won’t do such crappy things to get Kirin!”

The girl stopped, wide eyed.

Van knew she said something that hit a nerve. She smirked. “That’s right. My only rival with Kirin is Freyja! You are nothing but a jealous brat!” She shouted.

The little girl’s eyes widened. She trembled. She lost it. “ARGHHHHH!” She shouted so loud, Van had to cover her ears. Red with fury, she rushed to Van, with every intent to kill her. Van dodged and dodged, she can’t even get enough time to think. She’s starting to regret infuriating her.

“Just DIE! You and Freyja! DIE!” With nowhere left to run to, and no aura protecting her, Van could only watch as the little girl jumped at her, and stabbed the knife into her flesh. Blood dripped on the ground. “Fre…y…” Van fell down, her vision darker and darker. The last thing she saw was the little girl’s crying face looking down on her, a blood stained knife on her hands.

“Bye bye, Van.” She said.

~ o 0 o ~