The Dark| Freed Justine X Reader Story

36•Betrayal

I panted as I placed my hands on my knees. I didn't know how long I had been walking. There was nothing at all. Only cold cave walls surrounding me. No doors, or any other passages. There was just one way and I think I was travelling in circles. But I didn't stop.

I heard sounds. Metal scratching stone and the freezing water dripping down from the ceiling of the cave. There were voices too. Unrecognisable ones; somewhat like ghosts. I had encountered spirits before and knew that they weren't dangerous but just lonely souls of dead people lingering around on Earth.

A cool breeze blew by me, giving my arms goosebumps. I knew for sure it wasn't the wind. Maybe if the spirit is kind enough, they can show me the way around this place. But they didn't do anything for free.

"You need help?" A voice whispered. The sound seemed to be of a young girl's, coming from the walls in a hushed tone.

"Will you help me?" She popped her head out of a wall. I stood in a stance, just in case. Spirits could be quite mischievous and this one was a girl of about eight years old.

"Maybe," she tilted her head to the side and came out the wall. Long and glossy black hair cascaded down her back. She wore a simple white dress that glowed in the dull cave, making me squint.

I sighed, knowing that there was no way she was going to help me without something. And the price was usually very high.

"You seek the man who captured you. And you wish to defeat this guild," she folded her arms before her chest and hummed. "For someone so weak and small, you sure do have big wishes!" She tapped her finger on her chin.

"Is it a yes or a no?" I asked impatiently, ignoring her comment about me being weak and small. If she wasn't going to help, I didn't want to waste my time on her. Freed was fighting that girl and god knows what Neil must have been going through right now.

"Alright. If you insist," she gave me a cheeky smile before popping up in front of me. Spirits didn't walk but floated in the air. They couldn't fly or use magic. But I guessed this power was given to them because they went through anything they came in contact with- including the ground. And as far as I knew, they hated going underground.

"Lead the way," I said and she smirked smugly before flipping her hair over her shoulder and floating forward.

"Do you mind if I ask you, how you ended up here?" It was just a conversation starter. If I hadn't said anything, she'd probably think I was rude.

"I don't know," she shrugged nonchalantly. "I feel like I've been born here and have lived all my life here."

"That's odd. Spirits usually remember their past life as a human," I muttered. Was she working with the guild? She could have been tricking me. I kept my guard up around the spirit but she didn't really give off that kind of vibe. I believed she was here way before the guild settled down.

"I guess it's been so long that I've forgotten it. Almost a century, you could say. I don't recall how I died or what my life was like before I became a spirit. All I know is my name," she looked at me over her shoulder and flashed a toothy grin.

"What's your name?"

"Pfft. Now why would I tell a stranger that!" The little spirit waved her hand around and I sighed. She led me down the route I'm pretty sure I had followed earlier. Maybe I was roaming in circles. She stopped suddenly, making me walk right through her.

"Shh. Don't make a sound. We're nearing the monster cellar. That means the man you're searching for will also be somewhere near," she said.

A monster cellar? I never heard of any guild having such a thing before. This dark guild was like no other. The members all had this weird aura and the magic was one that I had never felt before.