Soulless

A Haunting Memory

Year 743; Day 350

Acerbus (4th Town in the Black Circle)

I could not have asked for a better day; the sun is shining, the sky is such a vibrant blue without a single puffy white cloud, and the temperature is rather warm for the middle of autumn. My dark blonde-brunette hair blows in the slight breeze that passes through the town. Such a beautiful day; the ones without demons always are.

The breeze is somewhat chilly, so I shiver, wishing I had worn a cloak. I wear a simple, sleeveless white dress with a skirt that falls just past my knees. It has no decoration, only wealthy people can afford that. I wear no shoes; Havily never had the money to buy all the children shoes. Now that she is deceased, the new caretaker at the orphanage doesn’t care enough to give us any, except in the winter. Besides, I’m seventeen, nearly old enough to take care of myself. One day, I’ll get a job that pays well and I finally have the luxury of being able to wear shoes.

In my hands, I carry two woven baskets filled to the top with fruit, dried meats, bread, and other food products. The new caretaker, named Necia, sent me out to do a little grocery shopping. She never has her stern assistants do it; instead, she forces us to do the work most of the time. Her assistants lay about, doing whatever they please, never really doing their jobs.

Wow, these baskets are heavy. Since when did food weigh so much? The market in Acerbus is not very far from the orphanage.I have thin, scrawny arms with little muscle, maybe that’s why. Even my many years of training in the skill of sword-fighting, I have little strength. I have to shove through many people, loudly saying “Excuse me! Coming through!” The people are so dim-witted that they forget ‘excuse me’ really means ‘move out of my way’. I generally just push through them, earning a few unhappy stares. When I finish weaving my way through the crowd, I end up on the curb side near the wall.

The walls have stood there for as long as I can remember. Its main purpose is to keep the demons out; those fearsome, grotesque creatures that feed on the souls of human beings. It divides the Circle into fourths, each town cut off from the other. If you looked at it from above, it would look like a pie cut into four equal pieces. I’ve never left Acerbus, one of the four towns. I always wonder what goes on beyond these high walls. They are extremely tall, too tall to climb. Their thickness makes them impenetrable, which is the main purpose. Despite our efforts, demons can still enter. There are many aerial demons that can just fly over the walls.

My arms are beginning to burn, so I drop the baskets, if only for a minute. How I wish I were stronger, so I could carry these things with ease. After my quick respite, I grip the handles again and prepare to lift them up. Before I can pick them up, I see a familiar face in the crowd. In fact, he spots me too, waves slightly, and begins walking over.

He has deep, dark eyes that I find easy to get lost in, and when he stares at you, it feels as though he is seeing into my very soul, my very being. He has black hair that I notice has gotten longer. It now falls past his chin, almost to his shoulders. It is common for men in Acerbus to never cut their hair. I guess that tradition has finally caught up to him. He is a head taller than me, and is a year older than me, which makes me feel small when I am near him. He wears simple clothing as well: black trousers, a white long-sleeved, button-down shirt tucked neatly into his trousers, and black shoes. Lucky.

His name is Alastair. I’ve known him since I was six years old, when his family first moved here from an adjacent village in the circle. Their original village was getting over-crowded, so they decided to move here. His mother died a while ago, so it was just him and his father, who is one of the many merchants that inhabit Acerbus. I met him when Havily took me to greet the newcomers. His father was friendly and accepted our warm welcome. Alastair had just sat on a wooden crate, staring at us the whole time. He barely said a word to us.