The Soul Quest ( #YourStoryIndia #Wattys2016)

Chapter 21 ( Emily's POV)

Another week passed as the Hunters waited for all the Soulless to gather. Meanwhile they trained incessantly and posted guards all around the camp. I watched the preparations with growing unease. There was something so wrong about this frenzy. I expected Jared would stop this madness by standing up to Peter. But as the days passed with no news of Kelly, Jared became more and more agitated. I could see that he was losing hope of ever getting her back and this was driving him towards violence. The whole camp reeked of violence and I blamed Peter for this. I discussed this with Paula and found out the reason behind Peter's mad obsession with the Soulless.

*FLASHBACK*

"Paula there is something wrong about the attitude of the Hunters towards the Soulless. Peter has worked them up into a bloodthirsty frenzy which can only be satisfied until they kill them all. Has he forgotten Kelly's instructions? Doesn't he realize how many of the Hunters will lose their lives if they attack the Soulless so mercilessly?" I complained to her hoping that she would support me and help me stop Peter.

"Peter has a narrow minded view about the Soulless. He has a personal vendetta against them. After spending days with him, he finally trusted me enough to tell me about it. When Peter was ten years old a large group of Soulless attacked his home. His parents managed to hide him in a closet before the fight began. Peter's father, being a Hunter himself, fought valiantly to protect his wife and his parents. But there were too many of them and eventually they were overwhelmed. Peter watched all of this from his hiding place. When the Soulless left with the souls of his family, he ran out to his parents feeling happy that they were alive. But when his parents didn't comfort him or hold him he realized that there was something wrong with them. The blankness of their faces terrified him more than the attackers had."

"That is so awful." I said with tears in my eyes. "Poor Peter. He was just a little boy."

"That is not even the worst part." Paula continued grimly. "Peter's uncle, his dad's brother also lived in the nearby area. He was a Hunter too. By the time he could reach Peter's house it was too late to save their family. Realizing what he had to do, he sent Peter outside the house and had to kill his family with his own hands before they could turn into monsters themselves. Doing that broke him and tore apart his Soul. Setting fire to the house to fake an accident, he took Peter home and explained everything to him. Peter understood why his uncle did what he had to and didn't blame him. But he could see the toll of those actions on his uncle who became a recluse. He passed away two years ago. He was the only family Peter had left. He has lost everyone he has ever loved to the Soulless. Since then he has followed his mission obsessively. His prowess and skills were such that he became the youngest leader of the Hunters ever."

"I don't blame him for hating the Soulless so much Paula. I can't blame him, not after hearing this. But you have to understand that this is not the way to make things right. Not after we have discovered an alternative solution. There is a chance that all of those Soulless out there can regain their humanity. In fact, too many of them are humans, like you and Kelly, and they have families and friends looking for them and worrying about them. We need to stop this and you have to help me." I pleaded with her.

"I will see what I can do. I'll talk to Peter and Jared." She promised me.

I was jolted from my reverie by an itching on my Curationum tattoo. It had never done that before. Worried that it might have gotten infected, I walked towards my tent scratching at it absently. The moment I touched the rune everything changed.

The trees and tents around me disappeared and I was looking through Kelly's eyes at my Father. He was laughing at her and daring her to attack him. With a gasp, I pulled my hand from my tattoo and found myself back in the forest.