Cerberus leads me further into the forest, and on the way towards his favorite place, I see multiple resting places – as Cerberus called them. One of them are filled with white orchids, it looks like one of the murals from the corridor. I think of my dad and his funeral. I want to stay here, but I don't dare to say anything. We don't talk a lot, just in the beginning. Cerberus mentions that he'd like to show me one of his favorite places. When we reach it, I understand why. It's bigger than the other resting places and is overgrown in greenery and flowers. I've never seen them before, but they look real, like they could have belonged in the living world.
We follow the path next to a short stone wall until we reach a wooden gazebo surrounded by greenery and purple flowers. Inside two people are seated, the woman has her back towards us while the man looks up at us as we approach them.
He looks East Asian. The wild hair hangs down one side of his face, almost hiding his eye. The color of his hair is divided into two parts at the hairline. One side is black while the other snow white. When he approaches us, I notice that his eyes are two different colors, one black and the other light grey, almost white. At his forehead, a black and white sun is depicted, almost fully hidden by the black side of his hair. It's another guardian, one I've never seen before. His eyes slightly widen as our gazes meet.
The woman looks at us and I have to stop myself from jerking back. I'm not met by two eyes, but three. The third eye sits upon her forehead, the same area where the male guardian has the mark of the two-colored sun. This eye however is no tattoo, mark nor jewelry – it's a real eye. Her two eyes below are brown, while the third's iris is ivory white, the pupil is of a misty black color. All three of them blink.
The other guardian is dressed in an elegant black and white suit with flower motives. The smile on his lips isn't as kind-hearted as the one Cerberus often has, but neither is it the arrogant one First gave me.
"Cerberus," the guardian greets him; he studies my face a few seconds before he continues, "who is your friend?"
"Orchid," Cerberus answers.
"One of Blomst's soul wanderer?"
The man scrunches his face, like Cerberus had said something taboo. Yet, I remember how Blomst had acted when she realized I had spoken with Cerberus, and how I had seen First and Nine in the Hall of Souls. Maybe it was taboo to spend time with a soul wanderer that worked under another guardian – unless there was a good reason behind it. An uncomfortable feeling creeps forward, one I neither try to show or feel.
"She came here with Sun and Nine. Blomst placed her in the garden until the meeting is over."
I try to not think of how Cerberus phrased it. It makes me feel like a child – and in worst case a doll that the guardians can place wherever they want.
"I see, I see," he says with a smile and extends his hand. "Nice to meet you, Orchid. I'm Vrana."
I carefully offer him my hand. I feel the tickling electricity over every millimeter his skin touches mine. When he pulls back his arm, it's like a layer of something remains.
"What are you doing in Arkaros?" He doesn't avert his gaze as he stares me down. "I don't think I've seen you here before."
"I'm here for the Hall of Memories."
He blinks a few times, and then smiles again. This time it's bigger than the one earlier. It makes me feel a bit uneasy.
"Oh, that's right. I did hear that Cerberus had suggested Health and Sickness for one of Blomst's soul wanderers," he turns to Cerberus, "she was all but pleased with that behavior, old friend."
"It was a simple suggestion. If she didn't agree, she could have put Orchid wherever she saw fit. And she must have agreed in the end." He speaks elegantly, yet there's a sharpness to his words.
Vrana smiles with his teeth. "That she must have. A warning next time, Blomst has never liked when we lay our noses in her business, especially when her possessions are involved, as delightful as it might be to stir her up."
Cerberus frowns. "You're mistaken, Vrana. I..."
"You're scaring the girl," the woman in the gazebo says.
She rises from the bench. Dressed in a red, skintight dress that brings forth her curves, she moves elegantly and slowly as she approaches us. She stands next to Vrana and looks at him with her brown eyes, the white eye is focused on me.
"Possessions? Dear Vrana, think about how you phrase things. She's her own person." Her brown eyes meet mine. "Aren't you?"
"I certainly hope so."
"So do I." She pulls slightly at Vrana's sleeve. "So be careful how you phrase it. Blomst might be this soul wanderer's guardian, but that doesn't mean she owns her. No one of us owns our soul wanderers. You're people, not cattle."
Vrana chuckles. "I'm not so sure First would agree with your generous assertion, Liria."
I'm having a hard time believing her. Yet, I don't dare to object. If I'm scared to voice my own thoughts and opinions in front of these guardians, I cannot think of myself as free. Not completely.
They can make up a word for it. Call it a job – a purpose. I'm stuck here and I don't think they would let me quit working for them if I asked. No, I will be here for hundreds of years until they give me the right to my own funeral. The only way out of this.
"Besides, I'm not so sure it's that easily put, as lovely as it would be if it was true. Sadly, the truth is always grimmer, isn't it?" Vrana says.
I'm having a hard time reading Vrana, which makes me feel even more uncomfortable.
"Well, we had no plans to stay here for much longer. We have some things to attend to before the theater opens." He directs the different-colored eyes at me. "It was nice to meet you, Orchid. Hopefully it won't be the last I'll see of you."
"It was nice to meet you too."
He smiles at me again, this time it's slightly crooked, and his eyebrows are raised. He knows I'm not being fully honest, yet he doesn't mention it.
"Shall we?" He says and offers Liria his arm.
She nods and links her arm around his. Vrana turns to us.
"We'll talk later then, Cerberus," he says and leads Liria out of the garden.
I watch them as they disappear behind the stone wall and the trees surrounding it.
"We can stay here until they're done with their meeting," Cerberus says shortly after both Liria and Vrana have disappeared from our vision.
He walks into the gazebo but doesn't sit down at the benches. He stands with his back against me and focuses on the forest and greenery in front of him.
"Do you know them well?" I ask and sit down; Cerberus has a gentle grip on the gazebo's pillars.
"Liria and Vrana?"
"Yes."
It looks strange when the greenery meets the dark forest where sunlight won't reach, like it's two entirely different places.
"I do. I know all guardians well, we have to, considering our status. There can be dislike and distaste for each other, but we must all be on the same page."
"Yet, it seems like you don't share a lot of opinions with each other."
"Some of us do. Others do not. Do you remember what I said at the well?"
I stretch my legs, and let my eyes scan the area. I can still hear the bird chirping but not see a single one of them.
"You said a lot of things."
"I mentioned that guardians look at soul wanderers differently. First sees you as a tool, or as cattle. Couleur sees herself as a mother. While Liria and Vrana might have disagreed, they both see you as their equals. Vrana is a bit more realistic in his view on the current situation than what Liria is. But you can trust them."
I'm having a hard time believing him after what Vrana had said, there was something unpleasant about how he approached the subject.
"Liria seems trustworthy," I say but I'm not sure I even believe that, more so than Vrana at least.
Cerberus sighs. "Liria has a good heart. But she has a naivety that the other guardians don't. Vrana is more realistic. He knows the power differences between us but understands it's there for a reason."
Cerberus has turned around and is leaning towards the gazebo with his calves crossed over each other.
"Then what do you think?" I ask after a while. "You mentioned you felt sorry for us at the well, but that doesn't say anything about how you look at the differences between us. On the role we play in your games. You're powerful creatures, much more powerful than we are."
I turn my face away and bite my lip. I had let the bitterness take over and spoken too harshly again. I wish I could learn to shut up for once.
"You overestimate us, Orchid. We're not omnipotent."
"You're not?" I pause, not sure if I'd want to ask the next question, "Aren't you gods?"
Cerberus laughs and places a hand over his mouth just after a large, amused smile covers his face.
"Gods? Do you think so highly of us?"
"I, uh, I," I stutter, trying to collect my thoughts, "you can make an entire room feel suffocating. I can feel your power in the air, how could I not believe you're gods?"
Cerberus lowers his hand and sighs softly; the amused smile remains. "Our emotions can be tangible if they're strong enough. Are we powerful? Yes, I'd lie if I said we didn't have considerably more power than most, if not all, of the beings here. But you have a very distorted image of how powerful we are."
"If you're not gods, what are you? Beings? Humans? Are you even souls?"
He stares at me and breathes in deeply before he speaks. "You have many questions that I cannot answer."
"Can't or won't?"
"It's more complicated than that," he says and stands up straight. "But I do have a suggestion for you."
He takes a few steps forward and turns fully towards me.
"Two times a year the theater is open for all who would like to take part of it. Why don't you follow me there tonight?"
I cross my arms over my stomach when I feel a familiar unpleasant feeling, like anxiety is building up. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"I insist. We can speak without interruptions when the theater has begun. I might have some answers for your questions. Besides I have a few I'd like to ask myself."
"You might answer my questions?"
"I'll answer those I'm able to. You won't be disappointed."
I know it's a bad idea to agree to it when I don't even know what he wants to ask, yet I nod.
"Good. When you're finished with the Hall of Memories, come meet me in my office."