Soul Bound Chapter 1

A Story by Jegs12

First Meetings

Soul-Bound

When you hear the whisper…

“This is my name. My name is my identity. But what does my name actually mean? Does your name define you from the start or does it sow the seeds of your existence? Or is it just a given in life to have a name? If you had no name, then could you still be great? Some may be born without a name but how can they still achieve greatness? Is your name not what people would aspire to be? Or is it the name of your greatness that your existence exhibited?”

“The setting was cozy. A fireplace with bookshelves on each side just emitted the feeling of peace and quiet. A chair was next to the fireplace, in it you could see a book resting face flat on itself as if forgotten for only a moment. If you tried to look outside windows, then you would see perpetual sunshine that simply was too bright to be a normal light. I felt a small gust of wind tickle my neck, so I turned around to see what had caused it. It was just a gust of wind. I tried looking out the window again but the gust of wind kept on tickling me but every time it would get stronger. Out of annoyance, I turned around to see what had caused it and then, my eyes lay upon the strange apparition that tickled me. It was the same in every dream, maybe in varying sizes, shapes and colors but the same. I rest my eyes on it and feel that same feeling again. It was like a feeling when you’re by the ocean and it’s all calm but then it just recedes farther than normal. Then you know, you’re about to be absolutely destroyed by a near unstoppable force of nature. It was like that, a moment before a true and untamable force of power is used upon you without restraint. This time however, the apparition was trying harder to do something. The apparition looked like it was trying to punch itself into a more… humanoid form? It kept on punching itself until finally it achieved a humanoid form with no distinguishable features. Just the standard legs, arms, head and other bodily organs that are normally visible. It tried moving its head around but stopped when he looked down at his unclothed form. It shook his head as if “that’s not right” was running through his mind. Then clothing started to appear on the figure, the kind of clothes you would wear a formal dinner party, wedding or funeral. A dinner suit, trousers and leather shoes galore! It spun around as if to say “Look at me! I am the epitome of formal fashion!” The apparition stopped spinning and then touched all over its featureless face. Realizing it had no mouth, the apparition slapped itself and Voila! A completely featured working human face! It sighed in relief and said “Ah yes! That truly feels most exquisite to be able to properly speak with you, whoever you are!” Looking at his face gave you the feeling that this could be Edmund Burke’s duplicate or cousin. He looked at me, a look of wonder and interest, and says “May I ask what those letters mean on your upper vestment?” I look down at my shirt and oddly enough it had “ISTG” in bold black letters on a very plain shade of white shirt. I look back at the being and say “Oh it means I swear to God” The gentleman apparition looked at me with a surprised expression and said “Language young man! You are in the presence of someone who was Catholic all his life and will not tolerate using our Lord’s name for such filth!” Then, as if I seriously deserved it, he slaps my face. Surprisingly it felt like a real awake slap then something you could expect from a dream. I say “OW!” and he says “That ought to teach you a good pair of manners” He dusts his hands on his trousers and gets something from his pocket. “I was instructed to give this to you and nothing else.” He says with a mischievous half-smile. I respond “What, no birthday gift?” The spirit just laughed. I open the letter and read its contents with my eyebrows crawling up further and further as I read. I finally looked up at the spirit who delivered me this letter, but the look I must have given the spirit must have been feral as he slowly backed away. I turn the letter in my hands, show it to him and ask “What is this?” with a tone not unlike a demanding mother who’s wondering how her son failed the test. He slowly walked towards me as if I was a wild animal that someone hadn’t tamed just yet. He reached out a celeste blue hand, and snatched the letter from my hand as if scared. He cleared his ghostly throat, and with a serious voice that didn’t suit him “You are our only hope my progeny, avenge those whose bodies were desecrated for mere paper, coins and pieces of parkensine; only you may lay our broken souls to sleep.” He looks up from reciting the all-important piece of parchment and says “I don’t see what you could possibly not understand from that.” I respond after a face-palm “For starters, who’s asking me for help? I’m just a high school student about to graduate. I’m not some kid who was bitten by a radioactive spider, wears a skin tight suit and goes around swinging. Also what the hell is parkensine? I’m not an expert in chemistry or whatever the hell that’s from.” He raises a hand in front of my face to stop me “Many questions you have, yes. But only Orpheus can answer you.” “Who’s Orpheus?” intrigued by the possibility of meeting another spirit. The spirit locks eyes with me, and I can just feel the waves of something coming off his eyes. Was it some kind of ancient power or something all spirits can do? “Orpheus is what we call, “The Pied Piper of The Dead.” Dramatic title, I know but he’s earned it. It has been said that of all the spirits lured here by the machine.” He grimaces when he mentions it, as if remembering something deeply unpleasant “He is the strongest, and the one most likely to give them hell. Although, why he tells me to send you a message is far beyond me. He is also a tad bit shy sometimes and likes things quiet. ” He claps me on the shoulder and says his final words “Remember to keep this between us, alright lad?” He mimics zipping your mouth shut to get his point across. “Bit much but sure” I say, and he grins at me, a pearly white smile encompassing it and says his goodbyes “Cheerios mate! Hope you don’t mess up whatever the boss has planned!” He turns around and mimics opening a door in thin air, but?! A door materializes out the darkness and he steps through it with his final words being “Don’t forget me anytime soon, I am the one and only … “But his words get caught off by the dream ending and me waking up.

I wake up and think. The letter and his final words play through my mind as I stretched for the extremely boring day to come. I thought “Who’s Orpheus? Why someone so powerful need another person? Also why send that guy as a messenger?” I started to think “Maybe, I’m just hallucinating, maybe it’s cuz of the exams or maybe something else I can’t think of.” I tried to remember which teacher I was having an exam with today. “Oh wait, today is that extremely important exam that I totally forgot until Bons reminded me the other day that’s worth about half of our grade this quarter.” I thought “This is the class with Old Man Shinton who never cuts some slack cuz he thinks we’re just some lazy teenagers.” “Wait a minute, today is the exam, the exam is Old Man Shinton’s class and class starts in 10 minutes.” I just sigh to myself and try to find a new change of clothes for the day. Exactly one very desperate minute later, in an attempt to find clothes and somewhat succeeding. Although, looking for my clothes in my room was like trying to find a treasure chest full of gold.

I find my roommate, Michael “Miks” Alexandrius, already prepared and sipping coffee in the kitchen. Mik’s is kind of bit like one of those vampires from Twilight. Like crystal skin, a gold-ish shade of brown for eyes and perfect A- list actor build. He even enjoys animal blood as an exotic drink. He even has an entire mini- fridge to himself filled with the stuff.

He looks at me like he’s trying to hold in his laugh and asks “Did you look before you put on your clothes?”

He takes a quick picture of me before showing it to me. He holds in his laugh while waiting for my movie-level reaction. I didn’t disappoint as I look at the picture; my jaw utterly drops as I stare at my abomination of taste in clothing. I had somehow, with full use of my functioning eyes, to pick jeans a shade of hot pink I haven’t seen before, a shirt with what appeared to be a bucket’s worth of barbecue sauce and a jacket that said “IST.” He swipes back his phone before I can either: A. Delete the photo B. Smash his phone (again) or C. Do both (again).

He says with a half-smile: “Don’t think I’m letting you touch my phone after last year.”

I scratch my head, embarrassed, while trying to change the topic. “Don’t remind me, by the way Miks do you have any notes for the exam today?”

He takes a sip, of the blackest coffee I’ve ever seen, before telling me something I didn’t expect to hear today of all days. “About that, I heard Mr. Shinton got a bit too drunk with the other teachers last night, and today he’s going to let us do whatever we want while he’s busy with a looooong nap and probably some pain-killers for his head-ache.”

I get confused for a second and then remember “Oh yeah, Old Man Shinton’s like their boss so they’d cancel their classes just so they can make sure he’s alright while also taking naps.” I smile with plenty of satisfaction as I say to Miks “So since it’s a free day, Imma go by the cemetery and then go look for something to eat. Wanna come?”

Miks scrolls through his phone really fast, because being a son of a famous business man or something, and having checked his schedule, he says “Sure, I’m free till lunch and maybe till the evening.”

I shake my head and wonder why rich people have such busy schedules. “My dear boy, it’s because they have important matters to attend to and thus cannot afford much time for simple matters such as fraternizing with companions or attending a luncheon.” I immediately get startled because I know for a fact that I don’t think like a 19^th century gentleman with a suit and tie, “That is quite the image you have thought of me, and quite frankly quite the stereotype you have thought of!”

Miks looks at me, a mix of worry and curiosity blooming on his light-skinned face. “Are you ok? You looked kinda pale for a second there.”

I shook off whatever I just experienced and answered him “Yeah I’m fine, just a little bit hungry.”

He raises his eyebrow but doesn’t question it. “Ooooook then, lets head out already. We might miss the good breakfast places already.”

He says that while putting on his shoes with his head down. I walk to the door very fast, open it and say “Ladies first” with a smirk.

He finishes putting on his shoes and has a look of mock anger before saying “One of these days, I’ll get my revenge on you.”

He walks out the newly-opened door (by me) and I get a quick laugh to myself before closing the door behind me. I then look down at my feet, and realize “Great, are you serious did I actually forget my own shoes while teasing him about his?” while looking at my socks that seemed to be a dark shade of gray almost black but not quite. I look at Miks’ back as he walks away and call after him “Miks!” He turns back and replies “Yeah?”

I say with an embarrassed smile “Do you have the room key?”

“Yeah, why?” He asks before looking at my feet “oh, that’s why.”

I ask hurriedly “Yeah, can you throw me the room key? I’ll just catch up at the cemetery.”

Miks’ just shakes his head and throws me the key while saying “Don’t be late”