Children of a Lesser God

Chapter 212: Going Back In

Chapter 212: Going Back In

Laz wasn't sure what to make of this. After all, Onacona had been communicating with the spirits all his life and now he seemed worried. Had Laz heard about this first, he would have asked the old man for his advice. He never would have thought it would go the other way around.

"I don't know what to say... I mean, you know more about this than I do..."

"I know, young man, I know. I just... It's been many years since I took up this position in the community and except for the time they asked me to come find you, they have shown almost no interest in our world. After Kamama told me about it, I tried reaching them, but they're silent. It's never been like this before. They normally go about doing what they do, whatever that is and I am able to hear bits and pieces of thoughts. It's not much, not even words. It's more like feeling feelings that don't belong to you. And yet now, there is nothing."

"Uh... I..." Laz was still at a loss as to what the old man wanted from him.

"I'm old. Too old. This isn't my time anymore. These changes and this world no longer have a place for me. So..." The old man got off of the stump and got down on his knees, facing Laz.

"I beg of you, please keep an eye on her. I feel... something else will happen soon."

Seeing the old man being so serious, Laz felt a prick in his heart. From the days he had spent with the old man, Laz got the feeling that the man was a lot like his own grandpa. Even with the illness, his grandpa cared deeply about him. For a time, his grandpa was the only one who cared about him. Now, seeing this grandpa beg him to watch out for his granddaughter, Laz couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

Laz never planned to stay, at least not long term. He had been working on ways to dispel the grey fog faster and had some small successes. He knew that it was only a matter of time until he was back at one hundred percent. And because of this, Laz was already thinking about what he should do next. But now, the old man was begging him to look after his grand daughter. At least for a while.

"You don't have to beg me like this Onacona. You've shared your home and your food with me for a while now and I would be happy to help you out in this. I can stay for a while. At least as long as it takes to find a solution." Laz said, helping the old man up.

"Thank you, young friend. Thank you."

"Not a problem. Where is Sarah now?"

"She's getting ready for bed. Or she's already in bed. One of the two. I've been keeping an eye on her and once I say that she was finishing her day, I came out to speak to you alone."

"Alright. Well, then I will chat with her about it first thing in the morning. Alright?"

"Perfect. How about that drink?"

"You're more than welcome to it," Laz said, pouring the old man a cup and passing it over.

The two men, one old and one young, sat in silence while watching the brightly lit night sky. At least, until Tyr who had been enjoying a rather large bowl of wine that he had begged Laz for, knocked the bowl over as he stumbled about before falling on his stomach and passing out, causing both Laz and Onacona to laugh.

...

Waking up the next morning, Laz stretched in the warm, misty morning air. He had a cot at the house that had been made up for him and most of the time he would go use it. But sometimes, he just liked sleeping outside, underneath the stars. Besides, with Tyr around, nothing ever came to bother them. Anything large enough to ignore Tyr's presence would also alert Laz.

Noticing that the old man had disappeared at some point the night before, Laz started thinking about making his way over for an outdoor shower. He like the shower stall, mostly because it was wide open and he didn't have to wait for the crowd of people who normally used the bathroom in the morning to share it. Having a bunch of little kids around made having only one bathroom a hassle.

Just as Laz was going to get moving though, he noticed movement in the distance. A black shadow had just appeared and disappeared at almost the same moment, having jumped from the fields into the trees. Had Laz not been awake, he never would have noticed as the fluctuations it left were so tiny as to almost being invisible.

"Now what the hell was that?" Laz asked out loud, looking over. Tyr, who had been sleeping on his back like he was dead, suddenly popped up, jumped and landed on his legs. He then took a moment to shake loose all of the bits of grass and sticks that had stuck to him over night. Looking at Tyr in his larger form, Laz couldn't help but shake his head. Although Tyr tried to hide it, it was easy for Laz to notice that the big guy was a little shaky on his feet. From what Laz could tell, Tyr had a hangover..

As Laz looked at Tyr start doing wobbly circles to try to reach a twig that was still stuck poking into his back, Onacona suddenly appeared and rushed over.

"Laz. LAZ. Sarah's gone... what is he doing? Is he ok?" Onacona noticed Tyr who was not only doing circles at this point but was also trying to reach his legs over to hit the stick free. It kind of looks like a spider on roller skates at this point.

"He's fine. You said Sarah is gone?"

"Yes. I went to check on her first thing and I noticed her bed was empty. Have you seen her?" The old man looked worried. It wasn't unlike Sarah to be up and out early as sometimes she would be doing voice chats with her friends first thing. But after the last few days, Onacona wouldn't believe that it was video chats or social media which would wake her up early.

Laz had a feeling that he had, but he didn't say anything to the old man. Instead of worrying him with his own thoughts, Laz just said he hadn't seen her, but that he and Tyr would take a quick look around and told Onacona to head back home. He would take care of it. The old man seemed a bit more relieved by this and made his way back to the farm.

"Hey. You ready to go?" Laz walked over to the defeated looking Tyr who was pouting on ground after having fallen over trying to knock the stick loose. Reaching over, he grabbed it and pulled it free before brushing off the rest of Tyr's back and hopping on. As thought freed from his burden, Tyr jumped up, seeming to be fully energized and took off running in the direction Laz indicated, which also happened to be where he saw the shadow disappear earlier.

As Laz and Tyr took off running, Laz had to do his best to keep Tyr from running into trees while spreading his spiritual sense out to look for clues. Luckily, they weren't hard to find. a few broken branches here and there, a foot step in the dirt, some disturbed leaves, there were many clues present.

As Laz made his way forward, he noticed that the surrounding area was getting quieter. Although he had been around the area for a while now at his 'camp site,' Laz had never noticed that there was anything different about the surrounding woods. He knew that he had always looked around carefully so this could only mean that something here changed.

As Laz the silence choked the entire area, Laz noticed a figure up ahead, standing still while looking at a particularly dark patch of trees that looked too close together.

He had found Sarah, but she hadn't noticed him.

Tyr was normally very silent in his movements and even now, being not one hundred percent, he was still mostly quiet. But when compared to the surrounding area, there was no way she should have not of noticed him.

As they entered the small clearing she was in, Laz got off of Tyr who proceeded to lay down as though unconcerned. Seeing this, Laz relaxed a bit. If there was danger in the area, even if he missed it, Tyr would not. That could only mean that there was nothing threatening here.

Laz made his way over to Sarah who was still in her booty shorts and tank top from the night before. It was obvious that she hadn't changed when she got out of bed and quickly made her way here. She wasn't even wearing shoes.

As Laz approached her, he reached out a hand and laid it on her shoulder while saying her name,

"Sarah?"

Sarah turned to look at Laz but when he saw her eyes, he couldn't help but flinch a bit. Her eyes were completely white, although covered in a layer of milk. They also seemed a bit absent like they looked at him without look at him. Seeing this, Laz tried something else.

:Sarah? Can you hear me?:

:It's... asking for me. It wants me to come in,: she responded back in Laz's head while pointing forward.

:What does it want from you?: Laz asked, relaxing a little. It was obvious that she wasn't being controlled, more like guided. If the spirits were trying to be malicious, they probably would have just seized her body. Well, assuming they could.

:It's like... it needs... my help? And... something... about my legacy?: Although he mind voice was distance, it was still hers. Laz started to get an inkling as to what was happening. He wasn't some stupid kid who knew nothing about what was happening in the world. It wouldn't be a mistake to say that he had a better feeling than most. When Laz had last been trapped in that 'spirit world,' despite the creatures being fearsome, Laz didn't really feel threatened. As such, he didn't have a bad impression about them. It was just that the end result of him being there that caused the issues he currently had. He just wasn't sure that it was the right place for a recently awakened person to wonder into.

:Will it guarantee your safety?: Laz thought this was the right question to ask. Since she was lead her, it was safe to say that something was also watching her. Laz took a guess and figured that his question would get back to whatever was calling her.

:Yes. It... They... Said you can come too.:

Laz smiled as he relaxed. He felt that maybe he would be able to get some answers this time. The fog was already being processed by him, strengthening his bones and organs so he knew that it wasn't dangerous. At least not to people like him. And Sarah, who was being called in, was probably even safer than him.

"Time to go Tyr." Laz called over Tyr who stood up and looked into the dark patch before nodding. He then walked over to Tyr and Sarah, both of whom go up on his back like it was nothing. Without even needing to be told, Tyr rushed forward and vanished out of sight, disappearing the moment he stepped into the shadow.

There was nothing but a cool wind blowing into the small clearing where they vanished from as sound returned to the forest.