Malevolent Spirit, Devils Touch

The session was very valuable, I had gathered a lot.

From what I understood, her body was no different from a real body. At least that was what it looked like to me and her. She could bleed, and had flesh, skin and bones. However, she did not feel any pain though. I didn't quite know if that was part of the trick, or if she was just that way in general.

She could sustain at most three creations simultaneously. If she tried making more, she would be unable to move, and feel a headache. But she could cancel the objects she created anytime, and change it to new ones, so there was that.

The maximum distance they could travel changed per item. Her body for example was only able to leave 10 meters at most, while a stone could go twice as far. What exactly defined the distance was currently unknown.

Still, those were just the details, they could be tweaked upon further research. The only thing we had to remember was that she could create stuff. Simple as that.

Also, they could only be detected by me and her.

"It's as if the two of us lived in a different world than the rest," I muttered.

I stared at Agnes, who laid lifelessy on the floor, "ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ᴍᴇᴀɴ," she said silently.

"Get up, you will catch a cold easily if you are naked."

"ᴜʀɢʜ," she sat up begrudgingly, while hugging her knees.

My curiosity may have gotten the better of me.

Really, I wasn't always like that. It must have been from my old life still, when I was preached to always seek the answers.

Long time ago there was a girl I knew. She was always out to search for the truth, even if it meant going down the road of crime.

Again and again, we had argued bitterly, about whose ideology was right, my indifference or her skewed justice, and, it was not often, but sometimes I dreamed her dead. See, it wasn't my fault though, because that was just how we coped with the stress accompanied of living as a fugitive. I'm sure she had the same thoughts, and I didn't really blame her, so neither did she.

But now, we couldn't really talk anymore. So the least I could do was pay her homage, and keep her teachings in my heart.

"ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʏᴘᴇ ᴏғ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀᴄǫᴜᴀɪɴᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ?" She remarked.

"That doesn't matter does it, it only means I haven't lost myself yet."

"sᴜʀᴇ," she replied, "ᴀs ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ɴᴏᴡ."

Time had quietly passed, while we tried uncovering what exactly she was able to do. In that time, Vera had come back to deliver not only food for me, but also for the ghost which was haunting this mansion. She wanted me to leave the room, still I assured her that there was no need for that.

Even though I tried to clear the misunderstanding, she had been too spooked to believe my words. The only thing I could do was tell her to bring meat instead of cake as an offering. At that time, she was quite confused by my statement. After all, everyone knew that ghosts loved sweets!

I glanced at Agnes and rubbed her hair, "well, this ghost right here is an omnivore."

She grabbed my hand and suddenly bit it, "ɪ'ᴍ ʜᴜɴɢʀʏ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ," she exclaimed and sank her teeth into my skin, "ᴡɪʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ʙʀɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴀᴛ?"

"Just create your own food."

The girl stood up and patted the dust of her thighs, "ɴᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʏᴇᴛ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇsᴛ."

"Oh really," I was surprised. So she had learned something from me, "what is it?"

"ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴀɴᴅ sᴇᴇ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴇᴍʙᴀʀʀᴀssɪɴɢ ɪғ ɪᴛ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴋ."

She then took one of the stones we made.

The stone she chose was more of a pebble, and had a grayish tint. It was laying on the floor, unmoving.

The idea behind the stone was to throw it, so when Agnes came in contact with her own body(me), gravity would affect it, and would allow it to be touched by others.

As opposed to a stone she made to eat, which even though was soft enough to be bitten, tasted pretty bad. Like a stale apple, or liquid wood.

But that just showed us that her creations did not need to be realistic. Even if she gave an unreasonable intent, the object she made would warp it into something that could fulfill it. Truly a weird ability.

I moved closer as I saw her closing her eyes and concentrating.

"What do you need the stone for?"

"ʙᴇ ǫᴜɪᴇᴛ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴅɪsᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ."

Oops, I covered my mouth with my hands.

The moment the girl opened her eyes again, she had a completely different look. Her gaze was focused only on the object in her hand and her grip tightened around it's surface.

Only after 20 seconds did a change occur, and she suddenly went limp. Like a puppet whose strings were cut, she plopped towards the ground. I catched her in the air, and grasped her by her shoulders and when I saw her eyes, I saw that they had lost their glimmer.

"Hey, are you alright," I asked her, but there was no answer.

Instead, I realized that she had stopped breathing as her chest did not rise up and down. I held my fingers to her neck, and felt the cold sensation of her skin. There was no pulse. The person I was holding was no different from a corpse.

I watched her arms drop to the ground and muttered with incredulity, "did you really just die so suddenly?"

"ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ ɴᴏᴛ, ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ sɪʟʟʏ," her voice came back and imprinted itself in my mind. It was the same as usual, with her childish pitch, encompassed by a hidden maturity. Only thing different was that her mouth wasn't moving.

I heard her voice again, "ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʜᴇʀᴇ."

I turned my head around, looking through the room. Warm bed, comfortable blankets, wardrobes, wooden table, I saw a lot, but I couldn't see her.

"ᴅᴏᴡɴ, ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴅᴏᴡɴ," her voice kept instructing.

And so I did, but the only things I saw was herself and the stone she held in her hand.

"Wait," I paused, "you couldn't be that piece of stone?"

ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀ sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ. ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ sʜᴀᴄᴋʟᴇs, ɴᴏʀ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴘʀᴇssɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ. ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ ғᴇʟᴛ ɪᴍᴍᴏᴠᴀʙʟᴇ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴍᴇɴᴛs, ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀs ɪғ ɪ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ ᴅɪᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ ᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴊᴜʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ʟɪᴍʙs ᴀɴᴅ ᴍʏ ᴍᴏᴜᴛʜ. ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʟᴇss sᴏ.

ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴏʀᴍᴏᴜs ᴍᴏᴜɴᴛᴀɪɴ ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴀʟʟᴇsᴛ ᴛʀᴇᴇ ɪɴ ᴀ ғᴏʀᴇsᴛ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀʟʟ ɪ ᴡᴀs, ʀᴏᴏᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ.

"ʏᴇs, ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ sᴏ."

ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ, ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʀᴇᴀssᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ. ʜᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ʜɪᴍ ᴛᴀʟᴋ, ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ғᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɴᴇᴡ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ.

How unbelievable. I didn't think of it, but she was right. If she was able to posses her body, there was nothing that should stop her from doing it to her other creations.

"But that was pretty daring of you, what if it didn't work?"

It was one thing for me to experiment with her creations, as she could always make new ones. Testing with her spirit or soul was a lot more dangerous. Anything that went wrong would stay wrong, it couldn't be reset.

"ɪ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʙʏ ᴍʏ sɪᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴏᴜᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ, sᴏ ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ғᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴘᴇʀᴄᴜssɪᴏɴs," she said steadfast.

"That's a lot of trust that you placed on me."

"sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ?"

"No," I smiled, even though I wasn't sure at whom, "it's great that you did."

"ɪ'ᴍ ʟᴜᴄᴋʏ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ɪ ɢᴜᴇss," I didn't know why, but I felt like she was smiling too, "ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ, ɪ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ."

"Of course," I reached out, unsure where to grab her, seeing that she was only a piece of stone. My decision was to gently touch the surface first, and determine whether she would feel it or not.

Much like her body, the touch felt cold. However, the hard surface gave me reason to believe they were not the same thing. At least not by mind.

I grabbed the stone, which was small enough to be fully covered in my hand, and held it against the light. A translucent luster coated the stone and a diffused glimmer was reflected through thin air. When I stared at her, I felt her staring back at me.

Out of nowhere, my head hurt. It was like being shot with an arrow, which came without warning.

The pain was not unbearable, though. It was the suddenness which surprised me and almost made me let go of the stone. I rubbed my head and the pain swiftly subsided, leaving me only in wonder for why it was there in the first place.

ᴀ sʜᴀʀᴘ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴇɴᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ᴍɪɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴜʟʟᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ. ɪᴛ ʟᴀɪᴅ ɪᴛ's sᴇᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ sᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ғɪɴᴇ, ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ ɢʀᴇᴡ, ɪᴛ ᴘᴜsʜᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ᴍɪɴᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴍʏ sᴋᴜʟʟ, ʜᴜʀᴛɪɴɢ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴀᴄʜᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴘʀᴇss ᴍʏ ᴇʏᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ. ɪ ғᴇʟᴛ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ ʟᴏsᴇ sᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ғᴏʟᴅ ᴍʏ ʙᴏᴅʏ sᴏ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ sʜɪᴇʟᴅ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ—!

"ᴀɢʜ, sʜɪᴛ ɪᴛ ʜᴜʀᴛs,"she shouted.

"Eh, are you alright," I asked her but she didn't reply.

"Hello Agnes, can you hear me?"

I waited for a moment, but there was only silence.

I tired again and asked, "are you there," while holding the stone out.

Still it was quiet. As if I was the only one in the room.

"Hey, this might sound like a weird question," my voice resounded in the unmoving room, "but did you just try to possess me?"

She didn't answer.

However, her body shook. I saw her fingers twitching and she slowly rose up from the ground, with her chest first and her head hanging backwards. Her black hair was caught in her face, adhering to her lips and hiding her features. Like a broken doll returning to life, she moved her body, and I imagined creaking sounds coming from her limps, which would sometimes bend into weird angles. She would rise up, only to fall again and her eyes, which were unfocused at first, stared directly at me.

With a slow gait, she made her way towards me, not once breaking eye contact. Her feet were in the air so her steps were silent.

By the time she reached me, and I was about to help her, the girl lunged at me, plunging me to the ground. I hit my head against the cold floor causing my skull to shake and she pressed me down. Her fingers moved nimbly and reached my neck.

"ғᴜᴄᴋ, ɪ ᴡᴀs sᴏ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ," she screamed, long and drawn out, while her hands squeezed the air out of my throat, "ᴊᴜsᴛ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴍʏ ʙᴏᴅʏ."

I used the strength left in my arms to wrap around her hands and tried resisting, "I thought we had gotten closer."

She watched me emotionlessly.

Her cold blue eyes did not reflect the light, and her pale, blood-red lips began to move, "ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴡʜᴏ ɪ ᴀᴍ, ᴏʀ ᴅɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜ sɪᴍᴘʟʏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴘᴀʏ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ," she told me, "ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴀɢɴᴇs ᴍᴀʀɪᴀ ᴅ'ᴀɴᴇʟé. ɪ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀɪᴛʏ, ɪ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ ғᴀᴛᴇ," she moved closer her face casting a dark shadow, "ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪғ ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴜᴘ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴠɪʟ."

Her hands pressed harder, making me lose my breath and choke.

Ah, I see.

I was wrong. We hadn't gotten closer, it was only me who thought so.

That was who she was. A malevolent spirit.