The Ring Eater

Ashera remembered how her parents embraced her in their arms in the room before they left for her mother's older sister.

"You guys are so unfair, you know that? How could you leave me alone in this world. Without you guys I'm just — I don't know. I just don't know what will happen to me now." Tears escaped from her eyes. It hurts, it is hurting a part of her. Not just a part of her, every inch of her is hurting. Thinking that she will never see her parents again, will never get to talk to them, hug them, and do things with them.

"It was my graduation yesterday mom, dad, and you guys were not there. I did not even get to see your smiling faces. Your proud faces. It's the moment you guys wanted to see, right? I finally graduated. You see, it's the most important event of my life but how am I supposed to be happy when the two most important persons in my life are no longer with me?" Her knees weakened, causing for her to hit the ground, screaming her lungs out with the pain that's pinching her system. Ashera never once did think that her parents will be of no presence forever. All she ever thought were the times she would spend her lifetime with them. Now that they are gone, she needed to pull herself together and accept the fact that they will forever be gone. They will never comeback to her. She will never be of their arms, ever again.

However, no matter how she graved for them, something was telling her that they are not yet dead. It is messing with her head. Feels like it will drive her madly insane, anytime.

After moments of crying, Ashera wandered her eyes around the room and got a sight of a brown antique box in the near vanity. She walked closer to it. It looks odd. It has an engraved sign of infinity and a password. "Okay, this is strange: What is this box, why is it built with such strange security?" She giggled with the how much her mood lifted up by just the mere sight of the box. It's funny how her mood could change so fast, like nothing really happened. Like she wasn't really crying her lungs out moments ago. "I have never seen anything like this one before. Not to mention that boxes don't usually require a password but rather a key lock."

Ashera lifted the box and shook it. "Well it feels light, I wonder what is inside of it." She tilted the box upside down, inspecting for some clue and truly she got it. "Those who have it, will know about it. Just right next to the infinity." Ashera read the cursived letters, engraved on the bottom of the box. 'Tricky,' she thought.

She is curious what was inside of the box, how important could it be that it really had to require such security. Ashera placed the box back to the vanity and repeated the words in her head, trying to figure out what it could be. She is aching for the answer and does took a look at the six tiny vertical rectangles arranged consecutively on the lock screen of the lock. "My, this is one of a high technology security type, yet of an ancient build. It's a hilarious combination." Ashera gagged around, laughing to herself.

She covered her mouth from laughter when she felt the cold touch of the mental on her finger, touching her lips. She looked at it and there she saw the ring reflecting from the light that was coming from the window of the room. "Those who have it, will know about it. Just right next to infinity." Ashera repeated the words she read on the bottom of the box.

"Just right next to infinity. Mhmn, infinity." She took a turn of the ring on her finger and inspected the engraved word in it. "That's it!" Ashera took the box, and took a couple of taps on its lockscreen. "Flinch." She motioned her fingers into a crossed ones. "Please be the password."

Her heart was beating real crazily. Almost jumping out of her chest. The box was taking forever to respond. Ashera nearly thought that what she hoped to be the password must have not been the one she's looking for. However, when it unlocked, Ashera jumped in happiness. The box opened. Inside the box is a letter and a black tiny box.

Ashera extracted the letter and the small box from where it was placed. The letter's fragrance was giving her a feeling of deja vu. Something she had smelled before but can not figure out where and when exactly. "Horizon's pleading, people's in needs. The countryside, Ofelia - T." It's what the letter said, and Ashera could not possibly know what it meant based on the joint eyebrows–expression she was portraying. What's more baffling is that there was not even a clear address and a name aside from the 'countryside' and 'Ofelia - T'.

"Do I even need to wonder which countryside? It is obvious, it is where my parents were found dead." Reaching for the small black box, Ashera let out an upsetting sigh. She is longing for answers with all of these strange happenings in her life. She was living peacefully, not until that unusual dream had occurred to her. There would be times where she would rather call it a nightmare. Uncertainty used to be an enemy of hers. However, it seemed as if it has been her acting shadow these days. Never did she felt like the world is so against her.

Slowly, she opened the box and was astonished with what was inside of it. "Fuck!" The box slipped off her hand. What inside it was nothing she could ever expect in a million years. She does not know what to say. The devil ate her tongue. Inside of the box was a cut off ring finger covered with dried blood. It hasn't been that long, she supposed. Since the blood was not yet blackened as anyone would have expected, knowing that it has been weeks there. Yet again, the blood looked like it has dried there for only a couple of days. "Mother, father, what on earth are you hiding?"

Questions were starting to flood Ashera up. With a disgusted look, she garnered her must and took out the ring off the poor cut finger. It slid off rather quite easily than she had expected. She examined it, and the ring looked exactly the same as hers but then something was weird about it. "A crown sign and the exact same word 'Flinch.' Is this some kind of joke? Perhaps, I'd presume this is a ring of a clan, funny." Ashera placed the ring next to the ring on her finger, comparing both of them.

Suddenly, her ring got enclosed with the other, it is more like the other ring ate the other one up. She felt it tightening around her ring finger, almost like something was sucking her gut out of it. Ashera felt it hurting, thus she tried to take it off her finger, but of no chance. At first, it was not noticeable, but then with a strike of the little light coming from the window of the room, she notice that the ring has changed sign.

"What on earth—the sign has changed into a crowned infinity before the word 'Flinch,' wow this is insane." She barely managed to prevent her hands from punching herself in accord to how lumpy she reacts to things. She dared not to blame herself, however, knowing well anyone would be lost of words and perhaps would have gone mad if placed in her shoes.

Despite the close area of the room, a cold and chilling wind suddenly whirled inside the room, making the hairs in her body raise. Even more, when a low voice of a woman whispered in her ears. "Go, find them." 

     "Who's there? Show yourself to me!"