I stared out the floor to ceiling windows of the restaurant. It was facing the ocean and I could see a colorless moon illuminating the waves that were crashing into the beach. I couldn’t help but feel worried and scared. The sea is my father’s domain. The water is where I’m strongest, but I had a feeling that the sea that I was seeing would have the exact opposite effects.
“You’re telling me that we’re inside some sort of cursed barrier that forces anyone to sleep?” I heard Gabriel, one of my cousins, say after hearing some explanation from Henry. This pulled me out of my thoughts.
Henry was the guy I saved moments ago. The two of us rounded up anyone who was awake and we all gathered inside the resort’s restaurant. Nine of my cousins, three of my aunts and one of my uncles were some of the ones awake. There were about five other employees (apart from Henry) but they decided to just stay in their quarters than join us. Apparently all buildings and rooms in the resort had some sort of wards that won’t let any spirits enter it, unless invited.
It turned out that thirty years ago, the sages of the town summoned a spirit to bless the land for a bountiful harvest of crops and catch of marine life. They did not summon a mere spirit; they summoned a high ranking spirit who despised humanity. I did not find out the spirit’s name but apparently when the sages ordered her to bless the land she got pissed off at the audacity of the mortals in trying to order her into doing something.
However the magic circle they were using to summon her was imperfect and summoned dark energy from the depths of hell (or something). It corrupted the spirit and started killing everyone in the town. Together with her equally corrupted soldiers. Among the seven sages, only three survived and managed to seal her. But before the corrupted spirit could be fully sealed at the bottom of the ocean, she was able to cast a curse upon the town.
“So, every year for the past thirty years, when the sun is at the furthest distance from earth, the seal that imprisons her weakens and she sends her minions to find her a vessel she could possess to walk into this world again?” Uncle Neru, Uncle Neri’s twin brother, asked.
“The seal supposedly leaves the ones asleep alone and those awake will probably be abducted by those things, dragged into the bottom of the sea?” continued Opal, another cousin of mine. Her voice was a little edgy and she had a worried look on her face.
“Err they don’t just drag anyone actually. They’re trying to search for the perfect vessel for their mistress. And perhaps continue where she left off.” Henry replied, trembling a little. I wouldn’t blame him to be honest. He’s quite small for a man in his mid-twenties and Gabriel was like twice his size and Opal was taller than him.
“Why us?” Aunt Beatrice asked, finally asking the question we had been wanting to ask. “Of all the guests that were here, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a coincidence that we were the ones left of all the guests that were staying here.”
Henry wouldn’t meet our eyes, but his face was obviously clouded with doubt and worry. He then told us; “It was the manager, the woman you had an argument with during the day. She’s an assistant of one of the sages. She said she did not like you and decided to sacrifice you to the spirit. She… I suppose she had always been a disagreeable woman and many people despised her, but her family owns the resort. Plus, she works for one of the town’s sages, so nobody really dared go against her. She told us to ask the other guests to leave except for you guys.”
I could feel my anger bubble up at the thought. ‘Maybe I should find her and feed her to the sharks after this whole thing.’
Aunt Helen had this angry look on her face as well. “I suppose we will be doing some hunting after this. Anyway, you have no idea how they choose their victims?”
“Probably the ones with the strongest spiritual power or those connected to the supernatural.” I voiced out, coming into conclusion after hearing everything so far. “It’s the only explanation I can think of.”
I eyed everyone in the room and sighed. My mother’s family had always been involved with the supernatural. Most of the members of the family could see the unseen during their childhood, some grew out of them, some did not. Not to mention we had too many cases of getting spirited away since a long, long time ago.
‘Perhaps that is the reason dad got attracted to mom in the first place?’
Anyway, as of that moment, everyone present in the room were those who still had strong ties to the supernatural. Apart from me, Allyson and Jade were probably the ones with the strongest connection.
Although there was someone amiss…
As if thinking about the same thing, all heads turned to one of my cousins, Marii, who looked as confused as the rest of us.
“What?”
“You can’t see them.” Aunt Helen pointed out. “You’ve never seen nor had any encounter of those unseen. If we go by what Henry said and Mira’s conclusion, how are you awake?”
“I’d like to know that myself.” I heard Marii grumble.
“Eh? What do you mean she’d never had any connection with the supernatural?” Henry suddenly asked, diverting our attention away from Marii.
“She can’t see them, nor had any encounters with them.” Allyson answered, still fidgeting on his seat.
“Huh?” Henry looked genuinely confused. “But she’s one of those with the strongest spiritual powers in this room right now though.”
All of a sudden, I was reminded by Apollo’s words when he suddenly came to visit me during a family reunion.
“Your cousin, Marii was it?” I responded with a nod. “She had never been claimed by a deity, right?”
I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at his words. “Don’t even think about flirting with her, much less date her. I know fully well what happened when a god starts dating a mortal. I’m a testament of that.”
“Geez Mira, I wasn’t even thinking somewhere along those lines. I’m pretty sure you’d try and drown me if I did.”
“I won’t try. I’d find a way to drown a god if I must.”
“Violence much?” Apollo huffed nervously. “Anyway, that was not what I meant. I mean, she’s got the makings of a priestess, how is she not favored by a god or goddess yet?”
I totally forgot about that conversation until that moment.
Now usually, those chosen to be a deity’s priest or priestess must have strong and pure spiritual powers; someone who could channel a deity’s blessings and powers with minimum side effects.
I was taken out of my thoughts when I heard a series of cracking sounds. All of a sudden, there was a small tremor and the sound of a small explosion. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, shards of glass started flying all over the room. I could hear both shouts of fear and pain coming from everyone. I felt my skin get pierced by the shards, making me hiss in pain.
In what felt like minutes, everything stopped. I looked up and took notice of Henry my relatives sprawled on the ground or hidden underneath the tables and behind the chairs. They were all cut by the shards of glass. Some of them were even pierced by big shards and were crying over the pain.
“Guys.” I heard Paula call. “Where is Marii?”
I couldn’t help but growl internally. ‘You have got to be kidding me.’
-To be continued...
Tune in for the next and final part!!!