The Soul Link

 

Olivia woke up to the sound of the beating of drums. She looked around and found herself in unknown surroundings, wearing clothes that were foreign to her.

Where am I? What the hell am I wearing?

She noticed a strange man sleeping next to her; he, too, was dressed in unusual clothing. The man opened his eyes and looked at her with a full smile.

“You're up, my queen,” he said, grabbing her hand. She pulled away and got off the bed.

“What's wrong?”

Right then, a girl not older than sixteen walked in, greeting them with a “good morning, my liege, my lady.”

Olivia wasn’t sure what was happening. She wondered if her friends were behind this, and even pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

“Who are you, and where am I?”

“What’s wrong, my queen? I’m your maid, Avelia.”

“My what? Did Carrie put you up to this?”

“Adora, what’s wrong? I think you may have struck your head when you fell in the temple yesterday.”

Olivia panicked and ran out the door immediately. Her heart raced as she rushed down the staircase, but she tripped on her dress and struck her head on the wall. Olivia’s vision grew blurry as her consciousness waned; she could hear faint voices around her as her eyes closed.

She woke up later to find herself in the same bedroom she was in before. The same man sat beside her on the bed, talking to a man whom she assumed was a doctor.

Meanwhile, Adora woke up in a place foreign to her.

“What’s wrong, Olivia?” a man asked, stepping out of the adjacent bathroom.

“Who are you? Where is my husband?”

“What? I’m Kyle, your husband.”

“No, you’re not. My husband’s a king. Who are you?”

“What are you even talking about?”

Adora leapt off the bed and strode towards the door. She threatened to have the man arrested by calling the guards, but all she found was an empty hallway once she opened the door.

“What is this place?” she asked, falling to the floor and holding her face.

Kyle approached her and asked what had happened. Adora asked him whether he had kidnapped her; he assured her he didn’t. Adora then realised something: the last thing she remembered was touching a statue of Cleas at the temple.

“Do you happen to have a jade statue here with you?”

“A jade… Yes, I do. Why?”

Adora got to her feet. “Show me.”

Kyle was confused, but he led her through the hallway and into the living room. On a cabinet stood a small statue of what resembled a goddess.

“Cleas, I knew it,” she said.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“The Goddess Cleas. That’s how I got here. It’s said that she loves to play with human souls; I just didn’t think that touching a statue of hers would cause such a thing to happen.”

Kyle couldn’t fathom what she was saying; he just stood there, wondering if it was a fantastic roleplay. Adora then walked up to the statue and, hesitantly, reached out to it. The second her hand touched it, she collapsed. Kyle caught her before she hit the floor and laid her on the sofa.

A few minutes later, she opened her eyes; it was the true Olivia this time. Her eyes widened as her vision cleared, and she hugged Kyle at once when she saw him sitting next to her.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I just had the weirdest dream.”

“Dream? You were talking about that statue messing with souls just minutes ago.”

“I was what?”

Olivia then realised what had happened, and what she must do. She rose to her feet at once. “Then that statue must go.”

She grabbed a baseball bat from the bedroom and shattered the statue with several blows. Its shards glowed brightly as a green mist rose from them and vanished into the air. Olivia sighed, feeling as if a weight had just been lifted off her chest.

Meanwhile, Adora woke up in her castle to find her husband lying next to her. She was finally home as well.