Every morning when I wake up, I look outside my window and look at the park. The feeling of excitement and thrill fills my heart every time the children run after each other and laugh out loud with joy. Adults walk around, greet each other politely and couples sit comfortably on the benches while cuddling. This has become my daily routine before I get up to bed. Then, I saw him again.
"Who are you?" I softly whispered. This is the third time I saw him standing underneath the cherry blossom tree that is situated outside my window.
Even though he is far away from where I am, I can feel his eyes staring at me. He is wearing a dark suit. His skin is as white as the snow, dark messy hair, and a slender physique. Although he seems creepy, I can't sense any harm from him.
I went back to bed and tuck myself inside the blanket. I planned to sleep all day and hope to get a good dream this time. When your reality sucks sometimes we rather sleep and dream to escape the painful truth of life.
"Good morning, Sunshine!" I heard a familiar deep-toned voice calling from behind.
I jump up and turn around to see the person behind me.
"Geez, Clarren, you startled me," I surprisingly said while holding onto my chest. My heart beats so fast that I can feel it palpitating. "Don't ever do that again?!"
His cheerful bright smile is so contagious that I can't help smiling back and returning the same courtesy he had given me. "How are you feeling today?" He walked towards me and sits beside my bed, placing the back of his hand on my forehead to check my temperature. "You seemed normal today," he said.
"Thanks to you," I simply replied. Clarren removed the blanket from my body and helped me stand up from the bed. "What's for breakfast?" I excitedly asked, pulling his arm and swinging it back and forth.
I've been like this for as long as I can remember. It's not a pleasant feeling to lie in bed the whole day and just watch people enjoying their lives from outside my window, just like watching a movie on the television. I have very weak resistance and am prone to all types of diseases. I'm not allowed to stay outside for too long or I may catch a virus from my surroundings.
St. Luke’s Medical Center has been my home for the longest time. The doctors, nurses, and patients have become my family, and Clarren, one of the nurses, became my trusted best friend. He always looks after me. I may be fragile, but that doesn't mean that I am weak and I am very thankful for the blessing of having such wonderful people around me. They are my strength, my shield, and my hope. But sometimes I felt like a burden to them. I tried hard to be on my best behavior and act normal and happy to lessen their worries. Deep down inside I feel empty like a part of me is missing. Despite the large number of people that surrounds me, I still feel lonely.
"Wow, it looks like you're in a great mood today! Hmm... Breakfast? It's a surprise!" He smiled at me and pushed me in front of my closet. "First thing first, fix yourself and I'll meet you in the canteen." He left my room after saying those words. I immediately followed.
Before going to the canteen, I walked towards the window and looked at the park one more time. The mysterious man is still there. Patiently standing and looking at me. He stares at me as if he is inviting me to come to him.
I thought to myself, "How long are you planning to stand there?" I know it was wrong to talk to strangers, but there are these urges. I can't seem to resist the feeling of being lured and charmed, but out of curiosity.
Instead of going to the canteen and meeting up with my friend Clarren, I headed straight outside to see the mysterious man. I need to know why he is standing outside my window like a creepy pervert. This has to stop now as I am getting uncomfortable with him stalking me.
"I see that you have finally decided to show up," he said with his eyes darting at me. His lips curved into a smile and started to walk slowly toward me.
I suddenly felt a dark aura surround me. "W-who are you?" I stuttered. For some reason, my feet got stuck on the ground and unable to move, my knees were shaking as he continued to walk closer. His eyes were locked on like magnets as if he was studying me like a predator and giving me his unwavering attention.
“Is he going to hurt me? May he want to sexually harass me? But I am just an ordinary girl and I am not that pretty for him to be interested in me. Am I that charming? Oh my gosh, I haven’t taken a bath nor washed my hair. What if he smells my scent? I should have at least put on some perfume before I meet him. What the hell was I thinking?” There are a lot of questions that keep piling inside my head as he gets closer.
The answers to my questions revealed themselves and none of the thoughts inside my head matches his motive and intention when he asks me a question that doesn’t make sense.
"What if I offer you three wishes in exchange for your soul, would you take the chance?" His face was very serious. He's giving me a bit of a scare as he comes closer. He grabbed my waist and wrapped his muscular arms around me. "Answer the question missy. Time is ticking, and I don't have all day!"
In a heartbeat, I bluntly replied, "Yeah sure, whatever." I somehow feel disappointed that he was not interested in me at all. Maybe he was just asking me that question to start a conversation.
"Wait, what? That's it?" His eyes widened. "Yeah, sure, whatever?! That's all you have to say?" He furiously asks. "Missy, this is not just some sick joke. I'm not fucking kidding!" he exclaimed.
"So do I," I quickly responded.
"Do you have any idea who I am?"
"I wouldn't have asked you earlier if I had known you." I rolled my eyes.
"I'm a Djinn!" he confidently said. I can see the smirk on his face.
"Djinn, oh, I see, you mean a genie?" I asked in confusion, scratching the back of my head. “Is he for real? He looks more like a freak,” I said to myself.
"Hell no!" he immediately opposed. "But I do grant wishes though." He appeared to be having second thoughts. "Let's just say I'm the highest form of a genie, but with class and style," he explained and feeling proud of himself.
"Nice to meet you Djinn, I'm Aria!" I casually said and reached out my hand for a handshake. "So tell me, when can I get my wish?" I asked inquisitively.
"Hey missy, do you have any idea of the risk you're going to face? A wish in exchange for your soul! Get it?" he said astonishingly. His dark aura had changed. "Aren't you afraid of dying?" he sounded a little hesitant, judging by the worried look on his face.
He may look harmless, but am sure that he is not an ordinary man and yet, here I am still talking to him. I try to conceal my fear and continue to make a normal conversation with him. Why can’t I resist you?
"Yep, you said it already," I replied. I know deep down in my heart about the danger that I am going to face and, for some reason, whether he is telling the truth or not, I am willing to take the risk. "We are all going to die sooner or later, one way or another," I added.
He moves back, stands firm, and stretches his arms. "Okay, well, before we start, we need to have an agreement." He spread his hands and out of nowhere, a piece of paper pops out in the palm of his hand. "Sign here!" He reached out his hand to give me the agreement paper. But before I get the chance to get the paper, Clarren shows up.
"Aria, what are you doing? Stay away from him!" he screamed, running his way to where we are.
"Clarren," I softly whispered. I felt like being knocked out of my senses and realized the mistake that I was about to make. I was about to turn my head to Clarren when the mysterious man called out to me.
"Missy, do you want the deal or not?" He looked at me and reached out for my hand. "Come with me," he said, trying to convince me.
My mind said no, but my heart took over my body and grabbed the hand of the mysterious man. A thick dark smoke pops out in the air, surrounds, and covers our entire body. After the smoke clears the air, we were already transported to a different place.
"Where are we?" I asked curiously."This is my place. Do you like the design? I manage it myself," he said, boasting again.I looked around and it was all pitch black. I couldn't see anything and even if I walked around there was nothing but darkness. The only thing that was visible to my naked eye was the mysterious man. He has this glow in him that I have never seen nor felt before.My grandma used to tell me when a person is weak or near death, he can see the spirits of the dead like they are inviting him to go with them to the afterlife. I've been weak and sick my whole life, and I'm used to seeing dead people. Some wanted my attention and tried to communicate with me, but I ignored them.To be honest, it scares me to death to see spirits walking and lurking around along with the living. A lot of them were grieving and asking for help and sometimes their appearance was unpleasant and scary. I can easily tell the living from the dead by the light that illuminates their bodies. Each
"Aria, what happened?" Clarren said worriedly, scanning my body and looking for injuries. "Everybody has been looking for you. Who is that man?" His hands were cold and shaking. His eyes were red as if he had just finished crying."I'm okay. Sorry if I make you worry," I sheepishly replied. Guilt feelings are taking over me. Seeing everybody worried makes me feel that my life does matter to them and I just take it all for granted by selling my soul to the Djinn in exchange for a kiss. How foolish I have been thinking that I am doing them a favor by ending my life and yet I just make things worse and more complicated."What happened? I saw you with that man and vanished in thin air?" his tremulous voice caused everyone in the canteen to turn their heads on us. "Please, tell me who is that man and where did he take you?""It's a long story Clarren," I calmly said."You've been gone for thirty minutes! How long could that story be?" he hysterically said. "What did he do to you? Are you h
Dylan's POV:In an isolated valley named Mudgrave, there's a crossroad where it is said to be a meeting place for those who wanted to see the one they called "The Crossroad Demon" a cool name for someone who can grant wishes, and in return, he must be rewarded with an equal value of the wishes, an eye for an eye, a soul for a soul, and a payment worth the value of their precious wishes.To summon this so-called Crossroad Demon, you need to bury a box containing some graveyard dirt, the bone from a black cat, and a drop of the wish maker's blood in the middle of a crossroad during the new moon. The demon will appear according to the liking of the wish maker to prevent him from being afraid and make him more comfortable while making his wish. Once the deal has been sealed, the wisher's soul will be traded for a wish.It's been a long time since the crossroad demon has been summoned. As time goes by, the crossroad demon became a myth and his name has changed to Djinn, Genie, or Soul coll
Aria's POV:My mind is saying no but my heart didn't think twice when he asked me to take his hand to go with him to an unknown place. I know it's wrong to go with a stranger but why do I have a feeling that I've known him for so long? He may be dangerous but why do I feel safe when I'm with him? He's not even that charming, I mean he is not that good-looking compared to other men, but why can't I say no to him?Is he using some kind of spell on me to lure me into his lair? It's a bit scary and yet exciting at the same time and almost electric, impossible to ignore. Like that inexplicable feeling of compelling pull between two magnets, we are drawn together in a way neither of us may understand. I am somehow bound to him.I held onto his hands and the next thing I knew is that we were somewhere out far from the medical center where I am admitted."D-Dylan, where are we?" I curiously said to him while looking around and searching for a familiar face. "Are we still in Crescent Hill Vall
Aria’s POV:I tried my best to act normal and ignore the weird things that is happening around us. I don’t want to ruin everything that Dylan worked hard for. He put his best effort to make this date work even if I am just a human and he is a powerful demon. This is my only chance to go out away from the hospital and I want to make the best out of it.We go to the Crescent River where everybody gathers to release hundreds of floating lanterns onto the river. "These floating lanterns are meant to guide the spirits back to their world," Dylan carefully explains.As much as I wanted to continue our date, some things can be ignored, so I decided to be honest with him."D-Dylan, can we skip this part of the tour?" My voice was thick with fear.Dylan noticed that I was starting to feel uncomfortable when he saw that I was freezing in terror. My hands were sweaty and clammy. My eyes were gazing at the floor and were too frightened to lift my head. He cupped my face and lifted a little and sa
Aria's POV:"Dylan, no!"That was the last thing I said before I realized that I was back in the hospital room. I was down on my knees on the floor, and my eyes were filled with tears. My heart was uneasy pounding too fast and about to jump out of my chest. I'm certain that Dylan is unconscious almost gone before I returned to my room. Is it because his energy becomes weak and used his last strain of power to transport me back here? Even my clothes were back to normal as if everything was just a dream.I don't understand what's going on and how his power works but I know that he is in pain and badly hurt. I wiped my tears dry, get on my knees and look outside the window hoping to see him, but he is nowhere in sight."Dylan, where are you? Please be safe," I whispered. The tears once again fall from my eyes.I was startled when the door opened then Clarren shows up in a hurry and panting."Aria, I heard you screaming. Are you hurt?" he panicky said to me while scanning every inch of my
Aria's POV: "Clarren..." My lower lip trembled and keeps swallowing excessively as I have no excuse to say about the massive hole in the wall. "Shall I tell him the truth, but what if he can't handle the truth?" I said to myself. I hold my silence while thinking about what to say to him. We both froze staring at each other until he finally breaks the ice. "Tell me Aria, when did you become stronger? I want to know everything," he seriously said to me. Judging from his reaction and the way he glanced at me. He doesn't look surprised at all as if he knew what I was capable of doing. "Does he know who I am?" Questions keep popping into my head. "Clarren, did you know something about the barrier surrounding the center?" I curiously ask him. I wanted to find out whether he has something to do with the barriers and he has information about me that I don't know. He walks closer to the wall and looks in the direction where my finger is pointing to. "You can see the cleansing fire barrier
Dylan's POV: I was crawling my way back to my fortress and used my remaining energy to send Aria back to the medical center. The pain all over my body is excruciating as if my flesh was being ripped off, my limbs are being torn apart and the burning sensation is too agonizing as if my body is being burnt from the inside out. Aside from that, I'm having shortness and difficulty of breathing that never happened before because not only that I am a Supreme Being, but I am also a spirit and should no longer experience this kind of pain. I was lucky that I made it in the nick of time hoping that my spirit vessel would be rejuvenated since I was in my fortress."What is going on with me? First, I experience having sensations and feelings that I never felt before, now my senses are more sensitive and my body is experiencing pain as if I'm turning into a mortal. What is she and how did she do it?"I lay down on my bed and rested. Days had passed and my vessel is not healing. I haven't regaine