Young Writers Society

A ghost of a smile danced across the man's lips. "It's funny that you should say that. Your mind didn't want to be brought somewhere else, but your souls did. And that's what really counts, isn't it? The moment they start being restless, they're quite eager to move around a bit. And when that moment happens?" He snapped his fingers. "I can move them, just like that."

Oliver finally found his voice. "But how? You can't just-you can't just do something like that. You have some sort of technology, and how would you even begin to find a person's soul - assuming that people even have one, which is an entirely different thing altogether - that's restless?"

The man gestured at Bo. "I'll just kill two birds with one stone to make things easier on you." He grinned, then did a dramatic little bow. "Kartiel, god of souls, at your service."

Aegeas was a second away from pulling out his swords and starting a fight. A god or not, Kartiel had brought them all here for his own sociopathic amusement, and Aegeas didn't want to be part of that story. Particularly when he didn't understand it.

Yet, Aegeas hesitated. Something Kartiel had said left a pit in his stomach. Some part of him wanted to be here. Why? He'd just ended the war. He'd just gone back home with his family and loved ones. He'd been looking forward to a relaxed life. Did he have doubts about his future? His relationships? It was possible Kartiel was trying to mess with him, or perhaps there was a more reasonable explanation behind his restlessness. But, if Kartiel was a god, why would he need to lie?

Aegeas took a few steps back and buried his head in his hands.

As Aegeas was evidently having an existential crisis, Oliver was having one of his own. Although the crisis was more on the part of a certain girl currently perusing the library - it was one thing to bring someone like him here. But someone like her? If what Kartiel said about souls was true, then it should have been impossible.

"Someone here doesn't have a soul," he said. "She-they can't. I mean, they're a wonderful person who has a big heart and a smart mind and everything that a normal human would have, but they're not normal."

Kartiel shrugged. "Last time I checked, everyone has a soul. Including that robotic girl you're so fond of-Oh. I forgot. You don't want people to know that, do you?"

Aegeas looked up, blinking to stop the tears trying to form at the edges of his eyes. "Robotic?" he said, voice cracking. He looked to Oliver. "What's that? Is he talking about Lucy?"

Whatever made Lucy different - being a robot or not - didn't really grab his attention. What he was hung up on was Kartiel saying he was a god, which just straight up didn't fit into his understanding of the world. What, was god some honorary title for more powerful people or something? So sure, magic apparently was a thing, and super advanced sciences, so if he was going to drastically expand his understanding of reality, gods could fit in. But if it was anything like the comics or old myths, then Kartiel wasn't God. He was just a guy with a lot of power for one specific thing. But as far as personality went, for lack of better terms, Kartiel was still "human." Or just, still an imperfect person. Well, clearly imperfect. The pride was almost tangible, and Bo was pretty sure he could smell the bs. Narrowing his eyes at the 'god,' he spoke up, amidst the confusion.

"Honestly, you being the 'god of souls' doesn't have a lot of weight for me but like," he replies. "So what, you 'sensed' that our souls were restless and decided for us that we needed to be here because sooooomewhere deep inside we wanted to get away? But why here? Why Atlantis. So your name's Kartiel, but what's your relation to this place? And why are you the only person here, besides ourselves?"

Oliver was torn between paying attention to the conversation between Bo and Kartiel and to Aegeas' question; it was the latter of these that he wished to avoid answering but knew he would inevitably have to. Aegeas was persistent and Kartiel had revealed something that would intrigue people no matter what planet they were from.

"Yes," he whispered. At least Aegeas didn't have an understanding of how significant that was, right? If he kept his voice quiet enough, maybe Bo wouldn't hear. "He's talking about Lucy. A robot is a being made entirely of metal and electricity and all sorts of codes. But, uh, Lucy's a bit of an exception..."

Kartiel had apparently waited for him to finish speaking before answering Bo's inquiries. Now that Oliver had fallen silent and Aegeas wasn't any questions, Kartiel began to speak again. "Close, but not quite. Souls are a little bit odd. Maybe you wanted to be somewhere else. Maybe you didn't. But whatever the case is, your soul was trying to move around."

He thought for a moment. "Think of it this way - you have a tray of ice cubes, but they're all frozen to the sides. So you twist the container a bit, and suddenly you're able to take the ice cubes out. You can put those ice cubes wherever you want to now that they're free. For me, your souls are ice cubes. The moment they start moving about in the tray, I can take them out."

"And Atlantis?" Oliver asked, taking a slight step in Kartiel's direction. It had been some time since he had caused a conflict due to needing to be unnoticeable, but he had to figure out what was going on. A little threatening movement wouldn't hurt. "Like Bo said, what's up with this place?"

Kartiel raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on the change in tone. "Atlantis is just as much of a mystery to me as it is to you. I found it a short time ago and decided it was the perfect place for me to have another one of my projects - especially with those Wraiths waiting just outside this planet, searching for any advanced technology they can get their greedy hands on."

Bo squinted his eyes, furiously burrowing his gaze into Kartiel. “Wait. what? What are Wraiths? What the hell did you get us into?”

The blood rushing through his head made it hard for Aegeas to understand Oliver. That, or Oliver didn't make too much sense. A living, talking being made out of metal and electricity? The engineer Aegeas knew couldn't even make a functioning arm with the same stuff. Not that it really mattered - Lucy seemed innocent, and she was trapped in this prison as much as they were. All because of Kartiel.

Oh well. Rational responses were overrated anyways.

Aegeas stretched his feet out to a fighting stance and drew one of his swords. "If you were really a god," he said slowly, blade aimed at Kartiel's face, "you wouldn't need to bring in strangers - you'd do whatever you want all by yourself, or with your friends. Since you brought us here, I'm guessing you're not a god. Or, if you are one, you can still bleed. So take us home."

While I sorely missed my own culture, I was glad to find that Atlantean lore was fascinating in its own right. It filled me first with excitement and awe, followed by creeping existential horror. Such feelings reminded me of home.
It was a mixed blessing indeed.

I brought my findings over to Lucy.

''We are in a city built by Ancient people from beyond the stars, who traversed the heavens themselves to escape the ruins of disease. They created this city, cultivated it under the sea. It was affixed to the ocean floor, and protected by a shield.
I wonder if it would still work for us, if needed...

But here is a worry. The Lanteans, Ancients, whatever term you prefer, were locked in a century-spanning war with these parasitic creatures, called Wraiths.
Where was that description....'' I flipped back and forth 'tween the pages.

''Hybrids of humans and Iratus, the parasitic insects that caused the aforementioned disease...
Bipedal humanoids with pale grey skin, white hair... look at this illustration!
Such strange features. Notice the eyes, they glow like the eyes of a cat.
Anyway, the novelty of their visage pales in comparison to their skills.
They can heal themselves, they have strong telepathic capabilities, they're ruddy hard to kill. But the main thing is that they feed on life force.
History says that between long periods of hibernation, they return to human herds to feed. How they do it is, they plunge their sharp nails into your chest, and infect you with...something called an enzyme... it strengthens you, that you may suffer longer, and they may gain more life from you.
They drain it from you, as quickly or slowly as they please. Sweet lord, there's an illustration for that, too.''

What a dreadful one it was. The poor victim resembled an unwrapped mummy, with his skin thin and shriveled, seemingly sucked into the gaping eye sockets.
I thought it best to close the book then.

''I hope Aegeas is good with those swords of his. We may need them, in time. I fear the paltry dagger I carry for thieves and street ruffians would prove little use against such powerful creatures as Wraiths.''

Lucy seemed something overwhelmed by all this. Perhaps I should not have gone into such lurid detail.

''You needn't worry about it, Miss Lucy, the documents said the Wraith hibernate for centuries on end. If we are lucky, we shan't encounter a single one.
And, luck failing, the Lanteans would have left behind powerful defensive measures.
I'm sure someone of your talents could get the shield back up, at least.

Now tell me, what have you learned about this city?''

Kartiel eyed the blade that was directly in front of his face, and then slowly pushed it away with his bare hand. It wasn't much of an incredible feat in itself, as he had put his hand against the flat side of the weapon; what made it so terrifying was the fact that he had felt confident enough to something risky like that.

"Wraiths are parasitic aliens," Kartiel explained, keeping his gaze directed towards Aegeas and not Bo. "Ones that suck life from people. It's not a pleasant thing to see or be a part of. You shouldn't encounter any. As I've said, you're all here as a test run - I'm just checking if all of the systems are working the way they should and if my...methods of transport are in good shape."

He took a step towards Aegeas. "You can't leave. Not yet, anyways. I'm still not done conducting this trial. Once I'm satisfied, you can return to your boring little lives. But, for now, you're going to stay here and continue doing exactly what you were doing before Lucy noticed me."



The Wraith would have no reason to harm her, if they still existed - a theory her findings strongly supported. But Oliver's life would be at stake if they discovered the small group hiding out in this strange city; he was made of flesh and blood and was very alive. She would have to stay alert if she wanted to protect him.

"Well," she said with a sigh, "I've learned that the Wraith aren't something to be messed with. The Lanteans did try to defeat them, just like your resources said. But my resources added more to that lore - they were unable to defeat them, so they returned to their home world through something called a 'stargate' and hid their city underneath the water. It's impossible to tell how long it's been since that happened, and I'm started to suspect that they might still be around."

She glanced at the door to the library.

"I think we need to find the others and let them know what we've learned."

After a bit of pause and thinking, Raiden took out his phone, snapped a picture of the map to follow, and nodded to the door.
"Let's go then. Might as well try to find some food before we get properly hungry," he said to Lola, walking over to the exit of the control room. Truth be told, he was pretty hungry, as his stomach indicated with a loud growl after he finished speaking.

So they'd stay here until Kartiel decided to let them go back. Which could be anything from days to years. Bo stepped forward slightly, standing to the side, but between Aegeas and Kartiel. "Okay but, on the small chance that wraiths do show up, what do we do? Does this place have a defense system?"

There was something audacious in pushing Aegeas's blade aside. Now Aegeas was unsure if he could harm Kartiel at all, or if an injury would affect Kartiel. At the very least, he had to change his definition of "god" to accommodate someone as cold and alone as Kartiel.

"And why us?" Aegeas said, letting go of his blade with one hand and reaching back to pull out the other one. "Out of everyone you could've picked, why bring us here? And do you really think we're just going to 'go back to what we were doing'?" He crossed his swords and waited for Kartiel's response.

Kartiel thought for a moment. The possibility of the Wraith - a race Oliver had never heard of prior to this point - appearing was something he apparently had failed to consider. "The shields should either be functional or kick in if they appear, if my tinkering's done what it should," he mused. Oliver couldn't tell if he was talking to himself or the group as a whole. "And those swords might work, too. Cut off their feeding hands, and they won't be able to heal."

"Their what?"

Kartiel glanced over at Oliver. "Their feeding hands-Oh. I didn't explain how they do the life sucking bit, did I? They place their hands on your chest and dig their nails into your skin, then start to take away years of your life. Your soul is undamaged but your body is shot."

He paled. Trying to imagine it made him nauseous, and he regretted even asking about it in the first place.

Believing that his explanation had been satisfying, Kartiel turned his attention back to Aegeas. Oliver didn't know much about gods, but he was starting to suspect that they were very powerful. He suddenly felt small and afraid, a feeling he hadn't felt in quite some time. "The souls of the people here were the first restless ones that I sensed, back when I was determining who I would bring here for the trial. As for your last question? From the way that you took out your other sword, I doubt you'll go back to what you were doing. But you'll try to explore this place more no matter what happens, and that's good enough for me."

The description of these Wraiths terrified Aegeas. They could bind him up and destroy his body. He wasn't quite sure if his soul would move to the afterlife or stay with his body, but neither was a possibility he liked. He wasn't going to stand being tied up, much less separated, possibly forever, from his loved ones. And he was supposed to rely on the word of a cruel "god" who'd chosen him at random to inspect this place?

"You're right," Aegeas said. "I'll keep searching. It's better than begging help from you." And he charged.

He knew that Kartiel was the best chance he had at going free. However, Kartiel had no interest in letting any of them go. If reason and threats didn't work, action could.