London Down Under

Chapter 2

The girl introduced herself as Tasha, a Wielder, out on a D7 Mission to retrieve a relic and happened to be hindered by a dark spirit which manifested itself into a man. And by coincidence, she saved Emily's life too.

Emily couldn't believe what this girl was saying.

"I'm sorry, but... you're a Wielder? Wha...what's a Wielder?"

"A protector. Of all the realms. Look, it's best if you follow me. It's so rare that a Londoner can see Londonethers with their naked eye...unless, what Pala envisioned must be true." Tasha widened her eyes again, pacing back and forth, still contemplating whether she should bring Emily with her.

Emily stared at the girl with blonde hair, colourful streaks weaving in and out of her locks. A rebel of sort and her clothes looked like they were retrieved from the Salvation Army. Mismatched and with no hint of coordination. But they were all in dark colours. She wore a grey skirt with black tights underneath, boots that seemed too big for her size and yet, she's walking comfortably in them. Her oversized coat made her look bigger than she was too. She was a little shorter than Emily and had bright blue eyes that lit up whenever she talked animatedly.

Emily believed she must be going mad. Yes, she's lost her screws and now in the process of becoming insane. That's the only plausible reason for all this mishaps. First she lost her job. No, it all started when she lost memory of who she was back in the field. Then, she thought of an absurd idea to leave the only people who cared for her, and then lost her job, now she's talking to ghosts in the Aldgate station. The other passerbys stared at her if she really had gone mad.

Emily, get a hold of yourself. She closed her eyes shut.

She opened her eyes again and saw Tasha raising an eyebrow at her.

"And why should I follow you? Why should I trust you? All of this is so...sudden and strange."

"Because you don't have any family. You just lost your job, one of your cats, Maya left your apartment a week ago. And oh, I think your landlord is rummaging your place right about now." Tasha smiled mischeviously at her. Her dimple on the left side of her cheek made her look like a cheeky elf. It made Emily wonder...

"How did you-...?"

"Oh it's this relic that helps me to know my enemies better. In this case, helps me to know my prisoner better." Tasha showcased an old, decayed mirror in the palm of her hands. It was a tiny little oval thing, intricate designs bordering the reflective surface which showed Emily a glimpse of her landlord literally thrashing her apartment. She gulped quietly.

"It's called Yata no Kagami. Can you see it?" Tasha grinned at Emily's bewildered face as the older girl tried to touch it.

"No, you don't get to touch it. Come on, let's go!"

Emily realised that she's been set up. Her wrist was bounded by a chain that seemed so light and feathery but in actual fact, was stronger than what it looked like. It was linked to Tasha's bony wrist and the girl was also definitely stronger than her appearance. She dragged Emily along the platform, down the stairs to the tracks and walked along the pavement at the side of the tracks. Emily wondered why no one else could see them or tried stopping either of them. She tried struggling but it was futile. The chain wouldn't release her. Every time it broke, it joined back again as if it was liquid mercury.

"Let me go!" Emily finally stomped her foot down, pulling Tasha back in the momentum. "Remove the chain this instance! I don't care what you are. I have a life to get back to. I'll find something, somehow." Her voice echoed throughout the darkness of the tunnel, sounding weaker and less convinced than when she first thought of it.