Cane closed his eyes and waited for the pain which never came. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw the bullet floating in front of him.

The temperature around them dropped rapidly, their breaths froze as soon as they left their bodies.

Then slowly two figures appeared, they were humanoid except they had no legs. Instead, their lower parts were connected to the amulet on his chest.

Their upper bodies appeared to be covered in blood that dripped on the ground, they had long arms which ended in sharp claws.

He couldn’t see their faces since their backs were facing him but long black dirty hair cascaded down their heads like waterfalls.

He heard a growl, the bullet floating in front of him was in actuality stuck on the chest of one of them.

The bullet fell down with a clang, the people surrounding him looked at each other in confusion.

" What’d you do? You’re wearing a bulletproof vest?" Their leader asked but his voice sounded unconvinced.

After all, they all saw the bullet stopping mid air before even reaching him and even if he had a bullet proof vest.

The force of the bullet still would’ve sent him down or at least made him take a step back but he didn’t even move.

They knew something was wrong but they couldn’t tell what. To test the waters he fired three times and them same thing happened.

Finally they were scared, without another word they turned and bolted. Cane watched as the two figures in front of him moved.

All he saw were red blurs chasing after the guy who had fired at him. Just as they were about to reach him.

A white figure appeared, her presence made the temperature drop even further, so much so that ice appeared on the walls.

This new woman has her eyes closed but tears of blood trickled down her cheeks. She raised her hands slowly.

Then gently touched the two twisted blood figures. Cane froze, " B..big sis?" His voice came out as a whisper.

The pale white woman looked passed the bloody figures in front of her and right at him then smiled.

Her smile felt sad and pitiful. Cane felt warm tears spill out of his eyes like rivers. He cried unconditionally.

Then she kissed the two bloody figures and a pure white light enveloped them, when the light cleared they reappeared.

When Cane saw them he cried even more because those were his parents. They were ghosts.

He could see that much, they floated in front of Eve looking unconscious. Eve walked towards him.

Cane fell on his knees having lost all strength. Eve knelt in front of him and gently rubbed his cheek.

Her eyes remained closed but Cane could tell she could see him. He tried to speak but his voice didn’t come out.

She grabbed the amulet, opened it revealing a picture of their entire family. She looked at it for a few seconds.

Then sent their parents inside. ’ Let them rest, they will not lose themselves ever again and one day, I’ll bring them back, I swear.’

He heard a voice he had long forgotten, the voice of his sister. ’ I know your life has been hard little brother but for my sake, take care of yourself.

One day, a friend of mine will come, when she does, go with her, she will give you the power yuu need to defend yourself in what’s to come.’

Before Cane could say anything, Eve disappeared leaving him alone in that alley, everything that had just happened felt like a dream to him.

------------------------------------

Eve watched her brother a bit longer until he reached his house, it was after he fell asleep that she left.

She had just regained her sanity a few months ago. For the past eight years she had been a wondering ghost.

Going around collecting souls and growing stronger. If she had remained only in the human world.

It would’ve taken her thousands of years to accumulate enough power to regain her sanity.

But the realm beyond the mist not only had a higher, significantly higher population but the number of daily deaths were that much higher.

Eve had just recently learnt what she was, the power she was gaining for the past eight years wasn’t just to regain her sanity.

It was also the start of the apocalypse and she was one of the 12 seals, she heard a voice in her head.

It was there constantly telling her what to do, most thought what they were facing was the advent of the grieved souls but they were wrong.

It had not even begun, when it does, death will be all that the world knows but for it to officially begin.

She had to do something, she had the fully open the seals. The Bloody Mary which she was, was a special existence.

She was akin to a reaper but stronger, reapers only take the souls of the dead to the underworld.

She could not only do that but she can leave behind a shell of the spirit to use as her soldier.

The voice kept whispering what she needed to do, Eve was conflicted, on end this was her destiny as the Bloody Mary.

On the other, she was still Eve and didn’t want people to die but resisting the voice in her head was getting harder.

She knew eventually she would succumb and open the seal letting out the Grieved Souls roam the world.

When that happens, the people will learn what fear truly is. What comforted her was that she knew only the guilty will die.

Otherwise she would try to resist the influence as much as she could even if it meant her own destruction.

She walked on the street watching the people of Legos roaming around freely not knowing what’s to come.

They were worried about inconsequential things like taxis and work when the end was near.

In a sense, she envied their ignorance, she was like them once and now eight years later, she was about to break one of the 12 seals and start the apocalypse.

Opposite the people of Legos, in a world none can see, she could see the Grieved Souls, crying, begging to be let out.

Because of their unresolved grievances, they can’t go to the afterlife, they can’t go to heaven or hell either.

They remained as spirits trapped between the two worlds, since they’re technically not in the world of the living, they’re not ghosts either.

Ghosts are those who refuse to go to the underworld for whatever reason. Grieved Souls try.

They want to go but they can’t, they seek not revenge but justice, for the truth of their deaths to come out.

Their fates were worse than being ghosts, they were prisoners of their own conflicts.