Every living being has a soul.

A few weeks ago, this was still a contested issue, with many believing it to be a fact, while others were waiting for an irrefutable truth on what made life so special.

Yet now that the world was in turmoil, with people dying left and right from all manner of horrific creatures, such an issue seemed ridiculous to debate.

Not just because, now, being alive was nothing special and instead you were just food for something else. With humanity no longer at the top of the food chain, the time for relaxed debates over philosophy or fashion hadn't yet arrived until it could secure its place once more. It was also because this thing which had been impossible to prove, was now as clear as day.

Spiritual beings formed purely of soul energy, ethereal strings that could control objects. These were the new normal, and with this normality came an uncomfortable truth: souls could be wielded, consumed, burned… and destroyed.

Deep within Seth's being was the very thing that science had never been able to prove. A glassy orb floating within a nebulous, desolate void, with a chaotic torrent of cerulean light swirling inside of the enigmatic sphere

Transient ethereal threads, weaved together by the same cerulean light, loosely curled around it before drifting off, like it was a spider in the centre of an intricate, yet delicate web. They did not constrict or contain the orb, simply drifted around as if it was a worried mother, waiting to swoop in and comfort its child when called for.

On the crystalline surface of this sphere, was a tiny and lone hairline fracture, as thin as a moment is short. But it wasn't alone for long. The fracture grew with each moment that passed, splitting more of the surface of this diaphanous container, splitting off into more fractures and cracks in the delicate container of that torrent of pneuma. The cracks cascaded their way around the orb, digging deeper into it and growing wider like miniature ravines until finally… the orb gave way.

Under the stress of the storm of energy inside, a single part of the orb simply couldn't withstand it any longer. The cracks dug deep until it finally broke, causing a fragment of his soul to drift slowly into the void surrounding him, unmoored from the whole, like a ship whose crew were all deceased, drifting off quietly into the unknown of the fathomless sea

And like dominos, when one piece fell, more were soon to follow.

***

A deathly chill permeated its way through Seth's body, feeling less like cold was seeping into him and more like every ounce of heat was being drained out. His vision blurred, the world around him becoming a mess of interlacing colours that his brain struggled to process.

Then, drifting its way into this blurred world was a single object that was clear as day. His eyes trembled in a mix of awe and instinctual fear as he gazed upon it.

It was a fragment of some sort of sapphire, gently floating in the air like a dream in the night. A playful smile danced on his lips as he admired the beauty of the sapphire, which twinkled softly with an eerie light, as it drifted further away from him.

He struggled to lift his arm, his fingers shuddering as each movement brought more pulsations of pain. Yet he ignored them, an instinct resonating from deep within him to capture this crystal and never let it go.

Yet no matter how much he tried, it drifted through his fingers like the sands of time. Passing through his flesh without a care in the world, only bumping against the ethereal threads that emanate from his fingertips.

His mind, dulled from the burden of the pain, took a few moments to truly process what was happening and what this beautiful, radiant sapphire was. When his vision shifted, beginning to clear up and show the world around him moving backwards, did another jolt of pain finally shake him from his stupor.

While Sirius was dragging him backwards, Seth narrowed his eyes at the shard sailing carelessly in the air. The movement of both parties widening the gap between them, every inch feeling like a ravine.

In his moment of clarity, Seth willed his threads to move. Despite feeling like he was dragging his arm through broken glass, he focused the functional remnants of his mind and wrapped the threads around the sapphire.

When the strings curled around the gem, they were loose and floated with a persistent gap. Like magnets of the same poles, they didn't naturally want to come together. They wanted to orbit, not bind.

But the force of their repulsion was not strong enough that Seth couldn't force his way through, ensnaring the fragment of his own soul in his threads, causing it to drift along with him as Sirius dragged him through the clothing store.

CRACK

The sound of glass straining and breaking resounded once again, yet this time it didn't come from inside. This time, it came from the opposite end of the clothing store, from shards of real glass being crushed under foot.

Seth winced at the sound, instinctively tightening the grip on his soul fragment as Sirius pulled them into nearby cover.

He could see the panic on his protector's face, the fear in his golden eyes, as he looked at the direction from which they had come. The direction in which, unfortunately, the sound had also came from,

"It's… It's the bird, isn't it?"

His voice was hoarse and strained, coughing a few times. Every word burned his throat, like he had spent a week in the desert after not drinking for a month. What he wouldn't do for another cup of coffee right now. Oh, that lovely, delicious coffee. He could still taste the remnants of his last breakfast on his tongue…

He shook his head, chasing away the useless thoughts that had crept their way in, taking advantage of his mind's weakened state. He focused himself again, having to ensnare the sapphire once again as his moment of mental derailment let the threads loosen and the shard drift ever so slightly further away.

Concentrating on keeping a tight hold on the fragment, his eyes drifted back to his companion.

"Yeah, I think so. Fuck… Fuck! I thought the big guy would have killed it. Does that mean it got him too?!"

Seth winced as another twinge of pain emanated from his chest, as if the comment twisted a dagger inside of him. He wanted to pat Sirius on the shoulder, to calm him down as he was starting to hyperventilate. But all he could manage was wiggling his stump, forgetting that he had lost his arm and even the weapon that was branded onto it.

He let out a half hearted chuckle which turned into a dry cough after a few seconds.

"I… I think so. Maybe it got the others too. But it has to be weakened at least. Do you… do you think you could beat it?"

"I… Maybe. I don't know. I mean, it looks weak. I think I can."

Sirius peaked his head out of their cover, using the variety of mirrors dotted about the place, which were once used to admire outfits, to keep an eye on the beast as it prowled through different parts of the shop.

While it wasn't a perfect system, still having a large amount of blind spots, it did tell him one thing. Whatever happened out there had done some serious damage.

The steel-feathered raven was covered in blood. It limped with every step it took as it slowly but surely hunted down the pair that had invaded its territory. One of its wings was bent at an odd angle, the tip of its once razor sharp beak was now snapped off, and a handful of its own feathers were even stuck in various places of its body.

When it turned its head to sniff in the air, he could see a large, gnarly gash on the side of its throat that was so wide he could fit his head into it.

"If you think you can do it… Then go. But leave me here, I'll only get in the way. Once it's dead, we can go find the others if… if there is any left. Otherwise, we try our luck at running and hope it doesn't catch us."

It took a few moments for Sirius to reply. Moments he spent silently watching the beast, analysing it. Seth could see him gnawing at his lip as he contemplated the options.

Finally, he let out a long sigh. He steeled his gaze, before turning to Seth and flashing him another one of his charming smiles.

"I can do this. You just stay here, I'll be back soon."

Giving Seth a pat on the shoulder, he took another deep breath before creeping out of their cover and disappearing out of sight.

Seth let out another weak chuckle, his head falling to the side as his eyes scanned the room he had been left in. Only to find a familiar sight.

A collection of corpses in various states of decay and consumption, a pile of junk neatly arranged into a nest and a giant egg sitting innocently in the middle. It's pale shell the same colour as the myriad of bones that surrounded it, picked clean of their meaty goodness.

As his eyes settled on the lonesome egg, Seth's exhausted mind couldn't help but stray once more.

'Heh, She was right… That would make a pretty good omelette.'