Xal took the boxes as he used to in the past two days and followed behind, silent. The kid's screams still echoed in the hallway, or maybe just in his head. He didn't know what to believe anymore. To him, Kian had simply put his hands on a child and made him scream in agony until he passed out.
No visible spirit.
No proof of anything supernatural.
Just a kid in pain and a man who claimed to be saving him.
Downstairs, Kian spoke briefly with the parents with a slight professionalism than he had seen before.
"Never remove the amulet until he turns fifteen. He's safe now." He took the payment and headed for the car.
Xal loaded the boxes into the backseat, as on autopilot, while his mind churned.
How can I be his bodyguard without knowing if any of this is real?
"Can you stop?" Kian's voice snapped next to him.
He turned. The younger man had halted two feet from the car, arms crossed over his chest, almost appearing to hold himself. He wasn't sure if he looked irritated, exhausted, or just tired of something else.
"Stop what?"
"The…the thinking. It's all negative. I told you it attracts all the worst kind of spirits." Kian's tone was agitated, but something in his posture, the slight hunch of his shoulders, the way he wouldn't meet Xal's eyes, felt off. But he didn't want to waste more time here. Half of the day passed with him running behind this man, playing with air, and not a single moment leading to Khem.
He hated going back on his word as it made him look weaker, but he had to abandon plan A.
"Yes. I was thinking I should…"
He didn't get to finish saying that he should quit as Kian's phone rang loudly, shattering the chance to tell him that he couldn't continue to be his bodyguard.
Kian answered. His face went pale as he listened.
"How long?... Five days? FIVE?... No, you don't understand… What about the amulet?... "
His voice climbed with each question, frustration bleeding into something that sounded like disappointment. Xal couldn't tell, reminding him how he was never good at understanding the 'why' behind the things he observed, and he never bothered to learn how to. For him, knowing what's behind meant having to help them, show care, but he could not afford that as he had to focus on his parents' happiness and well-being.
No one could become another priority that would bother taking care of his parents.
"I don't think…" The final sentence was too curt. A pause. He watched as Kian closed his eyes, breathing in slowly.
"...Okay. I'll be there."
He lowered the phone and stood still for a moment. When he spoke, his voice came out calm as the soft tides in a lake.
"Change of plans. It's a ten-year-old girl, spirit illness. You need to take me there. Drop me off, and you can go home. You don't have to come back again. I know you were going to say no to the offer."
The words hit him harder than expected, leaving the tips of his ears burning. Had he been that obvious?
"Sure. I'll drop you off."
It stung, admitting defeat.
Going back on his word. But what choice did he have?
He couldn't see what Kian saw.
That's the truth.
Couldn't understand most of what he was doing or even confirm if any of this was real, let alone believing that Kian could lead him to Khem. Wasting time on other people's problems was not a luxury he could afford now.
That's the truth.
So, he told himself.