Holy Hearts

"Spike, what's that thing around your neck?"

"This? It's a cross necklace. It repels the spirits to a certain extent when I'm exorcising them."

"Are they really that dangerous?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. The variation I've encountered are called vengeful spirits; spirits that held on to their anger and disdain after death."

"That's so sad…"

"We can't do anything about it now, aside from helping them rest in peace."

After walking a few more feet, they reached the house where Spike had performed his most recent exorcism. Immediately upon arrival, a feeling of sleepy emptiness overcame Twilight.

"Do you feel it now?"

"Yeah…Something is definitely off about this place…"

"Stay close to me, okay?"

Twilight nodded, and they headed inside.

Though the evil energy from the night before had vanished, there was still a heavy sense of gloom. It weighed down heavily on them. No matter how skilled Spike was an exorcist, he was an emotional creature, just like everyone else on the planet.

"There's my stuff."

"A bottle of water and a book?"

"The book contains the exorcisms I use. The water is used to bless the location and trap the spiritual energy inside."

"…Hurry and get them…I don't like this place…"

"Neither do I."

Spike quickly gripped the objects and put them in the pockets of his hoodie. When they exited the structure, the sky became increasingly dark. Eventually, it started to rain.

"Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you hold me for a while?"

"Say no more."

Spiked kneeled down and wrapped his arms around her neck. Soon, she started crying. Through her sobs, she spoke words of pain.

"What's happening here, Spike? Where did all this death come from?"

"My guess is, a long time ago, there was a species consumed by greed, division, and bloodshed. It was so bad that even those who managed to break away from it were destroyed in the end."

Twilight sniffled, then asked another question.

"What other kinds of spirits are there?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is we can't let them run around causing problems forever."

"…Spike?"

"Hm?"

"Will you sing to me?"

"Yeah…"

Spike cleared his throat and began with a tune that got him through a lot of hard times when he felt isolated and had no will to fight on.

"Am I still breathing? Then nothing is as bad as it seems, so just keep breathing, and keep calm. The only real control we have is over ourselves, so let's get over it; that we can't and we won't control anything else."

Twilight began to drift off in his arms. When she entered the painless world of dreams, he lifted her onto his back. He continued singing on the way home.

"Just keep calm. Everything is alright."

In those few moments, the world felt calm. Nothing in the world mattered; not even the ghosts that haunted them. Two hearts were forever joined that day by a shared sadness transformed into something unexplainable. They cared deeply about each other's suffering, and were more than willing to try to put it to an end. No longer would they be torn apart by fear and doubt. The cards were set, and the cogs of the heart were at work. Even though this spiritual war continued, it was already clear who had won.