Lead the Souls to Rest (Quest)

[Following the events of Can You Hide?]

Distant echoes of phantoms rang in this empty carnival. A feeling of dread hung in the air, as if a great tragedy had just happened. Chandra could feel the souls of the lost and innocent cry out, but she couldn't see where they were. But she knew they were in terrible pain. She felt like it was time for her to go to work. The little angel hummed a sweet song that pierced the veil of darkness, revealing what the naked eyes couldn't see. For a moment after she stopped humming, there was complete silence. And little by little, the sound of crying became loud enough that she could follow it to the source.

There were glowing footprints on the ground. She counted six sets which were just a little bit smaller than her own, and one set which was dark, and looked to belong to someone much older. Whoever owned that last set was no longer there. She decided to follow it, seeing as it went everywhere. That, and she had a sneaking suspicion that those footprints would lead her to the souls. Eventually she found the first one by a drawing in chalk, outlining the body of the child that was murdered there. His ghost was sitting in front of it, his tears flowing like no tomorrow. The ghost child's head was deformed, cracked. Chandra approached and knelt down, and waited for the ghost boy to take notice of her.

The boy told her to get away and leave him be the moment he noticed her sitting there, but Chandra shook her head and extended her arm out to him with a reassuring smile that was hidden behind her clothing. Without a single word, Chandra convinced the boy to come with her. When he touched her hand, he could feel the pain disappear, and his deformity along with it. He thanked her, and then asked her if she found his other friends. She shook her head. He was the first to be found, but Chandra reassured him that they would be found as well. Believing in the angel, the boy allowed himself to be taken away by the light. With a final word of thanks, the boy's ghostly form faded.

Chandra moved on, and found the second and third victims close by, one was stuck inside the machine that made the fluffy sweets, and the other was trying to get up there to help. She flew over and pulled the child out and placed her on the ground, where she and the boy who tried to help her embraced, crying on each others shoulders. Before she got to leave, the two gave the angel a warm hug, and they moved on while they were in her arms. They were so young... Chandra couldn't understand why anyone would do such a thing to them. Their souls were still pure. Who could have done such a thing?

Just when she though she had seen the worst that night had to show her, the next pair she found told her how they ended up dying. They were on the Ferris wheel, where they were forced to kill each other. They were siblings, and a heavy load of pain, guilt and regret weighed on their hearts for not being strong enough to keep themselves from doing the deed. Such a burden wouldn't allow them to move on, and Chandra made sure they knew that. She told them that she'd come back for them later, and that they should use that time to make amends. Only then would she be able to free them from this world.

The final child was still sleeping where he laid, tears seeping through his eyelids. He recoiled from Chandra's touch and began to whimper. She held his hand tightly and his whimpers quieted down as his eyes opened. Upon seeing Chandra, the boy jumped up and hugged her, and in response, the angel held him tightly. He was scared. He had been alone the whole time. Chandra wished she could do something for him, but letting his soul rest was the only thing she could. She whispered into his ears that his friends will be waiting for him, before sending him off. His ghostly body disappeared, his soul finally getting the rest it deserved. Their deaths were untimely, but at least now there was no more pain.

Chandra stood up and walked back to the Ferris wheel, but saw that the two siblings had already made amends, and by the time she arrived, they were already moving on. They waved her goodbye before their bodies faded to the Aether.

That was it... she found the six children, and set their souls free. She hoped she never had to do anything like this again.