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A Second Chance for the Soulless
Chapter 5: A Promise for Honesty
IIt was sundown as Camula and Orion began their trek back to the Obelisk Girl's dorm.
After winning her entrance exam against Crowler, Orion volunteered to give Camula a tour of the campus. He showed her the card shop, the classrooms, the dueling fields, the library where Orion found the books, and a computer room.
However, during this impromptu tour, Orion was acting different than usual, different enough for Camula to notice. His explanations for each part of the tour were brief and listless as if he wanted to get it done as fast as possible so he could talk to her about something else. He also refrained from eye contact and was stuttering more than usual.
Maybe it was because of all the new information in Sheppard's office. Camula wasn't sure.
After the tour, Orion insisted he walk her back to the dorm. Camula, sensing an ulterior motive from Orion, accepted.
Orion was quieter than usual. Sometimes he would glance over to Camula and try to start a conversation, only to shake his head and retreat, still trying to formulate what he wanted to say.
It's expected Orion to act like this. They were alone, walking down a forest path at sunset; the sky was shimmering amber, and the air was invitingly warm. Such a beautiful setting shouldn't be disturbed, and Orion didn't want to break this trance.
Camula turned to see Orion staring at her. Camula checked her shoulders and arms to see if she had a mosquito or bee on her like last time. When she found none, she realized he was only admiring her looks.
She doesn't blame him. She was an immaculate beauty to be desired by men and envied by women. with her flawless skin, striking red eyes, thin yet pillowy lips, and sharp chin, she was the center of affection from plenty of would-be suitors.
If there was one positive thing about being a soulless husk of a mortal being, she at least kept her good looks. Now, if only she could find a replica of her maroon dress so that she wouldn't have to wear this skimpy uniform.
Orion's eyes would slowly trace down to the rest of Camula's body like a paintbrush, starting from her slippers to her ribbon-covered shins, to her skirt, then to her waist, and then eventually...
Orion's gaze finally met Camula's, and upon being caught, Orion quickly turned his head away in shame. He would cover his eyes for extra measures, like a child playing hide-and-seek.
"S-Sorry," Was all Orion could say, deeply embarrassed.
"Hmph, you're not the first one to ogle upon my figure," Camula said honestly, not thinking much of it.
She would glance away for a moment before she spoke up.
"The true question is...Did you like what you saw?"
There was a pause from Orion before he slowly turned back to Camula's way, unsure if she was serious.
Camula folded her arms and planted her feet on the ground. Camula wanted an honest answer from Orion, and she wouldn't budge until she got one. Orion turned around and, a moment later, resurfaced with his bug mask, no doubt to try to hide his anxiety.
"Y-You...You..." Orion stuttered, his mask doing nothing to hide his anxiety.
Camula sighed; she couldn't even get an obvious answer from Orion without turning him into a stuttering mess.
"Fine, I'm ugly, I understand," Camula finished before him.
"N-No! I wasn't going to s-say that!" Orion protested back.
Camula smirked at Orion as she continued to tease him. "Oh, so I'm horrifying, is that it? But, of course, I'm assuming the worst if you don't speak up!" she teased, amused by her own antics.
"O-Okay! Okay! C-Cammy, you're..." Orion once again paused as he struggled to get his words out.
"Look, Orion, we're completely alone. No one's judging you, so speak up," Camula urged, her voice getting severe.
It took great effort, but Orion finally spoke, "You look amazing," He managed to say without stuttering or stammering.
Camula scoffed, but oddly, she felt her heart flutter. This was unusual for Camula, she was used to compliments about her beauty, but this one, coming from Orion, made her feel content. Like she was happy that she didn't disappoint him.
Regardless, if Orion could be convinced to flirt, he could be convinced to talk about what he had in mind.
"See, that wasn't so challenging. Now tell me, you wanted to talk about something?" She asked calmly.
Orion gave her a nod as he took off his bug mask. "I do...About that w-whole thing at the Chancellor's office." He began twisting his fingers, unsure how to navigate this topic.
"Alexis, Zane, and Crowler h-has accused you of some things...They're not true, right?" Orion asked, willing to hear Camula's side of the story.
Now it was Camula's turn to be quiet. She opened her mouth for a moment, but no words came out.
Camula desperately wanted to lie to Orion, to tell him that their truths were machinations and manipulations, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, not to him. He has been forgiving, understanding, and reasonable since they met, but will this be the straw that breaks the camel's back? Will Orion be fed up with her lies?
Noticing her resistance, Orion continued, "Y-You know, no matter what y-you've done in the past...Doesn't shape your future," He told Camula.
"A-And no m-matter what you've d-done, you're still my f-friend," Orion reassured her.
That made Camula look up to Orion, she was still not speaking, but he got her attention. So it's a start, at least.
"Let's start o-off with C-Crowler. He said you cheated. Is t-that true?"
"Yes, when I had my powers, I used my bats to spy on his deck," Camula finally admitted. She then closed her eyes for a moment, expecting Orion to damn her for her cheating.
But yet, not a single ounce of anger nor malice was in Orion's voice. "So you d-did your research. That isn't too bad," He said, not thinking much of it.
Camula opened her eyes and blinked at Orion, "Spying on your opponent's deck is research?" She questioned his thought process.
"I-I m-mean the d-duel disk registers our deck recipes and posts them online, s-so it's okay." He said with a shrug.
"Just use the PDA I gave you instead. No more bats, please, hehe," He suggested with a light chuckle, trying to lighten up the situation.
Camula felt oddly better after admitting her mistakes as if a hidden weight had been lifted off her shoulders. This relief made Camula confident enough to recognize the rest of her wrongdoings.
"Alexis and Zane, what they said was true too, I held Zane's brother hostage, and I would've taken their souls if I didn't lose to Jaden." This confession, unlike her previous one, was listless, remorseless, and stated matter-of-factly. Her quest to revive her people was a noble one, after all. If she had to sacrifice others to accomplish her goal, then so be it.
"Since we've figured out you don't need to t-take souls, let's not do that again," Orion replied.
Only when Camula got to the part about lying to Orion that made her second-guess herself.
"And I...I lied to you about it...I'm..." Camula suddenly felt her heart sting. She wasn't sure what this feeling was, but it made her feel sick and disgusted with herself.
"I've been lying to you since we met. I'm…" Camula paused with a gasp as this painful sensation in her heart worsened.
However, unlike before, Camula would not endure this pain alone. Before she could react, Orion suddenly wrapped his arms around her.
Camula felt her body stiffen as a deep red sensation suddenly burned her cheeks. This flaring shade reddened as Orion's words brushed her ear.
"It's okay, I forgive you," Orion whispered, not needing to hear an apology.
"But why?!" Camula shouted before she pushed him away, frustrated by his compassion.
"I-I don't deserve your forgiveness...I don't deserve your kindness..." Camula started to shake as she was stung by her own words.
"I called you a fool. I've taken your help for granted, and I keep lying to you! Yet you're still forgiving me? Why? Why aren't you damning me? Why aren't you condemning me like the others!?" Camula huffed as she let it all out.
"It's because...Camula," Orion, with surprising courage, brushed a finger against Camula's cheek, catching one of her tears before it could roll down to her chin.
"I believe in you!" He declared as he gave her a smile.
Camula just couldn't help but stare back at Orion in disbelief. She doesn't understand anymore. This boy is an outcast to his peers, such loneliness would corrupt even the most gentle of souls into misanthropy, yet Orion still held on.
Camula felt a sudden strange feeling rush over her, overtaken by it, she embraced Orion with a hug, nestling her head into his neck and staining his mantle with tears.
Like a dam bursting open, a flood of stifled regret, guilt, and self-hatred coursed through Camula. Yet within this gripping ocean of despair, she felt Orion's hand pulling her up.
Her silent tears eventually devolved into a loud sob as her human emotions resurfaced after stowing them away for centuries.
Before, Camula was a heartless vampire. Now she is a soulless mortal. The irony is not lost on her.
"We all make mistakes...As long as we learn, that's all that counts," Orion said as he returned the hug.
"It's the providence of the heart," He recited as he raised two fingers to the sky.
"You're such a fool..." Camula sniffled.
"For believing in me," she whispered.
As Camula pulled herself away from Orion, the two shifted into an awkward silence, unsure what to say to each other after such a dramatic moment.
"Cammy…Let's make a promise to each other," Orion suggested.
"What do you have in mind?" Camula responded.
Orion then scuffled the back of his mantle before pulling out a maroon ribbon. He tied the cloth around Camula's wrist before he held her hand.
"Let's promise ourselves to become the best version of o-ourselves, you'll be more honest, and I'll be more confident,"
"You being more confident? With me by your side, I feel like that's a lost cause," Camula remarked cynically.
"But…From now on…" Camula touched her new maroon ribbon around her wrist.
"No more lies, no more deceit." She announced as she pressed a palm against her heart. Orion smiled, happy to see Camula was taking him seriously.
"And I'll stop acting like a fool. It's affecting m-my s-stuttering," Orion promised back.
"Don't call yourself that Orion…Only I can call you that," Camula declared with a smirk.
Orion smiled back as he rubbed his arm, "You're r-right. When it's coming from y-you, it's not as bad." He said honestly.
"Speaking of w-which, are you okay with me calling you Cammy, or would you prefer C-Camula?" Orion asked.
"My name is Camula, not C-C-C-C-Camula," Camula playfully teased.
"You should put S-Soul Release in your deck, oh w-wait! I forgot y-you don't have one!" Orion badgered back with a joke of his own.
"Oh, now that's c-c-cold!" Camula replied as she hugged herself as if a cool breeze blew by.
"Then l-let me walk you back to y-your dorm," Orion suggested with a smile.
"...I would appreciate that," Camula replied.
The two duelists spent the rest of the trip in playful banter, trading jokes, and jabs. Some ended in laughter, and some ended in apologies and bowing.
When Camula and Orion reached the gates to the Obelisk Blue Girl's Dorm, like before, Orion bowed to Camula before heading off in a skittish sprint, tripping over the same weeds and shrubs as before.
Camula chuckled at Orion's clumsiness as she waved goodbye.
However, unlike before, as she pushed the gate, it didn't budge. Camula cocked an eyebrow as she tried again, this time with extra force.
The gate shuddered and jostled, but it still wouldn't open. Annoyed, Camula slammed her shoulder into the gate but to no avail.
"Looking for this?" A voice said from behind.
Camula turned to see Alexis with an iron key in her hands and a duel disk strapped around her wrist. Tailing behind her were her two friends, Mindy and Jasmine.
"Thank you two for telling me how she got into the dorm yesterday," She told her friends as she spun the key around her fingers.
"Yeah, no one ever uses this old gate anymore! So when we noticed a new face at the dining hall and the gate being open…" Mindy then clasped her hands together, motioning the coincidence between Camula's arrival and the old gate being opened.
"What do you want, you wretch?" Camula growled as she stood her ground, not intimidated by the three.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to send you back to wherever you came from!" Alexis declared as she pointed at Camula.
"You did some horrible things, and I'm not going to stand on the sidelines and let you get away with it!" She continued.
With a flex of her arm, Alexis' duel disk bloomed to life in a shower of lights, readying itself for a duel.
"If I win, you got to sleep somewhere else, if you win, you get the key." Alexis wagered as she dangled it in front of Camula, taunting her.
Camula scoffed as she showed off her duel disk, "Like I have a choice, but if you're going to get in my way…" Her duel disk then activated.
"I'll trounce you like how I trounced Crowler," Camula declared as she got ready.
"DUEL!"