Su Na

"That must be Su", Xue Jing told her husband.

"Okay then, get the door. Let me prepare lunch. Tell her not to shout, Du is sleeping"

Xue Jing laughed and went to the door. As she opened it, "I know it's you. Shhh, don't shout"

Su Na tiptoed into the living room, "Where is she? Where is the bundle of joy? Oh my goodness Xue, congratulations!". Su grabbed her friend and gave her a tight hug.

"You are choking me, easy Su!"... she pretended to cough and they both burst out laughing.

"Where is Ren?"

"He is in the kitchen making lunch"

Su dropped her bags in a corner in the living room and walked towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, Xue carried her friend's bags into the guest room on the other side of the living room. "Hi, Ren! Somebody is a father now! Congratulations to you. I am so happy for you all"... they hugged each other.

Su Na and Xue Jing had attended the same college ten years ago, and since then, they had remained tight friends. When Su's parents died the year of their graduation, Xue abandoned all the celebrations their class had planned to stay beside Su as she buried her father. Shortly after Su's father's death, her mother died too. It was a hard time for Su Na, but Xue had been by her side all along.

When Xue and Ren married, two years later, Su Na had been her chief bride's maid and it was a happy celebration. "Do not worry darling, we will dance at our own wedding soon", Xue had told Su. But now, eight years later, Su wasn't married yet. It was a source of pain to her but it didn't stop Su from appreciating the healthy relationship between Ren and her fiend, Xue.

"So, can I see her now?", Su Na asked Xue as she came back into the living room, leaving Ren Jing in the kitchen.

"Of course. She is in her cot. She has been sleeping since we came in"

Su Na peeped into the cot, "Oh my goodness Xue, she is so beautiful. Look at all that hair! Come here, friend!", Su hugged Xue again. She had been there during the loss of their precious children. It was not an easy time, especially for her best friend, Xue Jing.

"I told you, didn't I? I said you would smile again. It seemed like I was speaking gibberish that time, but look at who you got now! You told Ren I will be staying for a few days, right?"

"Yes, I did. He says to reduce your shouting and we will be fine"... Both Xue and Su laughed but quickly grabbed their mouths so as not to wake the sleeping baby.

"What's her name? I wish she was awake. My hands are itching to carry her"

"Du. Du Jing", Xue smiled as she said her baby's name. Love dripping from her voice.

"Beautiful"

* * *

As all these went on in real life, they didn't know that the spirit inside their baby's body had traveled to a faraway place.

Anytime that Du slept, Karina's spirit would leave the little body to the meeting place the guardian of the spirit library had told her about.

It was a meeting place of ancient beings that came to share their knowledge, and train the spirits who are brave enough to undertake the tasks given to them, to attain power and abilities.

Karina had read about these creatures in one particular book the guardian bird had handed to her. Karina had told him why she hadn't transcended to the next dimension- the dimension of rest.

"You still have unfinished business and your spirit is grieved and full of revenge", it had said. "Every being is entitled to exact vengeance on the person that did it wrong". Then, he flew into the library with its larger-than-life wings and came out with the book.

This was the third time she had left the baby's body and came to this dimension in search of the meeting place. The map of the location was in that book that Karina had memorized. She could see the pages of the book in her mind's eye, as clear as day. Karina read and studied the book for so long that she couldn't even tell how long.

* * *

It was proving hard to find. "Space is indefinite, unlike Earth. I would have found where I was searching for if it was in a different place"

But I will not give up. Never! This was another chance for me to carry out my heart's desire. I needed to get stronger and find my murderer.

"I guess if I get stronger, I will be able to trace where that wicked slug is. I will reach her where ever she is. She will not be able to escape from me, even though she is in hell". I brought back my focus to the task at hand. "Where could this place be? Everything ends around here"

Just then and there, I hit a force field that sent me flying backward. "AH! That hurt". The energy was so intense that even in this state, I had felt its impact.

Hovering around the field, I couldn't find the source of the barrier. "This must be the place then. I am sure of it".

The map in my head ended here. There was nothing beyond this spot.

However, I waited, then I heard a voice without seeing who or what it belonged to. "What do you want, spirit?". It echoed even though it seemed like I was in an open space.

In the book, it was written that when you are asked that question, you should reply with a certain language. So I said, "KRAT RIINN AG"

Then the atmosphere just three steps away from me began to change, and an animal that resembled a kangaroo that must have been crossed with an eagle materialized.

It startled the hell out of me but I remained unmoved. [So it had been in front of me? So close... so creepy. Hell, I am in the creepy group now too], I thought.

"Follow me. The guardian of our library told us about you. You want to get stronger. Are you ready for what is ahead?", it said as it floated through the field.

Going through the exact spot the spirit kangaroo had passed, I replied, "I am ready for whatever"

"We shall see about that"