Somewhere around the overgrowth lies Lander. His mouth muzzled while he was tied unconscious to a tree. The rain drops woke him up as the seemingly sunny day relinquished itself to the storm.
“Where am I?”, he thought as he panned his vision to the bushes and foliage of trees.
“Rope?”, he thought as he looked down. “Right, I should tell commander Alvor or Nicolas about this”.
He tried shaking himself to loosen the rope but it was well tied.
An idea draws him to his sword which was on his side, but all his efforts are futile. He can only move his hands but his arms are well tied than any part of his body.
“For goodness sake!, Is this how I’ll die?, cold, hungry, and alone”, he exclaimed but the muzzle made it inaudible and sounded more like a rough moan of annoyance.
“I thought I can at least be forgiven before I die but I guess that’s juts all but a daydream, what pour soul I am”, he thought while sobbing.
“Wait a minute, soul!”, he cheered panning to the rustling sound of the bush in front of him revealing a squirrel.
He closed his eyes then concentrated.
“A shield big enough to make the rope snap”, he thought. “As big as possible…”
Everything turned white and illuminated. The next thing he knew he took his sword and sprinted to the now perishing town.
“So what now brother?, Do you want to join us? They still don’t know I’m the missing third piece but they will, eventually”, Marcus said turning to Nicolas after he had took the old lady’s soul.
“Join the enemy?, and what? Give up all the morals and beliefs that I have up hold from all those lives!”, Nicolas debated refusing no matter what.
“If you join us I can at least negotiate for that girl’s safety”, Marcus proposed as he began walking towards the lifeless Fine and Daniel.
“I can’t trust your word for that do I?”, Nicolas was still suspicious as he watched him across the muddy lawn.
“Well it’s your choice to believe it or not”, he replied stepping on Daniel’s head.
“What are you doing, they are already dead, let them be!”
“Nope… wake up and do your job!”
To Nicolas’s surprise the two really did stood up as if nothing happened. They tried dusting off the mud on their shirts but it did not came off, so they just stretched their arms and legs instead as if waking up from a slumber.
“What did you do Marcus”, Nicolas shivered in horror.
“If the body isn’t yours you can posses it how many times you want. Especially when the owner themselves are not here anymore”, Marcus explained with his arms wide open.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know?, maybe after we take that girl’s soul we can make some of those to posses her. That way we can have her as a toy!”, Marcus laughed. “Now stay here and wonder as these buddies of mine hunt her down!”.
“Don’t you dare!”, Nicolas exclaimed bulldozing straight to Fine and Daniel like a bull.
A swing made a “whoosh” repelling itself an inch in mid air refusing to touch Nicolas’s forehead. It stopped him on his tracks and stumble backwards, down to the mud as he was trembling in anger.
Marcus just laughed at his reaction as he retreated.
“You should’ve known that our souls would refuse to touch each other in any way possible. So what’s up with that reaction”, he held his stomach as if he felt too much gag.
“I know!”, Nicolas replied throwing a ball of mud he had been clenching since he fell over.
It plunged into Marcus’s face like an ice cream but with the exclusive taste of dirt and earthworms. He was so surprised that he panicked while desperately wiping the mud off his face.
Marcus was just about finished cleaning his face when Nicolas came with a follow up punch and pounded his face like bread dough.
“Who cares if I can’t deal with you using my soul. I will beat you up with everything I got!”
“So much confidence you have there, Nicolas!”, Marcus yelled kicking him off. Quickly, he stood and stepped on his head, pressing it vigorously into the mud.
It did not look like a proper fight, not even a skilled duel of martial arts. It was a fight between two four year olds crying there eye’s out from a show off on who can jump higher.
“Don’t think that I’ve already forgotten what you did last life!”, Marcus yelled.
“Don’t give me that crap, I tried looking help for you!”, Nicolas replied.
“You just wanted to get rid of me because you always thought I just slowed you down so you let me die, alone!”.
“I never once thought of that!”, Nicolas finally managed to turn the tables when he desperately reached for Marcus’s foot and lifted it up as he stood with full force, bringing the boy back to the ground.
“I did not leave you to die alone!, I never wanted to get rid of you. You held the kindness I can’t procure while I bared the blood lust needed for our survival!”, he said pounding Marcus’s face again.
“You’re my twin! My brother and other half! Without you I’d rather die too!”, Nicolas recited with every punch as he tried to get his point across.
He finally stopped when he noticed Marcus’s unconscious beat up face.
He held back his punch, sighed and sat on the wet ground. “If that did not shake you back to what is right, I don’t know what will”. He sighed before footsteps came entering the alley.
“What happened here?”, Anton asked as the lighting showed his face and the broken sword he was carrying.
“Thank goodness it’s you. Can you bring Marcus back to the others? I still need to find Nero”, Nicolas asked him as he catch his breath.
Footsteps came approaching again and the alley manifested two knights under Anton’s command, they reported.
“Knight Leader, the town is all in chaos but thanks to the efforts of the others they managed to defend the Bibliotheca, while the enemy…”
“Had retreated to the forest”, Anton said literally cutting them both with another blade.
Nicolas was speechless from the description that he did not expect that would come from Anton. A sword that came from the thin air, pitch black, and does not glow.
“What did you do Anton!”, Nicolas exclaimed giving more emphasis to him selling his soul than the two knights whose dead on the side.
The rain was still mad but not as concerning as to what Anton revealed, at least for Nicolas.
“Out of all the people you are the least person I’d expect for a betrayal”, Nicolas said feeling weary. “What did you even do to Lander”.
“I just did what was needed”
“You’re sounding like father. You’re just making an excuse”, Nicolas tried looking for a way to escape but he’s too tired to even move a single muscle.
“Excuse?, You have no idea on how much I’ve lost because of you!… I lost my father and it’s your fault!...”, Anton said kicking the mud and the murky water in his tantrum.
“Then after that I was stuck taking care a depress kid with pathetic panic attacks, rude and inconsiderate!”. Nicolas felt like he would sink through the ground after all that he heard.
“So, excuse?... Was trying to spare the rest of humanity from the pain of losing their wife and child just an excuse to you?”
“You have a wife?”, Nicolas said starting to feel sorry now.
“Had, Nicolas, had!, she died with our unborn child!... So tell me Nicolas. What did Selene do to get caught up in this mess you made? What did she do to deserve death!”, Anton was infuriated and it shows with every surface visible from his body.
His growing redness, his sour face, and his screams, one more and he’ll probably explode from all of the things he shouldered up to this point.
“Anton listen, you’re a rational person, handing me over would only cause further problems!”, Nicolas tried explaining. “This won’t do anything good if he got my soul back!”
“Yes there is, he promised me there is”, Anton tried calming down while walking towards the tired and now weak boy and his twin.
“He’s lying and you know that!”
“I know you too, and on how much you lie to get what you want!”, he yelled at Nicolas. “Now shut the hell up cause we will be facing Nero either you want it or not”, he said before knocking Nicolas out with one single smack.
Running towards the safety of the Library were Alisa, carrying Elizalina and the little girl.
“Um… miss?…”, Mae called Alisa as they ran.
“Don’t worry little girl, we are almost there just one block more”, Alisa assured her.
“That’s not what I mean. Someone is following us”
“Don’t mind them, just keep running”
“No, they are right on our tail!”, Mae exclaimed. “Ah!”, she screamed as Daniel jumped over her and tackled Alisa.
Elizalina was thrown to the ground then rolled a few meter away from the action.
“You guys don’t know when to give up!”, Alisa shouted at them as she tried to ward them off. Mae on the other hand is quick on her feet and managed to hide before Fine even realized she were there.
Again being pinned on a tight situation, Alisa was left no choice but to defend herself and the other two with no certainty of winning or being saved.
She fired an arrow, but as Eliza and Nicolas can, the two just easily sliced the arrow in half before charging in and hitting her with a coordinated kick.
She was sent skidding backwards a meter with her bow on her front as a shield. “I can’t die here yet”, she thought taking a deep breath.
She again aimed, focused everything she had in that one shot and moments later a condensed energy from her soul started to have a hue of red, like fire.
“Just leave us alone!”, she yelled before firing a wide beam of energy. She too was surprised from what she did.
“Nice try”, Fine said at her right ear.
“If only were not this agile, then it could have worked”, Daniel whispered on the other.
Alisa looked like a ghost had whispered in her ears, no, she thought that it would have been better if they were a ghost. A ghost would not be able to hurt her in anyway, but these two radiates bloodlust all over them.
She just kneeled there frozen.
“Sorry but we will be taking your soul”, Fine uttered as Daniel prepared himself for a clean cut in the head.
Alisa felt the cold breeze on her nape as the blade drew closer and closer.
“Alisa!”, Lander came yelling from the distance, and suddenly the girl was enclosed on a round bubble like field.
“Pesky shield wielder!”, Fine complained turning his frustration to Lander.
It would be easy to defend himself by recalling what he casted above Alisa and sprout it for himself, but he preferred not to. He chose the girl’s safety more than him.
“What are you doing Lander!, Save yourself!”, Alisa yelled scaling the bubble she were in.
Lander could not reply because of the immediate danger he’s about to face. He unsheathed his sword on his waist and shouldered Fine’s blade, but experience has too much gap between them and he’s immediately pinned to the ground.
Fine, without any hesitation stabbed him by the stomach when an old man appeared to take the hit instead. He also tried projecting a shield but it broke like a brittle glass and the blade sunk down his chest.
“Sir Donnor!”, Lander exclaimed. “Why didn’t you just encased me into a bubble from a far”, he wondered as he caught him. He was already bleeding from a wound on his stomach.
“I don’t know what you are saying but I’m incapable of such deed”, Donnor replied.
Then just like the flash of lightning, reinforcements arrived. Alvor rushed to subjugate Daniel in one blow, then turned to Fine and he too had fallen with just a single strike.
“Pesky humans, same as ever”, complained Daniel to Fine across the street.
They stared at each other, smirked, looked at Alvor then said. “Well played humans!”, then in the blink of an eye, their bodies fell to the ground as if their souls had decided to leave.
“What happened?”, Alvor asked as he recovered Elizalina.
“I’m not sure, but that two should have been dead a while ago”, Alisa explained trying to look for the little girl.
“Yeah, now they are”, the other man said while checking their pulse.
“Can’t we figure it out later, sir Donnor is badly wounded”, Lander said carrying the man to Alvor.
“Don’t bother. I’m just dying, not that big of a deal”, he sarcastically said trying to cover his wound up. “We should focus more where Nicolas is”.
“He was taken away”, Lander replied. “And someone tied me back at the forest”, Lander added.
“Did you see who took him?”, Alvor asked carrying Donnor from Lander.
“It was Anton, he’s the traitor. He must have sent a raven to the enemy after our meeting at the cabin”, Lander said refusing to believe his own words.
“I figured, because he’s the one who bored a hole here at my side without any notice”, Donnor laughed.
“Then why didn’t you help him!”, Alisa raised her voice. Alvor tried to calm her down but it was no use, so he just decided to separate the two.
Even the sky is having a break from all the whistling and thunder as they all decided to return to the library.
“Why can’t you answer me Lander!, Why didn’t you help him”, Alisa angrily yelled again starting to argue with him as the library came to view. Her father had found something better to do and let them be.
“I just did what I was told…”
“There you go again… I bet you told that to yourself the night you pushed me into the enemy’s hands!”, Alisa said refusing to listen to anything.
“Can’t you listen to me even for a moment!”,
“Listen to you? Like hell I would!”
“I did not help him because that’s what he wanted. That no matter what happens I should prioritize you. He cared for you more than himself, that’s why! He talked to me last night about this and I swore to him that I will protect you in his behalf even if it cause me my life!”
Alisa was left speechless from what Lander had told her. She was hit too hard that she immediately shut up and sat inside beside the door.
She watched the crowded library, the chairs and tables moved to the sides and the shelves glued to each other at the back just to make some space for the mattresses placed on the floor.
Mae, the little girl waved at her with a wide smile as she was tended to by the librarian. Turns out they know each other.
Then moments later she’s already crying, “Grandpa is no more”.
Everyone is disregarding the “Be Quiet” sign on the librarians table and on the walls together with the cries of pain and agony from the injury of the other citizens. It was far from a library and it turned in to a makeshift hospital ward, with buckets of blood and doctors operating on the floor.
The other children of the light and the remaining order of the knights were outside, either looking for survivors or just simply defend their last refuge.
“Come here Alisa”, Alvor called. “You too Lander”
“Why me too”, Lander wondered.
Alvor gave him no reply and just continued walking towards Donnor.
He looked pale and the bandages are doing nothing in order to help.
“Listen youngsters. It was nice that I got to fight alongside you, though I might not live to see the outcome of things”, he weakly said coughing while Alisa held his hand.
“It was wonderful to watch you grow into such a fine young lady”, he scribbled her hair as Alisa started to tear up.
“As for you boy, may I know your mother’s name?”, he said slowly turning to Lander.
“Lilybeth sir…”, Lander said kneeling down beside the dying old man, “As for her last name…”
“Gregory”, Donnor blurted. “Lilybeth Gregory”, he smiled to the startled Lander.
“I had my suspicions”, he coughed. “She was a fine child but she wanted to do things her way, and look what she had brought to the world, a fine young man too”.
Lander quickly cried as he realized what was going on. He did not speak but that hug gave him the warmth he never thought he needed so badly.
“Sorry if I’m only telling you this now… I wish I could have at least be able to guide you even for a little bit”, Donnor added. “But with Alvor here I think you’ll be just fine, my grandson”, he smiled, gave Lander a pat on the head and finally closed his eyes.
Lander felt each second as the man grew colder and colder whilw his heart slowly seized to beat. He cried and cried because he’s frustrated. He found a relative which gave him joy but as fast as the revelation go, that one hope had left the picture.
Then, as the thunder began to inform everyone that it is awake, he sighed, stood, and then wiped his tears.
“What’s the plan now?”, he cheerfully smiled at Alisa and Alvor.
“If your fine now, then let’s review what we know”, Alvor whispered. Lander agreed and they proceeded for the meeting.
They had used one of the rooms of the library. They had permission from the librarian herself.
“I would do all that I can in order to help”, Madam Veronica said as she gave her permission while fixing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
The remaining knights and Alvor’s men was quite few. Plus they had to take account on who will remain to tend the wounded and protect the bibliotheca.
The knights themselves presented to be the ones to guard the premise. “It would be better if the ones with the same abilities would face each other”, they said. Most of the archers also proposed the same thing.
A sudden knock came from the door. The “Librarian’s Office” sign had shaken upon the door opened. Madam Veronica is helping a girl walk alongside her and a closer look, Alisa recognized that it was Elizalina.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but this young lady is insisting to talk to you”, she worriedly said.
“It’s fine, let her in”, Alisa said not even waiting for her father’s approval.
“I need to tell you something”, Eliza weakly said.
“What could you tell us that we don’t already know”, Lander blurted sounding too professional. Just a second later, he recoiled to the side as he felt embarrassed.
“That’s true, but I will still talk. First I would like to apologize for what I did, I know I don’t deserve any of your forgiveness…”
“Don’t you need to mourn your brothers first?”, Alvor suggested.
“About that, they are already dead. Since the time I sold my soul a few months back, they are already dead. If somehow they are still walking, then that’s not them”.
Eliza explained sounding calm but her eyes suggests pain and guilt. “Because of this dead possession you should be wary of that giant man”.
“Giant man?”, Alisa repeated having flashbacks to the incident ten years ago.
“Nero would be probably a top the waterfall by now, directly above that temple while preparing for his resurrection and if he already has Nicolas then you have not that much time. The night is close”, she said suppressing a headache.
“Just to confirm, Sir Wilver was the one who cackled our plan to you right?”, Lander interrupted.
“Anton? Yes, he told us via a raven”
“I see…”, Lander said clenching his fist to the side.
“That’s all I can tell you and I wish you good luck… Do me a favor and save Nicolas and if possible Marcus too”, Elizalina begged before wobbling to her side. Alisa caught her and decided to send her back to bed.
“I will bring her back to her bed. I’ll meet you outside”, she uttered before closing the door.
In the end only a dozen people had proceeded with the plan including Lander, Alisa, Alvor and nine other sword wielding children of the light. They are bound for the forest, to the temple to be exact.
They only have one shot and the fate of everything was on their hands.