THE LONG parade had driven them to the side of the small playground. The place seemed abandoned. There was not a single person there, far from the road where they came from after leaving the restaurant. The swing near the entrance was rusty and the merry-go-round next to it broke after a long time. It tilted badly on one side. Old newspapers that were blown by the winds from the trash can had scattered to the ground.They sat quietly inside the car without speaking, while the strong beating of drums boomed outside. Yric could see Xurden in the rearview mirror, who was sitting straight with his eyes closed. Xurden crossed his hands on his chest, making his arms muscle bulge more while his assistant looked happily at the passing parade from the driver’s seat. On his lips, a small smile appeared after a while. Everyone who had joined the parade walked merrily, jumping and dancing to the beat of the drums.Yric moved his head near the window to the right as he saw a boy pass the car. The
QUESTIONS flooded his mind about what was happening. Fear crawled on his skin, making his hair stand. He asked himself again what was real or not.Thinking his life was in danger, he went out of the bathroom. He found his two friends laughing lightly at the television. Noah turned his head as he walked closer to the sofa. Their eyes meet.“What’s wrong?” Noah asked vaguely. He tapped his fingers on the side of the sofa.There was something odd in his voice. He sensed no emotions in it. “Nothing. I only bit my tongue,” Yric answered, feigning ignorance.“Aren’t you going to finish the cookie?” his friend added as Yric walked at their back, going to the balcony. Noah picked up the cookie and looked at it straight.Yric turned his head. “I am not that hungry anymore,” he said.“I think you are. You said it earlier. I know it when you are hungry. Is there something bad about this food?” Noah studied the cookies in his hand, which were wrapped in plastic.“I can’t eat anymore. Don’t force
AS THE cold got thicker, Yric’s body felt numb, with his lips shaking. Xurden still fought the darkness, engulfing them. The demon was only laughing around them since he couldn’t get closer to them because of the blinding light. Hearing the laugh, Yric’s fear reached its peak. His mind had stopped running and couldn’t think of anything else other than death. “I find it funny that I will be the one now who’s going to say that you’re a fool. I know the more you stay in this world, you got weaker,” the demon rumbled with a laugh. “You’re going to die here. It’s right that I sought the witch. With her help, I finally can kill you.” After hearing what just the demon had said, they would really end up dying in that nothingness. Yric couldn’t see the demon concealed in darkness. But he clearly knew Xurden had reached his limit as the light he omitted got thinner. The man fell to his one knee, and he instantly followed, holding Xurden’s arm to hold him up. He looked at the man’s face covered
THE WIND HOWLED from the sea, bringing the coldness into the air around the houses built along the shore. It echoed in Xurden’s ear as they stood on the roof of one of the abandoned warehouses overlooking the length of white sand. Above the sky, the round moon glowed bright hiding from the thick clouds. A few blocks away from where they were, the party had started early on the rooftop of a five-story building. He could see Yric standing in the corner, even from a distance. The younger guy looked so lost holding a red disposable cup.Choosing the bar was a wise choice because he was sure the witch would continue her plan when there were a bunch of people around. Xurden knew how the witch’s mind works. The witch was confident in her abilities. That was why she would not waste a chance while Yric was alone.“Boss, I am really wondering what’s on your mind. I believe you have a solid reason that made you to agreed on helping that boy,” Sebastian muttered beside him.Xurden took a deep bre
XURDEN’S MIND stopped remembering the past when Sebastian talked loudly on his side. He blinked his eyes once, touching his head. It hurt after the climax of his memory. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at Sebastian.“What?” Xurden asked with no emotion.Sebastian pointed his hand toward the party. “Yric is gone. What happened to you, Boss? I was talking to you, but you’re not responding.”He ignored Sebastian’s question because he didn’t want to tell the truth that his memories drowned him even his wide awake.“Let’s go down now,” He said instead of answering.“But why? I am sure the witch got him. Don’t tell me this is not a mistake. You really intend to give him.”Xurden glared at his assistant. “Are you crazy? I can trace him,” he uttered before jumping off the rooftop.His clothes flapped to the wind as he go down while Sebastian followed him. He landed first on the hard cement with no sound.“How?” Sebastian asked confusedly as he stood on Xurden’s left side.“You don’t have to
THE ABANDONED TEMPLE stood on top of a hill overlooking half of the town. Silence filled the air, which gave an eerie feeling. There were no movements in the trees growing on its surface as the wind had died. The moon peeked in the back of the four pillars that were left after an earthquake many years ago.A barrier stopped Xurden and Sebastian in the middle of the stair that would take them up to the temple. It wasn’t visible to the naked eye.“I understand now why the witch chose this place,” Sebastian commented. “The witch might have thought that you will not come here because this is a sacred place. She even put on an illusion to drive away people who want to climb. Now that we’re here, I can tell the sacredness had long gone.”“It’s good that you know. I don’t have to explain everything. You stay here. I am going alone,” Xurden exclaimed as he prepared himself.Sebastian turned his head immediately. “I’ll go with you.”“I’ll go alone. You’ll just be a burden. Stay on your guard.”
WAVES echoed into the shore as they crashed while the wind howled. The sky had cleared, revealing the full moon. There were no houses built along the beach.Xurden stood on the side of the road under the light post, waiting for his assistant. He fixed his eyes on the rough water with his mind wandering off. After he left the cave, he couldn’t stop thinking about the demon. He had a lot of questions about who the demon was. But he couldn’t find an answer on his own. That’s why he planned on searching for him when he arrived home. For now, he had a burden on his shoulder and that was the two friends lying down, still unconscious on the bench beside him. He would make sure the two wouldn’t remember Yric. He would erase him from their memory together with what happened on that island. It was better that way for them.He turned to the road when a bright headlight coming from the bent hit his back. After a while, the black car stopped in his front. Sebastian went out immediately, not closin
THE SILENCE broke into the car as they drove onto the quiet highway. Muffled shouts echoed from the trunk, mirrored with loud thuds. Yric turned his head at the back, worried for his friends because Xurden wasn’t saying anything to his assistant. He looked him in the eye and spoke carefully.“Please, can you stop the car?” Yric begged the man. “It scared them waking up on a trunk.”Xurden took a deep breath. It showed on his dropping shoulder. He raised his other hand for his assistant. Sebastian immediately pressed the brake with his right foot, looking at Yric with apologetic eyes. The moment the car took a halt, Yric quickly move out and ran at the back. He put his feet under the trunk to open it up. His two friends looked at him without moving for a second to know who he was. Fear was visible all over their faces. When they realized it was him, Vivian began bawling her heart out.“What’s happened?” Noah asked. He gathered his composure. He first went out of the trunk while Vivian
A salty wind blew from his left, whistling through the houses lining that one side of the beach. By late afternoon, that wind would breathe cool air, carrying with it the stench of the mudflats. The waves had already calmed down, giving this serene feeling aligned to the horizon. From where he was sitting, on the balcony of his two-story house, he could see everything that was happening in the white sand. There was a group of men drinking under the shade of the umbrella. Next to those men was a family sitting on the soft sand with no mats under them. Aside from those people close to his house, other humans scattered along the beach, going on with their life while seagulls cried in the air just above.It wasn’t out of the ordinary that many people flocked to the beach, admiring the solemnity and beauty. The month of December brought a lot of visitors to different places. He was now used to it, seeing people ever since Yric died, and that sorrowful day happened four years ago. He adjust
He touched his head violently to deny the reality. His mind had stopped working. He couldn’t think of anything else other than the fading body of Yric. They both expected that there would be death. What he didn’t predict was the outcome of his fight with the deity.Once again, he questioned himself about being a god. He was a powerful god, but he failed to protect the most special person in his life. Yric and he didn’t get to spend a lot of time with each other which made his feeling worst. He could feel the pain building in his chest, drilling his new heart. The result of the exchange formed different pain. Saying goody to goodbye to Yric really hurt him badly. It was a fact that he could not forget even to his own death.The two leaders looked down at him. The expressions in their eyes never changed even a bit. But they were full of judgment, searching for all mistakes that he did to add up the sin he had made. After a while, the king shifted his attention to the demon lord.“What i
The deity disappeared in a blink of an eye and appeared in front of him only a few inches away. He quickly blocked the attack with his sword, putting strength in the blade. The powerful punch of the deity touched his sword, creating a sound wave. Their clash turned the entire room into chaos, making the ceiling fall and breaking the walls. He pushed the deity harder, but the deity wouldn’t even budge even a little. He then sent his ice from his sword, starting with the hand to freeze the deity. His enemy was also fast to respond. The deity raised his other free hand, transforming his fingers into a sharp blade. When he realized the deity was about to stab him to the side, he stepped back to dodge.Fortunately, he escaped death as he stood alert. To calm his nerve, he took a deep breath. From that moment on, it would not be easy facing the deity. He had to put everything in one attack to defeat him. If he let the fight longer, he would only get tired. With that thought in mind, he held
Xurden woke up in a searing pain drilling his head. The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself in the very middle of the dome underground. They tied his hands in golden chains attached to two dark pillars, making his wrist numb and burned. His skin had now red wounds. At the brief movement he made, he winced crazily. He couldn’t think of a way to free himself because the chains had drained all of his strength.He moved his head to look around, only to find nothing. He was alone and all he could see were the dark corners of the dome that the light of the torches stuck on the walls couldn’t reach. The runes written on the floor beneath were noticeable as they glowed in red. He understood what was really happening. The demon planned on taking over his body using that ceremony.He turned his head to the right when dark smoke appeared a few inches away from him. In that smoke, Jake came out and walked toward him. Every step the professor took seemed different to his eyes. When he stud
They all got into the car as the traffic got heavier. The loud honking of cars never stopped ringing in his ears. The side mirrors almost rubbed together in that traffic jam. His servants sat down on his left while he remained on the other side. Arasia took the passenger’s seat quietly and Jake concentrated on driving. The silence inside the car didn’t last long. Sebastian couldn’t hold his mouth. His servant turned his attention to him. “Boss, why are you with him?” Sebastian asked. Jake heard clearly who was in front. Xurden observed the questioning look of his servant. “It’s because of her,” he answered. He moved his head a little toward the goddess. W “Are they together?” Sebastian said next. Xurden didn’t expect that Sebastian would say those words. He forgot Sebastian’s mind ran differently. His servant’s imagination could be wild sometimes. The moment that one question entered Arasia’s ear, she turned around with a frown on her face. She stared at Sebastian before she spo
Xurden woke up from his sleep feeling refreshed on the side of the bed. His hand immediately looked for Yric while his eyes were still closed. But he didn’t feel him. He could only grab the empty sheet next to him. When he realized the younger boy wasn't there, he got up in a rush and got off the bed. He moved his eyes around the room, looking for a sign of the younger boy. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Yric, which made him worry. A second later, he closed his eyes, heightening all his senses. But he didn’t sense him even a bit. In the end, he accepted the reality that Yric wasn’t there on the mountain.As he was about to go out of the room, he noticed a note on the small table beside the bed. He picked it up after reading the message that Yric left for him. His forehead furrowed because of what Yric wrote on it. The message made him frustrated. Yric went on with his plan facing Veronica without bringing him along. Now that he was in that situation, alone in the mountain, he wou
THE STORM had stopped on the mountaintops, making everything clear in Yric’s eyes from where he was standing at the mouth of the cave. All he could see was the thick snow that wouldn’t melt all year long. He was wearing thick fur to fight the surrounding cold. He left Xurden asleep inside his old house because he was waiting for his servants to arrive. Just as he was thinking about them, he could see movements below a hundred meters away from him. He saw his three servants climbing up the slope. All of them were wearing dark coats. When Tear waved his hand, he walked out of the cave and slid down toward his servants without using a tool to make his slide smooth. He used his body effectively and arrived in front of the three that stopped climbing.“You better have good news for me,” he told the three as he stood up. He removed the snow which clang on the fur.The three looked at each other before Drop spoke up. “We’re very sorry. Celestro escaped the dungeon,” the demon said and quickl
THEY LAY down on the ground, looking up at the night sky. The stars seemed to fade away from their eyes while the cold of the breezing wind touched their skin. Around them, the silence was deafening. They could hear each other calm breathing. Xurden didn’t know for how long they stayed quiet. They only admired the serene scene above them. Yric broke the silence after a while. “How are the things there?” the young boy asked without turning his head. “It’s the same,” Xurden said to him. “Nothing had changed ever since I left.” He didn’t tell him about acquiring the seat from his older brother. But he felt like Yric sensed it, which was shown in his next words. “Even in your family?” Yric lay down on his side. The younger boy stared at his face. Xurden also did the same, meeting Yric’s questioning eyes. He hesitated for a second, but when he thought there was no point if he would hide it from him, he finally spoke about them. “Why do you ask?” he said to him first. “I just want to k
THEY WENT directly to his older brother’s house, Mikael, after they returned to the floating city. The guards stopped them at the gate. He froze them in thick ice when they tried to rush toward him. They entered the gate with no problem. His two servants carried the man with his hands tied. They had to walk through the wide lawn before reaching the main house. The other guards came out. They ran towards them. With just a flick of his hand, they froze after being covered in thick ice. They reached the main house and no one else stopped them. He kicked the door to open it. He found his older brother having fun with three girls in the bath he had placed near the door. “What are you doing here?” his brother asked him with anger in his voice. Because of his arrival, the three women ran out of the water and entered a room. He pulled the man they were carrying and kicked him to fall into the bath. “What do you think you’re doing?” His older brother stood up in the bath because of his ang