Chapter 02

THRID PERSON's POV

"What do you filthy creatures think you're doing?" A guttural voice reverberated from the alleyway's opening, making everyone stop what they were doing and turn to look at the nosy person who didn't seem to know his place.

Elena opened one of her eyes and peeked past Tim's muscular body to see a tall man's silhouette in... a long dress?!

Great. Just what I need. How is this flamboyant loony going to save me now? With a desperate sigh, Elena inwardly complained inside her head.

Oswin stood at the entrance of the alley, looking at what he called a disgusting scene. His bloodshot, bluish-grey eyes glared at everyone except the one shaking on the floor like a fledgling.

"Look! Someone forgot to return the costume to the crew!" the smallest guy in a grey t-shirt and jeans said, standing the closest to the appealing tall figure.

"What ancient movie did you just film, dude?" laughed the guy with dyed white hair.

The entire gang subsequently joined his laughter, making the newly arrived individual narrow his eyes and shoot a deadly glare at them.

How dare these mere mortals make fun of me? They're going to regret it, Oswin thought to himself.

"I have no idea what you servants are talking about," he hissed. It angered him to see these people show no fear in front of him. 

From where he came from, no one except his family dared to look at him for more than a few seconds. Not even while they were conversing. Now, these guys had the audacity not only to look him in the eyes but also to talk to him in a disrespectful manner. Oswin was determined to make sure these guys regretted the days they were born.

"Big brother Tim, looks like this guy portrays the role of a king. He gets absorbed way too much into the character that he forgets this is no longer the film set," shouted the guy with dyed white hair, directing his eyes at the squatting person in front of Elena.

Oswin watched the one being addressed stand up and walk to join his peers. They were now standing opposite to each other, with five against one.

"Look, Your Majesty," Tim emphasized the last words in a mocking tone, making everyone burst into a peal of laughter again. "You should know better than to get your pretty face beaten and end up taking a day off from shooting your movie tomorrow. How about you crawl back to where you've come from?"

"How dare you talk to me like that?" Oswin said through gritted his teeth. 

"Oh, nasty. Not bad. Well, perhaps you want to join the fun?" he paused, pointing his fingers at the Elena, who was still cowering near the wall. "I don't mind a threesome." Tim licked his lips, leaving behind a trace of saliva on the flesh.

"Disgusting low life," said Oswin. 

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?!" Tim’s face was red with anger as he glared at the tall, weird-looking man. 

"Mortals are so pitiable. Even their hearings are weak." Oswin clicked his tongue in annoyance. His face and voice remained stern, unaffected by the threatening voice coming from Tim's lips. "Now, servants, I'll give you three seconds. Either you scurry out of here on your own feet, or I'll have you flying out."

"Hey, do you guys even understand what he's saying?" Tim frowned and turned to ask his gang, only to receive either a no or a headshake.

"One." Oswin began counting with an orotund tone.

No one moved. No one spoke.

"Two."

The gang kept staring at the eccentric, long, blonde-haired figure, wondering what would happen on the count of three.

"Three."

As the counting reached three, the gang heard fingers flicking. They held their breaths, waiting to see what was to come. Even Elena peeked from behind the gap between the row of people to see the outcome.

*Crickets* *Crickets* *Crickets*

After a few minutes of silence, except for the chirping of crickets in the background, Tim looked down at himself to see if anything had happened. However, he found nothing out of the ordinary.  

"Hey, did anything weird happen to you guys?" Tim asked, looking at his gang members. 

"Nope," the gang answered simultaneously. 

Oswin narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What happened to my power? Was it...disappear?" He asked himself in a low voice. 

Impossible! 

Curiously, he flicked his fingers again. 

Just like before, nothing happened.

Elena's shoulders slumped in complete disappointment after witnessing the whole thing. The scene just killed her last string of hope.

“Right, he really is a loony. Instead of getting myself rescued, I'll also have to think of a way to save my so-called hero, too, before that guy gets himself killed,” she murmured with a sigh, wondering if the night could get any worse.

"Let's not waste any more time, guys. Get him!" bellowed Tim as he ran out of patience.

Everyone lunged towards Oswin at Tim’s command. Seeing the five guys lunge toward the tall figure who was initially supposed to be the hero for the night, sheer courage immediately surged within Elena. She didn't understand why, nor did she have an idea of how. The only thing she knew was that she needed to save that person.

I need to do something, or else he’s gonna get beaten to death, Elena thought to herself. 

She wrecked her brain, trying her best to come up with a smart idea to save the situation. Her eyes began scanning the area to seek something that could be used as a weapon. Just then, her gaze fell upon the back of a dumpster where an old baseball bat was lying there.

“Okay, this will do,” she murmured, getting up to her feet and rushing to pick it up.

If and only if life couldn't get any funnier. The bat's hand was coated with an oily substance leaking from household waste bags nearby, making it slip from her grasp several times.

"Come on, Mr. baseball bat. Someone is going to die!" she groaned, struggling to hold the bat up.

Frustration started to get the best of her, deafening any noise around her except for the rattling sound of the bat falling and rolling on the cold ground. After several more failed attempts, she finally came up with an idea to deal with the struggle. Taking off her outer layer of clothing, thankful that she had a short-sleeved white tee underneath the red and black plaid flannel shirt, she wrapped the shirt around the bat and tried to pick it up again.

This time, she succeeded.

Taking a deep breath, she raised the bat and swirled. "Yah!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she charged forward to where the fight took place. 

However, the sight that greeted her was something totally unanticipated. 

Instead of seeing Oswin lying prone and beaten on the ground, Tim's gang took this role as they rolled around, groaning in pain.

Elena's jaw dropped open at what she witnessed. She directed her eyes to the last two standing people, only to find her eccentric savor's face blocked by a built body that was kicking his feet aimlessly in the air with his body dangling off the ground. Tim was hanging by the neck—strangling, to be precise—by none other than the one he had just made fun of.

"Hey, you. Stop!" Elena dropped the bat and ran toward them. Despite the lack of light, she could still tell Tim's face was turning purple because of suffocation.

He's going to be a murderer! A voice popped up inside her head, warning her of the situation. 

"Stop. You're killing him!" She yelled and tapped Oswin's arm as if to put some senses back into him.

"This one deserves to die." A crisp voice escaped Oswin's lips; his eyes still focused on Tim, ignoring him completely.

Elena swore she could feel goosebumps running down her spine upon hearing the emotionless tone and deadly glare, although she knew those weren't directed at her. Nevertheless, the sound of fingers digging deeper into the flesh woke her up from her disquietude.

"Stop. You don't get to decide that. Leave it to the police!" she tapped Oswin's arm again.

Still, no matter what she said, the other guy didn't seem to heed, leaving her no choice but to take action. Moving her hands away from his forearms, she tried to pry the stiff fingers open to allow some air for Tim to breathe.

Unfortunately, she was no match for strength. Those slender yet strong fingers wouldn't even budge, no matter what. Tim's face was getting purplish, and his eyes started to roll back. Seeing this makes Elena worry pile up.

"Sorry, but you leave me with no choice," she whispered an apology to Oswin before lifting her hand and bringing it to his cheek. 

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<To Be Continued>