《All Myths Are True》


 Prologue: About Sympathy

    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I knew it was a bad idea from the start, but at the same time, after gathering so many stories about what Arwan called Sympathy, and what it could do, I knew it was my best shot to survive.


    Two weeks had passed since that creature had taken possession of my body, kicking me away from my life, till I drew the first Sympathetic Link in the basement of my newfound home. I still felt weird saying it out loud, everything related to Sympathy, this strange system in which you were able to work wonders through Links, was.


    It happened in the split of a second after I placed my hand on top of the Hex ¡ªyet, another one of these weird Sympathy terms¡ª its shakily drawn strokes on top of the paper started to shine, just about the same time it expelled my hand so hard that I heard my shoulder crack.


    That was the moment I realized that the Unified Theory of Totems that Arwan, my anonymous unaware mentor, had formulated during half of the extent of his ¡°comprehensive guide¡± didn¡¯t apply to this specific case, my case, or else the case in which I had become.


    That moment, I felt like the luckiest person in the world, I was somehow not only gifted among the Archive users, many of whom had a whole life studying, working, and documenting supernatural affairs in this sort of¡­ community, if I had to name it one way. But I had also discovered the closest thing to magic I could think of.


    I knew what I hadn''t been able to admit to myself since I had started to walk in my dreams¡­ that my life wouldn¡¯t be the same from that moment on.


    Then I just felt sorry, sorry for the fact that my life and everyone in it were doomed. Unless of course¡­ I managed to find a way to beat that unknown creature inside my body, who I was only able to call under the name of¡­ ¡°Him¡±.


    My main goal had become to make an arsenal for myself, weapons to fight, in which at least there was a Hex able to contain Him once and for all. How would I make him give me back my life, I would solve it later.


    It was at that moment when I had an idea, one that would put me the closest to dying I¡¯ve been this last summer. Or at least one of them.


    I would craft my own Hex using Arwan¡¯s instructions. An experiment for which I needed four things.


    First, a Command, one that I pulled out of Arwan¡¯s original example of a Sealing Hex, this Hex, drawn on a piece of paper had the form of a few arrows pointing in an ¡®eccentric directional flow¡¯, meaning they were all pointing to the same direction while creating a circle.


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    Second, a Nature ¡ªthe nature of the link¡ª represented by a Rune, of which I chose one from the List Arwan had left in his Guide.


    Third, an Area in which the effects of the Sympathetic Link would work, represented by a Hexagon, which I drew on the floor using salt.


    Fourth, an emergency breaking mechanism that consisted basically of a bucket set off in a stiff on top of a chair and under a water tap, open at its minimum.


    The idea was that it would eventually be filled enough to throw the water down on the floor, diluting the salt, a process that I tested by letting it fill and watching how it dropped a few times.


    My idea was, as you could guess by this moment, to put myself inside of the Hex, and prove it¡¯s effectiveness on my own flesh.


    All of this took me a morning, and part of the afternoon, so when the night came in, my little experiment was completely set.


    There were some issues with what the words ¡®restricted or contained in¡¯ could actually mean in practice. In Arwan¡¯s Comprehensive Guide for Sympathy, everything related to Hexes and their effects was narrated both vaguely and in a theoretical context, that encouraged you to make your own assumptions. And of course, none of Arwan¡¯s instructions were thought to be applied to oneself, so there were no ¡°be careful not to touch the pot while it¡¯s heating¡± instructions like there would be in any other modern device.


    It all went down to a leap of faith, in which I needed to take my chances.


    When I finally decided to launch the experiment, I already knew that whatever would happen, it would last at least ninety seconds, a minute and a half of absolute, unknown mystery. I was all sweat even before going in.


    When I made the first step inside of the Hex and nothing happened, I felt so relieved that I walked straight to the middle.


    It was at that moment I realized¡­ that I didn¡¯t exactly know how to activate a Hex, nor how I had done it with my previous ¡°kitchen¡± experiments.


    Arwan instructions about the casting effects were limited to saying ¡°Hold the Totem in¡±, something that didn¡¯t seem to apply to me.


    I leaned then and touched the salt of which the Hex was made of¡­ but there was no shining that time. instead, it must have taken about five seconds when I felt my body heavier than usual, and it wasn¡¯t until the clock reached the thirty seconds mark that I realized that I had a problem.


    It seems to be that the way in which this specific trap worked was by increasingly applying a sort of invisible force upon the subject, a sort of ¡°pressure¡± made of thick, invisible to the eye, air.


    Barely perceptible at the start, then bothering, till it became a strikingly painful pressure coming from all directions.


    If I had to describe it, it was as if I was being pushed by a thousand hands, in an overwhelming feeling that made me shrink in my spot, till I fell on the floor thinking I might end up crushed by the pressure.


    When I searched with my eyes for my phone on top of a table across the other side of the room, where I had put it, only one minute had passed.


    What happened during the last thirty seconds I cannot describe, I would realize it only later when I¡¯d open my eyes, that lead by the pain¡­ I had fallen unconscious.


    I woke up fifteen minutes later, all wet and with the taste of salt in my mouth. For a second, I thought about how close I had been to dying¡­ Surely it was luck that I had set the weather stream to reach its limit only after ninety seconds, but I would be lying to you If I didn¡¯t tell you that I wished It would have stopped long before.


    When I found the strength to stand up and clean myself, I looked back at the floor. The Hex had been completely erased, and only a puddle of dirty water remained in its place.


    A couple of minutes after, still groping myself, a thread of hope shone inside my head. I had now a weapon¡­ a base strong enough to set a plan upon, one that could give me back my life. I had this thing called¡­ Sympathy.


    The next thing I had to do it was obvious, I had to face Him again.

 Chapter 1: Olivers Strange Case

    That night, Daniel couldn¡¯t hold his sleep, he drove down to the Police Department of Hollow Creek, set up his cubicle, and started going through the whole paperwork of his last case. He was convinced that he had stepped into a rabbit hole.


    It had been on his desk across the last week since a call was made from a peasant the night of July 28th, the security cameras from Hollow Creek''s Playgrounds, a recreative area, had recorded the whole incident. The boy had entered the complex at midnight, trespassed the security fences, and planted himself in the middle of the Starlight baseball field. After about an hour, he alone had managed to go from one corner of the playgrounds to the other, leaving a track of destruction, all the way through the stands, to a total of 200.000 dollars in property damage. But the true problem wasn¡¯t that, but the fact that it was impossible to prove that he had been responsible for it.


    That same night, Daniel went through the whole evidence of the case, including the security recordings provided by the Playgrounds manager that morning. Alone in the hall, he went part by part for the whole eighteen minutes of footage they had available, barely visible on the green-shaded screen of his PC. Oliver was a regular seventeen-year-old teenager, almost skinny, average height, with blonde messy hair cut in an old-fashioned way. Standing right in front of the locker room entrance, where the camera was placed, Daniel watched him jumping over the fence, walking into the diamond, and, planting himself there for a couple of minutes quiet, like nothing.


    One of the reasons why Daniel''s peers called Oliver¡¯s case Strange, apart from being this the very last name of the boy, was how the damages for which he was accused were caused.


    As the damages reported, the medium through which machinery, pipelines, wiring, lighting, all the walls in between, and even long areas of the ground were damaged, could only be described as an excessive use of strength or pressure, from the type only heavy machinery could do.


    After many reviews, however, without finding any proof that this machinery ever existed, nor witnesses to provide more evidence, they only had what was inside the recording. And Daniel couldn¡¯t believe it as he watched it.


    Suddenly, the boy had started to move from one place to another, like dancing, or rather fighting with something invisible to the eyes, for moments so fast that he couldn¡¯t even see him. Clouds of dust altogether with piles of dirt and fresh-cut grass jumped at his movement, like reacting to an invisible force, much like in the way you would expect in a science-fiction film or a fantasy book. Right there, at that moment, Daniel saw how the fence got twisted in the strange way he saw it when visiting the scene for the first time; how the mount of the diamond was replaced for a hole, the same hole he had thought seemed made by a meteor; how the walls bent themselves like a truck had crashed into them. And for a moment, he believed in what his eyes were watching, unlike most of his peers.


    ¡ª Strange isn¡¯t it? it almost seemed like he did it ¡ª


    Voiced Barne¡¯s from his cubicle. It was already in the morning, and as usual, the old detective had arrived hours before the rest of the personnel were even getting out of their houses.


    ¡ª For God¡¯s sake Barnes, you almost scare the shit out of me¡­ asshole ¡ª


    Holding a little headache, Daniel saw the old man laughing with his scrappy voice, darkened by many years of smoking cigarettes.


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    ¡ª Well that¡¯s what happens if you spend the night urging inside a crap box ¡ª


    After ten years of knowing him while working in the force, plus another three in which Daniel had him as a teacher in the Academy, the thirty-four-year-old detective had learned two things about Barnes. First, that usually the bulldog-looking old man would be right with his assumptions, two, that even if he was he would often avoid the workload that came with acting upon those assumptions, something that Daniel always accused to the age. As partners then, he found himself usually carrying both to that place where they neither neglect their job nor crash their noses against the wall, or he liked to think about it that way.


    The thing was, that Barnes surely had right, Oliver¡¯s case was filled with things that no one would like to put their noses on, and Daniel wasn¡¯t sure if there was something truly worthy of even trying in it.


    A couple of minutes later, Barnes walked side by Daniel¡¯s desk with a taunting look, he was reviewing a list of reports gathered during the last week.


    ¡ª Have you found something? ¡ª Barnes asked, Daniel was so deep on it that it seemed to ignore him for a couple of minutes.


    ¡ª Well, nothing that we haven¡¯t asked before ¡ª he answered.


    ¡ª So, what¡¯s your point? ¡ª Daniel buffed as if he had heard a joke.


    ¡ª That we have a headless body matching Oliver¡¯s DNA in the morgue while the boy is comfortably sleeping in his bed right now ¡ª


    On the morning of 31st July, the decapitated body of a teenage boy was found in the wooden area near Hollow Park, just about two miles from Oliver¡¯s house. Barely two days after the incident. It wasn¡¯t really hard to link the cases from there, the Playgrounds responsible were already looking for a suspect in the body¡¯s description, and research of the nearby area led them quickly to Oliver. After requesting Oliver¡¯s DNA under the weight of evidence coincidently found one after another, the samples matched with Oliver in both, the body found in the woods and those collected in the Playgrounds scene. Just a week took them to have a suspect, a victim, and a potential witness, all of them being Oliver, in a seemingly impossible case.


    When they interrogated the boy, his testimony broke the whole thing down. He admitted everything that night but gave an explanation that made everyone get out of the case as oil to water. He said as it was stated in the report.


    ¡°Something was following me, and tried to kill me that night, I lost it in the woods, I hope it never comes back¡±


    For one side, it had been a relief for Hollow Creek¡¯s Police department, the case had no logic in which their resources could extract a certain truth, which instantly made them rely on other possible solutions. Money would be given from the Local Administration to repair the damages, they would assume the DNA tests had fallen into the 0,01% chance to be wrong, cause a person couldn¡¯t be death while walking freely in the streets. And Oliver¡¯s explanations about a fantastic being trying to hunt him while causing all the destruction shown in the video couldn¡¯t be true¡­ shouldn¡¯t be true¡­ they hoped it wasn¡¯t true.


    So when Daniel came in and found the case dismissed, apparently by the Department Chief himself, his gut told him that something was still off. That they were leaving something behind and under the carpet.


    ¡ª Well, that¡¯s a problem buddy, ''cause we cannot investigate that kid neither as a victim nor suspect anymore ¡ª said Barnes while trying to light a cigarette.


    Then Daniel realized what he was searching from the start, as annoying as that statement could be, it had given him a way through it.


    ¡ª Exactly, and that¡¯s why we¡¯re gonna investigate him as a witness ¡ª


    Said Daniel with wide eyes, making Barnes''s expression turn into absurd disbelief.


    ¡ª You must be kidding ¡ª


    Said Barnes, gaping as Daniel jumped out of his seat, grabbing his coat.


    ¡ª I¡¯m certainly not ¡ª


    Said the young detective, taking Barnes''s cigarette from his mouth, and turning it off against the ashtray as he led to the entrance.


    ¡ª Where are you even going? ¡ª


    ¡ª I need to take a shower and make sure Eveline doesn¡¯t kill me, then I may pass by Oliver¡¯s neighborhood ¡ª


    ¡ª Are you mad kiddo? do you think I¡¯m gonna let you go after hearing that? ¡ª


    Barnes seemed concerned.


    ¡ª Well, are you coming with me? ¡ª


    said Daniel with a relaxed expression. And as much as Barnes hated the idea of looking into that crap box again, he stood blankly in the hallway with his hand grabbing the half of the crap his word couldn¡¯t chew at that moment.

 Chapter 2: In this Place, Nothing Ever Happens.

    It was nine o¡¯clock in the morning and Hollow Park was waking up, like every single morning the kids would get out of their homes on their way to school. Either riding their bicycles or leaning in the bus, little by little the old neighborhood would get empty as their inhabitants, people whose families had lived there all of their lives, driving old Chevrolet cars and wearing uniforms from the working class, head towards they¡¯re day to day routines inside the American dream.


    Hollow Park was a tight-knit community that settled in the same way the rest of the city so many years ago. It was a place where normally nothing would ever happen, and in which often unaware that outside their community, its neighbors would anxiously participate in holidays, summer fairs, parents'' reunions, and church services every week. Knowing each other by family and name, all of their kids would go to the same school, participate in the same clubs, go to the same camps, and eventually Colleagues to work the same jobs. Sometimes bringing a new family member or friend with them, they¡¯ll grow old enough to retire themselves, having renewed the cycle that made the neighborhood survive through the years.


    Daniel had pretty much the same background, his parents had met in college and after a couple of years working across the country, his dad had found a way to move back to his hometown, bringing his mom¡¯s family with him. His dad had even managed to bring some friends he had made back then, along with the ones with whom he had grown up, and formed that little circle in which Daniel had grown, and was the basis of his actual group of friends.


    After his time in the officer''s school, Daniel himself served in the military and then settled down with Eve whom he had met in high school times. It wasn¡¯t a bad life.


    Oliver¡¯s family was a bit different, twenty years ago there used to be an old couple living in the house at the end of Washington Street, the oldest part of the neighborhood right where the quarter started to become slightly worse, right when the woods started. The man Irvin had been a professor at the University of Maine for over twenty years, and after his retirement, he dedicated himself to caring for his ill wife. No more than five years after she died, he followed her, and the house had been alone since then. They seem to have a son, one of those cases in which the boy didn¡¯t come back after college, nothing really weird.


    And it wasn¡¯t until that very same summer that Oliver¡¯s mom, Carrie, moved in with her two sons, claiming the possession. That house and some savings seemed to be all they had to start a new life in the unknown place Hollow Creek was for them, one in which they were complete foreigners. Their last name quickly became a foreshadowing for everyone, and the Strange landed out of place from the very start.


    That was the difficult part when coming to know something about them during the investigation, the little everyone knew of them.


    ¡ª You ready or what? ¡ª


    Claimed Barnes outside the car¡¯s window, Daniel who had been parked in front of the Strange¡¯s house for about half an hour got out of his trance and looked at the old investigator with wide-open eyes.


    ¡ª God¡¯s sake, and you planning to go inside like that? I might as well have stayed in the office ¡ª


    ¡ª Sorry, I was reviewing the case in my head ¡ª


    Replied Daniel rushing out of the car. His suit was ironed, his beard shaved and his air waxed. He seemed a little bit sleepy, but after a sleepless night, Barnes thought that was only natural.


    ¡ª Well you better take off your head out of your ass, cause I¡¯m here only to keep you at bay ¡ª


    Daniel looked at him estranged and answered with a smile.


    ¡ª You had your gun with you? ¡ª


    Barnes asked heading to the stoop.


    ¡ª Always, but why do you ask? ¡ª


    Daniel remained confused.


    After the two detectives rang the doorbell a couple of times, rightfully confirming that it didn¡¯t work, they just knocked. It was then that coming from inside the house, a thin voice answered with what sounded like an ¡°I¡¯m coming¡±.


    At the Strange¡¯s house not only the doorbell didn¡¯t work, the grass was also way past the point when it should be cut, the house was only half painted on the front side, and the mailbox was torn to the left. Away from that, it was a very typical house from the suburbs. Built-in wood with a central floor, three or more rooms, and maybe a couple of other areas, covering the basics, it was probably more than the Strange could afford in other circumstances.


    When the half-waitress-dressed tiny silhouette of Carrie appeared on the other side of the mosquito screen, her face went pale. At that hour she must have been rushing her way to work, thought Daniel, to find two detectives at her door was definitely not the first thing she would have wanted first in the morning.


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    ¡ª It¡¯s because of Oliver? ¡ª


    She answered before any of the detectives could speak a word.


    ¡ª M¡¯am, we¡­ ¡ª


    She waved her hand in front of her face, holding her purse, coat, and latch altogether.


    ¡ª I-I don¡¯t have time right now, could you come another day? ¡ª


    She seemed stressed, but probably it was so even before they came in. So from surprise, her expression went to one of distress.


    She was a pretty woman, late in her forties, beautiful face and a tight body behind her dress. Even though, were the freckles on her face and fallen eyes detonated a certain sadness the very ones that gave her that melancholy look. Like she had suffered a loss that would never be overcome.


    ¡ª Mam, we¡¯re investigating a separate incident the night of July 28th, we think Oliver could provide us with valuable information, even if he doesn¡¯t know it ¡ª


    That very same sentence was the one the investigators gave Carrie when they first came looking for Oliver, and the same they had been using since then. From Carrie¡¯s point of view, since they came to the town, every cop had been interested in talking with Oliver about things other people had done. Everything was just Strange.


    ¡ª I¡¯m¡­ not sure if that¡¯s a good idea¡­ ¡ª


    Suddenly, Barnes heard a stump in the back of the room, an equally distant voice, yet this time manly, made Carrie turn herself back, carefully enough not to let anyone watch over her. It was Oliver.


    ¡ª Officers ¡ª


    He said taking the door by its edge, polite and secure, after crossing a couple of words with Carrie. Carrie, at his side, breathed out a big chunk of air, exasperated. When Daniel saw him, he was nothing like he could¡¯ve ever imagined, just another teenage boy not taller than him, blond messy hair, holding a mug with a half-sleep face.


    ¡ª Can I help you with anything? ¡ª


    He said. Daniel didn¡¯t know exactly how to react.


    ¡ª Yes, buddy, our team may have skipped over some questions last time. I¡¯m sorry to bother you ¡ª


    Said Barnes, as Daniel cleared his throat.


    ¡ª Of course, come in, my mom was just leaving ¡ª


    Carrie couldn¡¯t even say anything but nod, as the two detectives entered the living room.


    ¡ª Anything to drink? ¡ª


    Asked the boy as he walked to the kitchen, an adapted space next to the living room separated only by a waist-height wall.


    ¡ª No, we¡¯re Okay ¡ª


    Answered Daniel, leaving room for a silence that only broke when Carrie took her keys.


    ¡ª I.. need to go, I¡¯m sorry. ¡ª


    She said, clearly wanting to stay.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t worry mam, we¡¯ll tell you if we need anything else, please ¡ª


    Conceded Barnes.


    Inside the house, there was nothing strange that given the outside look, one couldn¡¯t expect. Yellowish layers of paint over paint had covered the walls of the living room over the years. An open space, the Hall in which they were, narrowed itself into a corridor where one could see a few doors, same corridor that ran all the way to the backyard¡¯s door. Modest yet functional, the place was populated by just a few pieces of furniture garnished with the expectable spread of clothing, papers, and other belongings that made a proper family house.


    It was just a regular home, Daniel thought. But there was still something odd in the ambient, almost as if a fog was covering the whole room.


    ¡ª I¡¯m sorry for the mess, I try to help Mom as much as I can, but is hard to catch up ¡ª


    Said Oliver from the kitchen.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t worry, we were the ones who came without call ¡ª


    Answered Barnes, as the boy blender something in the kitchen.


    ¡ª This is what you wanted, serve yourself ¡ª said Barnes to Daniel in whispers.


    Daniel stood on his feet, swallowed, and cleared out his mind.


    ¡ª Excuse me, Mr. Strange. ¡ª


    He said.


    ¡ª Oliver, please ¡ª


    Replied the boy.


    ¡ª So, how do you want to start? ¡ª


    Oliver asked.


    Daniel and Barnes shared a strange look.


    ¡ª Would you mind if we do it in the backyard? ¡ª


    Said Daniel quickly, Oliver¡¯s expression turned out funny.


    ¡ª Okay, why not, follow me ¡ª


    There were about four doors on the way out, Daniel guessed, one for each member of the family and at least a bathroom. He didn¡¯t lose the chance to ask.


    ¡ª Which one of these is yours? ¡ª


    Oliver smiled and stopped right in the one next to the backyard one. Opening it wide with a soft kick.


    ¡ª This one, you wanna look into it? ¡ª


    He almost challenged. There was nothing odd on the surface, it was the messy room of a teenager, covered with posters and all sorts of things impossible to call in a single sight. But Daniel spots something of his interest.


    ¡ª Do you skate? ¡ª


    He asked, pointing with his look at a corner filled with dirty replacement parts and a couple of tables, Oliver nodded with his head.


    ¡ª Yes, but not that much lately. Do you? ¡ª


    ¡ª No, but my brother did ¡ª Daniel lied


    ¡ª He broke his leg once, although that didn¡¯t stop him from doing it ¡ª


    ¡ª Huh, that sounds cool ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah, he was sometimes ¡ª


    Daniel felt curious about his answer.


    Laying down on a thin layer of grass under an oak tree, an old heavy wooden table served them as a seat. With the woods barely at a hundred yards, Daniel fell slightly into his seat. Barnes instead, found his place next to the tree, with Oliver sitting in the middle, it was a slight variation of a procedural interrogation stance.


    Daniel removed himself from the seat, more secure than before, but still discomforted by either the place, the boy, or the strange feeling surrounding the whole case.


    That was the first time he spoke with the boy, but even as short as it was, he felt something was odd. The way he waved his mother from one place to another, the way he faced both Barnes and him, like used to it. Even Daniel had trouble facing the traffic police whenever he was outside of work, that boy suffered from an absolute lack of that common sense fear. And every second Daniel spent in the room with him, he could feel it. He felt strange. He felt unsafe. He felt like trapped in a cage.

 Chapter 3: The Devil All the Time

    Daniel had always had a fascination for Mystery, since he was a little child he made a habit of reading both popular books and folktales of the sort. Everything he could put his hands on, from the Grimm brothers to Agatha Christie, Andrew Lang to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he was that kind of kid who would run to the bonfire during camps to dive in stories that could had happen somewhere far, far away.


    As he grew old, that passion did the same with him, either inside dark cinema halls, where he kissed Eve for the first time, or re-reading books from the past. This passion even accompanied him to the Officers School, where he would share old and rugged comic strips populated with characters like Dick Tracy, The big bad Wolf, or even Hellboy.


    That solely was the reason why he had become a detective, to unveil the possible mysteries that could be out there.


    So when he saw Oliver''s case end loose, he couldn¡¯t but think that something was out of place, that while everyone was retrieving out of fear and shame, a true mystery was taunting out there.


    One that needed a fervent believer of the truth, someone maybe like him.


    A couple minutes before, while Daniel was waiting outside Oliver¡¯s house, thinking about the moment he''ll get in, he didn¡¯t wanted to accept it, but he was starting to believe in something.


    Daniel, like everyone else of his time and age, had a reasonable disbelief for that related to the paranormal, metaphysics and that type of stuff. Instead, Daniel was a fervent believer of God''s truth and the Evangelium.


    Every Sunday, he and his wife would go to the church to praise the Lord, and even though he and Eve assured themselves to stay away from those few of the congregation who accused their problem to evil spirits or the acts of the Devil as religious fanatics often did, every morning he weared a cross around his neck, under his shirt, just to be sure.


    He was no fool, but precisely because of that, he feared both the Lord and what evil could do to him and his loved ones, especially in his line of work.


    That¡¯s why that morning, in the waiting, he started wandering inside his head. He asked himself something:


    ¡°If we would be dealing with an evil entity, and that happened to be a seventeen-year-old, how would you approach it?¡±


    The sole idea was crazy to grasp, but in those specific circumstances, that made more sense than any other already given explanation. In the worst case scenario, he had an idea in mind. At least, one to lead his questions on.


    Being the three of then sat down in Oliver¡¯s backyard, Daniel threw the first line, hoping as an angler, that there would be something interesting waiting at the end.


    ¡ª We know you¡¯ve been asked this before, but we¡¯re interested in what could you''ve seen the night of 28th July ¡ª


    Daniel observed.


    ¡ª You mean what happened in the Playgrounds ¡ª


    Oliver answered.


    ¡ª We wanted to ask you if you saw something¡­ odd, that night ¡ª


    Daniel wanted to go straight to the point, partly because he didn¡¯t think that taunting too much would help, partly because he was interested in the boy¡¯s reaction.


    After making the question Daniel waited, but nothing happened. Instead, Oliver smiled and answered like before.


    ¡ª Well, as I''ve said before to the last detectives that came to answer, something was following me, something that cameras apparently can''t see ¡ª


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    ¡ª Something, you say ¡ª


    ¡ª You¡¯ve seen it all in that video, right? I consider myself lucky to have surived to that ¡ª


    He stated, right before drinking from the thick red liquid in his glass.


    ¡ª Ugh, that doesn¡¯t look good ¡ª Barnes said with an ick face, part of his job there was to prevent the boy from overthinking, to shake him on the spot.


    ¡ª Ah, this? its a prune and beetroot smoothie, healthy and tasty, if you like that kind of stuff ¡ª


    ¡ª That¡¯s a very strange choice for a smoothie, isn¡¯t? ¡ª


    ¡ª It¡¯s very heavy on nutrients if that¡¯s what you mean ¡ª


    ¡ª Anyways, let¡¯s not loose the track ¡ª


    There was something definitely odd about Oliver¡¯s lack of reaction to the incident. Everyone who had ever watched the recordings, or even heard about the incident, had shown the same logical, human curiosity or even distress about it. How could it be possible, and there must be a logical explanation, where apart from fear, the only answers. Oliver seemed to accept it for what he said it was, a Mystery, as if they were part of daily life. So Daniel clinged to the only track he had in front of him.


    ¡ª You went there all by yourself that night... why? ¡ª


    ¡ª Someone called me there, we where suppose to meet... but I went too late ¡ª


    Daniel had read that in the transcription of his last interrogation, it wasn''t exactly a lead to solve the case, but it was the weakest part of the boys story... if you had ever believed in the rest.


    ¡ª Why would you ever get there after hours anyway? ¡ª


    Said Barnes in disbelief. Daniel nod, exited.


    ¡ª And who would call you there at that hour? ¡ª


    Oliver watched them carefully, like recognizing them for the first time.


    ¡ª Does it really matters if it was my friend Kyle from the summer school, or a local gang leader? ¡ª


    Daniel didn''t understood, but he tried to show confidence in front of the kid.


    ¡ª Of course it does, if your story is true, then everything is ¡ª


    Oliver then rolled his eyes and laid on the table surface.


    ¡ª If I told that Oliver was the one who called that morning, and that we where talking till everything went out of hands, would you even be able to understand what that means? ¡ª


    ¡ª What...? ¡ª


    Daniel''s expression said it all, he wasn''t able to understand anything just yet.


    ¡ª Yeah¡­ exactly ¡ª


    Olive shaked his head, like disappointed.


    ¡ª If you can''t understand that, theres nothing much else I can¡¯t tell you ¡ª


    For a moment, Daniel felt like he could reach the truth with his bare hands. Looking at Oliver''s eyes at that moment, he felt the boy was telling the truth. But this truth was so strange, and hard to understand, that it quickly slip thorugh his hands.


    ¡ª Sorry ¡ª


    ¡ª Indeed, it is ¡ª


    Barnes couldn''t gave credit to was he was listening, under his perspective, everything where nonsenses.


    ¡ª I just think your truth is too odd to be understood... if only you could explain this oddness better ¡ª


    Daniel conceed as a chance, a chance to take more from Him.


    ¡ª Oh, I actually think I can do ''that''... ¡ª


    When asked the question, Oliver reclined himself over his seat, like childs do when telling a secret .


    ¡ª Do you know about the Murder of Bridget Cleary? ¡ª the name didn¡¯t ring any bell for either of the two investigators, Barnes shrug from his position.


    ¡ª She was an Irish woman murdered by her husband in 1895 under the the accusation of being a fairy, a demon, a ghastly substitute of the same person ¡ª


    Daniel seemed stranged for the sudden change on the subject


    ¡ª What about Mary Reeser? ¡ª


    Same as before, no bells rang for either Daniel nor Barnes.


    ¡ª She was a famous case of SHC, Spontaneous Human Combustion in the 50¡¯s, also accused of being a sort of witch or evil-spirit-possessed otherkin¡ª


    ¡ª You must be kidding ¡ª


    Barnes Buffed from his place


    ¡ª What  about King Charles the first of England? he was said to be a doppleganger himself ¡ª


    ¡ª Daniel, let¡¯s get out of here ¡ª


    Said Barnes impatient.


    Oliver laughed loud and openly. Then he asked.


    ¡ª Have you watched Buffy the Vampire Hunter, agent? ¡ª


    Daniel remained silent at his place.


    ¡ª I have, yes, my¡­ Eve, loves that show ¡ª


    ¡ª And how not to? it¡¯s utterly funny how accurate it becomes sometimes ¡ª


    ¡ª I... get it ¡ª


    At that moment, both crossed their sights in what Daniel thought, it was the very thing he had gone there to find. He raised his hand then, trying to calm Barnes.


    ¡ª I saw something in the video Oliver, look, it¡¯s right at¡­ the middle ¡ª said Daniel, politely taking Oliver¡¯s phone for himself, and advancing the video till the point where he had stopped it that same morning.


    ¡ª Can you see it? ¡ª


    Oliver remained silent. It was a moment in the middle of the night, while he ran over the baseball field.


    ¡ª It almost seems like you''re... ¡ª


    ¡ª The one causing it? ¡ª


    In the video, even with all the dust and wreckage, it was clear. As Oliver raised his hand, a sort of invisible¡­ strength came out, crashing the floor, walls and everything in between. It wasn''t hard to see, only to believe.


    ¡ª Yes ¡ª


    Daniel said, looking into the boy¡¯s eyes, waiting, but, for what?

 Chapter 4: Mansons Law of Avoidance

    At that moment, right in that place, while looking the feeble silhouette of the boy standing from his place, unscratched and neat, Daniel felt true fear. Something had emerge from the very depths of his subconscious, an information he had already forgotten, but that he would remember soon. He felt in presence of something really strange to see.


    The boy then left his seat and walked through the lawn, barefooted and having left his pot, plain empty, in the table.


    He seemed amused for a second, watching the forest at the other side of the house, then he turned back at them.


    ¡ª You certainly have a good eye, detective ¡ª


    Said Oliver lightly, even satisfied, like someone who just has won a price in the fair, or beaten the dealer in blackjack.


    ¡ª I truly admire the spirit you put into your work, I think you¡¯ll be able to find whatever caused that ¡ª said Oliver in a derogatory manner.


    ¡ª But you haven¡¯t just yet, after all, how could I have caused such destruction just by raising my hand? ¡ª


    Barnes looked at him quietly, prepared to jump with a hasty commentary


    ¡ª You truly think so? after all the examples you bringed just a second ago¡­ ¡ª


    Asked first Daniel.


    ¡ª Yet¡­ I think so, but you¡¯re in the right track ¡ª


    ¡ª How could I? ¡ª


    ¡ª Do you believe in Demons, Mr. officer? ¡ª


    Daniel shared a look to Barnes, his eyes denoted a crescent discomfort.


    ¡ª I¡­ do not, usually, no. At least, there¡¯s nothing that had made me believe they could exist ¡ª


    ¡ª Well, that¡¯s a shame ¡ª


    Oliver seemed disappointed again.


    ¡ª Then had you ever heard about Manson¡¯s Law? ¡ª


    ¡ª I don¡¯t think so ¡ª


    ¡ª Manson¡¯s Law of avoidance, Detective, it¡¯s a belief fenomena that states that we¡¯ll avoid doing or believing anything that could ever endanger our perception of the world in which we live in ¡ª


    Oliver explained calmly.


    ¡ª Most people, if not everyone, fights with this unconsciously, while they grow and learn more about themselves, but this law exist only because there are things around us that we do not understand or can explain with out limited point of view ¡ª


    Daniel¡¯s mind got blank.


    ¡ª I think that many times this is the reason behind why we don¡¯t find the answers we so desperately search for ¡ª


    Daniel raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.


    ¡ª We don¡¯t find the right answer, because we do not make the right question, we¡¯re not even able the see the whole picture in the first place ¡ª


    Then Barnes stepped in between the two of them, grabbing Daniel by the arm


    ¡ª Well, mister Strange, I think that¡¯s it for today ¡ª


    Daniel seemed everything but aroused.


    ¡ª Are you leaving already? ¡ª


    ¡ª I think we have all we wanted for now, althought we may pass by another day ¡ª


    Oliver hummed


    ¡ª We actually wanted to talk with your mother too, it¡¯s a shame she had to leave ¡ª


    When Daniel realized they were  leaving, Barnes was already at his side looking down at him.


    ¡ª Thanks for everything... Oliver ¡ª


    He said politely, standing quickly from his seat.


    When both of them had left the house, Barnes shook Daniel from his coat.


    ¡ª It was a bad idea from the start, the kid it¡¯s a freak ¡ª


    And he was right, somehow it wasn''t only Daniel''s total lack of line-of-interrogation in the questioning what was wrong, no one would''ve expected what they just saw there. The way in which the whole conversation deviated into a sort of X-files parody conversation had stained the whole interrogation. It wasn''t even worth to make a transcription of it. They had lost their time, thought Barnes.


    A couple minutes after both left the house, Daniel was still sitting in the driver''s seat from his sedan, thinking.


    While passing by in the opposite direction, talking from his own car, Barnes couldn¡¯t avoid feeling something was very wrong with Daniel''s new found interest in the case.


    ¡ª It¡¯s just¡­ odd ¡ª said Daniel, staring blank.


    Immediately, Barnes clicked his fingers in front of Daniel¡¯s face.


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    ¡ª Listen to me Daniel, go home, talk to your wife, it¡¯s been a long week ¡ª and he added


    ¡ª I¡¯ll throw away everything related to the case out of your desk, and we¡¯ll hope that no-one finds out we where here, but for god-sake, pull yourself together ¡ª and that was it.


    Either the kid was nuts, or Daniel was, there was no way around it, and after meeting him in person, Daniel had a good idea of why the Commission stopped investigating the case, and decided to close it instead. It was a dead end, a crap box, something you don¡¯t want to get your nose in.


    Even if there was something inside it.


    Down Byers Road, turning left, in the middle of Hawking''s Quarter, was Hollow Creek''s School. A nice set of building sit down in-between Hawking''s Park, and Hawking''s Library, altogether where surrounded by suburban residents and gave form to the schooling heart of Hollow Creek''s childhood.


    The school itself had already forty years, and even before that was a primary school for the community, so everyone that had grew up in the city the last four decades knew it at least by name or had memories in it. Daniel wasn''t different, he studied in Hollow Creek''s School all the way from primary till he was accepted in College, and it even played a big part on his coming back, when Eve was hired as a music teacher. That''s why he was there that afternoon, to pick her up after work.


    Five minutes after Daniel parked in the sideway next to the entrance, she crossed through the entrance charged with paperwork, as usual. She was wearing a yellow floral design dress covered with a wool brown pullover. Her blond hair was neatly tied in a pony tail and her purse was hanging on her back. She didn''t usually used make up, and she didn''t need it, one of the reasons Daniel had precisely found her amusing was her face, she was pretty and exactly his type, everything else came later. When she entered the car, sat down said on a conter-tenor voice.


    ¡ª Bollocks, that Manson kid, is going to drive me crazy ¡ª then took a moment to look at Daniel and greet him with a kiss.


    ¡ª Sorry, how was your day? you look tired ¡ª said on a more softer tone.


    ¡ª I am ¡ª Daniel added ¡ª Wanna go for coffee first? ¡ª her eyes shined out of surprise, he always made that when he had something on his mind. Then she say yes.


    The place was a hill near down the highway, a perfect spot for taking a look at the city at night, or taking a girl for a make out session, something that Daniel had done before. It was one of Daniel¡¯s favorite places on Hollow Creek, and after ten years going to have talks, it had become one of Eve¡¯s too.


    ¡ª So, what happens to you? ¡ª she asked after an hour of small talk on their daily issues.


    ¡ª Today I had an interview with that kid, the one from the Mall¡¯s parking lot incident ¡ª


    ¡ª Oh ¡ª exhaled with a constipated face ¡ª Well, that makes sense ¡ª


    ¡ª Sense? ¡ª Daniel asked naively.


    ¡ª To why you look so distressed, what happened there was, well¡­ horrific ¡ª


    Daniel remained silent for a minute. She was right, even after reviewing so much into it, we where talking about an slaughter. If she was able to say that without being there, Daniel who had been re-watching from months, couldn¡¯t be just ok.


    ¡ª You knew him, right? ¡ª asked Daniel, not sure if it was a good idea to go that direction.


    ¡ª You mean Oliver? yes, he came with his mother during the summer schooling course, he needed to catch up ¡ª


    ¡ª How was he? ¡ª she looked at him with a grin on her face, like if she was just letting him making that question


    ¡ª Well, like any other kid, a little bit more quiet and evasive, definitively an introvert ¡ª


    ¡ª That¡¯s odd ¡ª answered Daniel


    ¡ª Today he seemed very secure to me, like those kid who would talk over you in a class, like that Manson kid ¡ª


    ¡ª Uhmm, well, kids usually find their way around after school I guess, to me he always seemed like that type of kid you must tell to play with others in the kindergarten. They just need a kick out of their comfort zone ¡ª


    ¡ª Apparently they came all the way from California, new place, new life ¡ª Daniel added, like giving her the reason.


    ¡ª Moving out during Summer it¡¯s not the nicest thing for a teenager, but... fresh starts motivate anyone to adopt a new approach to life, right? ¡ª she stated with a smile.


    "Even if that approach is becoming completely nuts, yeah "


    Daniel thought to himself, and she posed her arm around his waist.


    ¡ª Does that makes sense, Mr. Holmes? ¡ª she mocked him.


    ¡ª I guess, Dr. Watson ¡ª he conceded.


    That same afternoon, after leaving Eve in their house at Pinewood Yard, Daniel went back to work and took a detour on his way to his cubicle, once again as he had many times, he found himself in the evidence room, looking inside the Oliver¡¯s case files.


    He had the idea during his visit to Oliver¡¯s house, and vaguely remembered reading something in the forensic paperwork concerning the headless body found in the wooden area near Oliver''s house. It took him a while, but after reading it so many times, when he had the information in his hands, he knew where to look.


    ¡ª Here it is ¡ª he said watching a brief description from his missing report, it was stated in the following sentence.


    ¡°The boy has a scar four inches long in his right knee, left after a surgery, the leg was broken in four pieces due to an skate accident, stated the mother¡±


    That sole information, typed in blurred ink was the only thing left about it. The body was still with the forensic, yet a set of about twelve pictures were placed inside the same folder. In that moment, while reviewing the photos, his breath gained weight, and his fingers became shaky. It wasn¡¯t like having the corpse face to face, but having watched the boy in person, the similarities between their bodies became evident. When he saw the scar on the knee, everything went down for a second. The boy they met that morning, didn¡¯t have that scar. Whoever he was, he wasn¡¯t Oliver, he couldn''t be. He didn¡¯t match the description everyone gave about Oliver before he disappeared, then, the phone rang in his pocket. Daniel¡¯s heart almost got out of his chest, that scared the shit out of him.


    ¡ª Hello? ¡ª he asked without even watching the identifier before, it was Barnes.


    ¡ª Hello what? where are you, I was searching for you ¡ª


    ¡ª I just got back, I¡¯m on my way to my cubicle, what¡¯s up? ¡ª


    ¡ª I need you at the interrogation room, you need to see this ¡ª said Barnes quickly, like in a alarm state.


    ¡ª Are you ok? ¡ª he asked before.


    ¡ª Yes, it¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ll be there in a minute ¡ª


    Then the call ended, what could possibly be? Daniel packed everything in his place, fold the folder, and put it inside his jacket.


    When he arrived the interrogation room, Barnes was waiting outside the door with a dog face


    ¡ª What happened? ¡ª


    ¡ª Where were you? ¡ª he checked on him quickly.


    ¡ª I was just reviewing some stuff in the evidence room ¡ª


    Daniel wouldn¡¯t lie.


    ¡ª Goddamit Daniel, I told you ¡ª


    ¡ª Look ¡ª interrupt Daniel ¡ª This is not what you think ¡ª


    ¡ª Forget it ¡ª


    Said Barnes waving his hand


    ¡ª We¡¯ll talk later, there¡¯s a government agent inside that room ¡ª


    Daniel''s mind went blank.


    ¡ª FBI?  ¡ª


    Said Daniel clueless.


    ¡ª Nah, but he jumped somehow over the commissioner, listen to me kid ¡ª Barnes gave him a look straight to the eyes.


    ¡ª We are not supposed to have the next conversation ¡ª


    Then, he scratched his beard with his hand.


    ¡ª And he¡¯s asking for you, for us ¡ª


    Suddenly, the air got cold.


    ¡ª How did they knew? ¡ª


    Daniel assumed the worst, as short as they where operating, the interrogation from that morning souldn¡¯t suppose to happen.


    ¡ª Look I don¡¯t know, but we haven¡¯t done anything wrong¡­ yet. You just have to speak the truth, then shut up and listen. That¡¯s usually how this work ¡ª


    ¡ª Ok ¡ª


    ¡ª I go first, just follow me ¡ª


    Then, he opened the door.

 Chapter 5: Indistinguishable from Magic

    The interrogation room was an eight per ten feet long cubicle, tiled in green with walls ambiguously painted in a color between yellow and brown, and it held a one-sided mirror in the wall opposing the door, behind which a tinier observation room lay. It was big enough to host about three people and was one out of three in Hollow Creek¡¯s Police Department. Inside it, was a long table adapted for handcuffs, usually with a tape recorder and a security cam, both now missing, and three chairs thought for a suspect and two interrogators.


    When Barnes and Daniel entered the room, a man was sitting in front of them, giving his back to the mirror, the other two chairs were in front of him. The places had been interchanged.


    ¡ª Daniel, I was waiting for you ¡ª


    Said gently the man suited black. He took a stand quickly, and holding formally his jacket, raised his hand for a handshake. Daniel rushed so that he wouldn''t wait, and the three of them sat immediately. The man was branded by the protocol procedures.


    ¡ª I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have the pleasure, sir¡­? ¡ª Daniel left the question in the air, giving him an opening to present himself.


    ¡ª Sure, my manners. I¡¯m David Specter, Special Agent from the AMAT National Protocol ¡ª


    Daniel gave Barnes a look, and Barnes did the same with him.


    ¡ª Excuse me ¡ª


    Daniel repared.


    ¡ª But I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not familiar with the name ¡ª


    ¡ª Well, that means we¡¯re doing a good job ¡ª


    Answered the AMAT Agent with a smile.


    Specter was a tall black-haired man of about thirty-forty years, and the two only features remarkable about him were his tired sight and trimmed beard. He looked somewhat shady, but just in the same way every seasoned FBI agent usually did.


    ¡ª And what would that be? If I¡¯m allowed to ask ¡ª


    Asked Daniel, maybe playing it farther than it should.


    ¡ª That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m here, Detective ¡ª


    Picking up the big red book in the right corner of the table, the AMAT Agent proceeded.


    There was certainly an elephant in the room, and at that point, neither Daniel nor Barnes had been able to avoid it. Since the moment they entered, and even before Barnes had met with Agent Specter, three objects stood up the table.


    They were a sealed box, completely made of metal, like those in which heavily secret paperwork is carried. A sort of tribal object, consisting of a circular wood structure and cord, much like the dreamcatchers one can find in souvenir stores. And the book that now was held by Specter.


    Immediately, Specter started to search through it, avidly with his expert eyes and vivid fingers, stopping after a few seconds at one of the pages. Then he smiled politely and handed the book, wide open on top of the table, so the two detectives could read what was inside of it.


    ¡ª Come on, take a look ¡ª


    Incited Specter, Daniel who had held back his curiosity since the very first moment, was the first one to accept the invitation, reclining himself to look better. Then he started reading.


    Inside the book, on yellowish thick paper, a title written at the top said "Chapter 1: The Strange Case of Oliver Strange."


    Moved by the same curiosity from before, Daniel kept reading.


    "That night, Daniel couldn¡¯t hold his sleep, he drove down to the Police Department of Hollow Creek, set up his cubicle, and started going through the whole paperwork of his last case. He was convinced that he had stepped into a rabbit hole.


    It had been on his desk across the last week since a call was made from a peasant the night of July 28th, the security cameras from Hollow Creek''s Playgrounds, a recreative area, had recorded the whole incident. The boy had entered the complex at midnight, trespassed the security fences, and planted himself in the middle of the Starlight baseball field. After about an hour, he alone had managed to go from one corner of the playgrounds to the other, leaving a track of destruction, all the way through the stands, to a total of 200.000 dollars in property damage. But the true problem wasn¡¯t that, but the fact that it was impossible to prove that he had been responsible for it.


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    That same night, Daniel went through the whole evidence of the case, including the security recordings provided by the Playgrounds manager that morning. Alone in the hall, he went part by part for the whole eighteen minutes of footage they had available, barely visible on the green-shaded screen of his PC."


    Then he stopped reading, stranged by the whole situation. He looked at Barnes, and after him, Specter, then he asked.


    ¡ª What is this? ¡ª


    Specter seemed to have heard a joke.


    ¡ª You don''t know it yet? skip a couple of pages, enjoy yourself ¡ª


    He insisted.


    Daniel, intrigued by what could be ahead, did was he was told. He skipped a few pages ahead and chose a random paragraph.


    "A couple of minutes before, while Daniel was waiting outside Oliver¡¯s house, thinking about the moment he would get in, he didn¡¯t want to accept it, but he was starting to believe in something.


    Daniel, like everyone else of his time and age, had a reasonable disbelief for that related to the paranormal, metaphysics, and that type of stuff. Instead, Daniel was a fervent believer of God''s truth and the Evangelium.


    Every Sunday, he and his wife would go to church to praise the Lord, and even though he and Eve assured themselves to stay away from those few of the congregation who accused their problem of evil spirits or the acts of the Devil as religious fanatics often did, every morning he wore a cross around his neck, under his shirt, just to be sure.


    He was no fool, but precisely because of that, he feared both the Lord and what evil could do to him and his loved ones, especially in his line of work.


    That¡¯s why that morning, in the waiting, he started wandering inside his head. He asked himself something:


    ¡°If we were dealing with an evil entity, and that happened to be a seventeen-year-old, how would you approach it?¡±


    He stopped about when Oliver''s interview started, still excited to read but too afraid to continue. It seemed he was in the middle of chapter three.


    ¡ª How could you know? This isn''t ¡ª


    Daniel doubt.


    ¡ª Possible? ¡ª


    Questioned Specter


    ¡ª We avoid believing anything that could ever endanger the perception of the world in which we live, Detective ¡ª


    Stated Specter and Daniel realized instantly. He was quoting that morning''s conversation.


    Daniel didn''t need to go back and check on the book''s next page to know that it was like that, yet he was too afraid to confirm it. That book, and Specter as an extension of it, knew everything about their visit to Oliver, the time he spent searching through his case, and maybe even his conversation with Eve.


    At the urge of that thought, Daniel felt especially tempted to go back and read, but he reclined himself on the chair instead, looking at the book, frightened. What else could be there about him? That book didn''t only report on his deeds, it talked about his thoughts and his history, and it knew things that no one else should.


    ¡ª You must be confused, Detective, let me help you to understand ¡ª


    Said Specter friendly, taking back the book.


    ¡ª Detective Barnes, could you help me with something? ¡ª


    Barnes looked at him creeped out and said


    ¡ª I''m not sure if I want, Agent ¡ª


    ¡ª It''s an order from your superior, also, you''ll be safe I promise, it''s only for demonstration porpoises, shut up and listen right? ¡ª


    While he said that, Specter stood out of his seat, at what Barnes followed.


    There Specter opened the book and went further, just a few pages from where Daniel stopped, till he found a half-written page. When Barnes read it, the last couple of paragraphs described their current conversation.


    ¡ª Hold the book, Detective Barnes ¡ª


    Said Specter, guiding Barnes and lending the book to him. Then he walked a couple steps back with his hands raised over the head.


    ¡ª I¡¯m going to pick a number ¡ª


    Said Specter, making a few examples with his hands in such a way that none of them could see. Two, four, and six, the whole scene looked childish.


    ¡ª You¡¯ll be able to read my choice in the book ¡ª


    He did so, putting his hands behind him, and finally chose the number seven. While reading it, Barnes''s expression showed disbelief.


    ¡ª It says seven ¡ª


    No matter the less, Barnes followed along.


    ¡ª Now look at the mirror back there ¡ª


    The reflex, in fact, showed the number seven.


    Daniel, reluctant but curious, stood to confirm it and took the book from Barnes''s hands.


    ¡ª But how can we know there¡¯s no one watching to make this happen? ¡ª


    It sounded and looked like a magic trick. In expenses of anything that Agent Specter could do. It even made Daniel remember the same cocky attitude with which David Copperfield presented his tricks on TV when he was still a child.


    Many years before, the vanishing of the Statue of Liberty, crossing through China¡¯s Wall, and the escapism from Alcatraz were some of Daniel''s favorite arguments on behalf of the unknown. Back then, those types of things fed his faith in the incredible yet inexplicable things out there, one that had become less and less relevant with time.


    When Daniel took a look at what the book was saying, he found himself in the middle of a paragraph that said:


    "...it made Daniel remember the same cocky attitude with which David Copperfield presented his tricks on TV when he was still a child.


    Many years before, the vanishing of the Statue of Liberty, crossing through China¡¯s Wall, and the escapism from Alcatraz were some of Daniel''s favorite arguments on behalf of the unknown. Back then, those types of things fed his faith in..."


    At that moment, Daniel dropped the book, which fell and closed itself on the floor. That wasn''t something a magic trick could do, the book... that goddam book was reading his mind, memories, story, everything about him. Suddenly, Daniel felt observed by something he couldn''t explain. When he took a look into Specter, the Agent looked placed.


    ¡ª Anything strange enough to our understanding would be indistinguishable from magic, Detective ¡ª


    It wasn''t only the tricks, nor the book, at that point, Daniel was overwhelmed by everything. The sleepless nights reviewing the case, the video, that morning''s interrogation, his conversation with Eve, all. He questioned himself at that moment... "could it just... be true?"

 Chapter 6: All Myths Are True National Protocol

    A couple of minutes before, after picking the book from the floor, Specter suggested a break in order to let all the information sink in.


    Giving a timeframe to allow both detectives to order their ideas and gather questions. They sat tired. In about five minutes, Daniel drank all the coffee in his pot, while Barnes struggled to light his fifth cigarette from the night.


    ¡ª It''s just how you watch in that video, Detectives, or today¡¯s interview with Oliver ¡ª


    Neither Daniel nor Barnes could speak a word.


    ¡ª The organization for which I work is in charge of dealing with that type of thing, all across the Nation ¡ª


    The chat followed as the Agent moved through the room.


    ¡ª We look into them with one philosophy ¡ª


    Specter put a friendly hand on both shoulders.


    ¡ª All Myths Are True, is what we stand for ¡ª


    Daniel thought about it, how could it be so simple? organized? unheard of? Certainly, if everything was true, there would be more signs. But that question was too difficult to ask, so instead, he voiced off.


    ¡ª Why All and not just some of them? ¡ª


    The question referred to the acronym under which the so-called organization for which Specter worked was named. That was a good place to start.


    ¡ª It was easier to think about it under the belief that everything we had ever thought impossible, could end up being... well, true ¡ª


    Daniel raised one of his eyebrows. It was absurdly simple.


    ¡ª That sounds... simplistic¡ª


    ¡ª Sometimes less is more, it has paid off pretty well, to say the least ¡ª Answered Specter


    ¡ª So, you¡¯re telling me what? that we¡¯re involved in some sort of supernatural affair? ¡ª


    Claimed Barnes, somehow more nervous than before.


    ¡ª To be precise, you have stepped into what we call a ¡°Plotline¡± ¡ª


    ¡ª Plotline? ¡ª


    Asked Daniel, Specter answered leaning upfront and gathering his hands together.


    ¡ª Yes, one of the main AMAT tasks is to supervise what we call ¡®Plotlines¡¯, event sequences of interest for our government ¡ª


    Daniel seemed confused.


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    ¡ª We do this to keep under bay any potential threat to our national security, or of those outside our borders ¡ª


    Then Daniel remembered the files inside his jacked, reaching them unconsciously with his hand. When he realized, Specter was looking


    at him. Of course, he thought, if that book worked the way it had shown before, Specter knew about the files even before they had even met.


    ¡ª The book ¡ª


    Daniel managed to ask


    ¡ª What is that book? ¡ª


    Specter thought before giving an answer.


    ¡ª This book, like those of its kind, is the reason why AMAT exists in the first place ¡ª


    He revealed.


    ¡ª The way they work it¡¯s complex, and we¡¯ve been investigating, experimenting, and following it for the last few decades, but they work just as it seems.


    Opening the book on the table, Specter went through the pages.


    ¡ª They record plotlines that end up becoming storylines, and what happens inside them are usually stories of this sort ¡ª he stopped them, and for a second his tone got darker.


    ¡ª We are not sure of the nature of these happenings, if they just happen to be recorded by the books, or if they happen because of the book ¡ª


    Like facing a dilemma, Specter closed the book again.


    ¡ª But they need to be supervised, and moderated, if not, things get out of control ¡ª


    Daniel swallowed in his spot.


    ¡ª So¡­ why us? ¡ª


    Asked Barnes.


    ¡ª I can¡¯t tell, why you? why me? or even Oliver? these are the questions AMAT investigates, and there''s a lot of groundwork to be covered ¡ª


    Said Specter, shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡ª I understand ¡ª


    Voiced Daniel.


    ¡ª You¡¯re asking us to help you ¡ª


    ¡ª Even better, I¡¯m here to give you what you were looking for this morning ¡ª


    Daniel¡¯s face went back into confusion.


    Then Specter reached out the sealed box over the table and pulling the cover over it, revealed a translucid box with a floating object inside of it.


    ¡ª I wanted you to meet someone, Detectives ¡ª


    Said Specter.


    It was Oliver¡¯s severed head.


    ¡ª This is subject 1197, also known as Oliver¡¯s severed Head ¡ª


    Instantly, Barnes jumped out of his seat, Daniel? remained allured by the sight of it.


    It was impossible, yet there it was, standing in front of them, breathing and even blinking. Somehow it was alive.


    ¡ª Holly mother of God ¡ª


    Cursed Barnes.


    ¡ª It¡¯s alive ¡ª


    Said Daniel.


    ¡ª It¡¯s a-fucking-live ¡ª


    Confirmed Barnes.


    ¡ª It¡¯s more than alive, Detectives, it¡¯s completely conscious and functional ¡ª


    Affirmed Specter


    ¡ª You are witnessing one of the few recorded Dullahanifications in history ¡ª


    Daniel went closer, and closer.


    ¡ª This is a one-in-a-million possible outcome after going through a decapitation ¡ª


    ¡ª That has no sense ¡ª


    Said Barnes.


    ¡ª Yeah, there¡¯s only one outcome of being decapitated ¡ª


    ¡ª Death ¡ª


    ¡ª Exactly ¡ª


    ¡ª I might be making that state lightly gentlemen, but there¡¯s no doubt it¡¯s rare even for AMAT cases ¡ª


    Excused Specter


    ¡ª You said Dullawhat? ¡ª


    Barnes asked.


    ¡ª Like in the Sleepy Hollow¡¯s tale, but... backward? ¡ª added Daniel, Specter shut his mouth and nodded with a smile. He was about to say the same.


    While the three suited men talked, Oliver remained still in his place, hearing and watching them, how they were, how they acted.


    One would have thought, that his stillness was due to his present state, that somehow a severed head wouldn¡¯t be as alive as a whole human was. But that wasn¡¯t the case.


    He was just listening and understanding, so when he realized that Barnes couldn¡¯t stop himself from looking at him, Oliver gave him a friendly smile.


    Barnes instantly jumped in his place.


    ¡ª Goddamit that thing just smiled at me ¡ª


    After a brief silence, and a couple of looks, Specter cleared his throat.


    ¡ª Well, I think it¡¯s about time to do what we came here for ¡ª


    The man arranged his suit and stood straight next to Oliver.


    ¡ª Oliver, could you? ¡ª


    ¡ª Sure ¡ª


    He spoke softly like it was nothing.


    ¡ª Where should I start? ¡ª


    Oliver asked, Specter shrugged and looked at the two detectives.


    ¡ª Where would you? ¡ª


    Said Specter, looking at Daniel, who went blankly for a second.


    ¡ª I guess that... from the start? ¡ª


    With a shaky voice, he answered eventually.


    Oliver stopped and thought for a minute that seemed endless. Then, he began to talk.

 Chapter 7: Nightwalking

    Before beginning to tell everything related to the case under my name, and all the wanderers, misleads, and unlikely things that needed to happen in order to end up diving me into the mess in which now not only me but you, are involved, I need you to be aware of something.


    Till this very summer, I was still trying to make it through high school, I was commuting every day, drowned in homework, and hesitant to even raise my voice without making myself look like a fool in front of my classmates, I had to take the garbage off every night, help my mother with her chores,  and cook for both me and my brother. I loved going out to skate, watched way too more series than I should, and embarrassed myself chasing girls more times than I would admit to you. I may look unaware of what¡¯s happening to me sometimes, but be sure that I¡¯m not.


    Be sure nonetheless, that until some point in the last year, I was just a regular seventeen years old boy.


    That¡¯s why I would rather Specter tell my story. He''s a way more articulate type of person than I am. But as much as I think that I¡¯m the last person that should be telling this story, it is my story, and as such I found myself in the need of telling it time after time, every time more often as it goes, inside my head. So I can witness that no, I haven¡¯t lost my head yet, at least not in a figurative manner of speech.


    In the last year, I have accidentally learned to use what most people would call magic, fought a demon inside my own body, and survived a decapitation. I¡¯ve been hanging on the waist of an Asiatic high-school girl through a Dark Academy of Sourcery and discovered the existence of a Government Agency no one knows about.


    None of these things I wanted or sought, and they certainly are something I don''t understand yet. I didn''t ask to have such a troublesome jump into adulthood, yet I''ve kept finding myself involved with more and more strange things.


    And this just seems to be the beginning, so excuse me if I end up losing track of how things really happened at some point, or even change some of the facts and their order. Most of the time I was just trying to survive.


    Keep in mind, I only explain this to you because maybe through the whole development of my story, you¡¯ll come to the realization that as incredible and unlikely as some of these things may sound, I¡¯m far away from being the hero of any story.


    Now, if I had to start this story at some point¡­ it would be right after my mother, brother and I arrive at Hollow Creek this Summer.


    Now, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯ve heard this story many times before. A new kid moves out with his family to a new place, but there¡¯s something in the kid, or the place, or even the timing that ends up unraveling a chain of events that will change his life forever.


    I wasn¡¯t particularly expecting that to happen, but I wasn¡¯t exactly sad about leaving my hometown. At that point in my life, a change just seemed right, so things like starting a new chapter and having something to kill the boredom were a relief.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    You see, I was never that much of a popular kid back then either, I was the type of boy who would rather spend his time inside comic tires or fantasy stories, TV, or books, it didn¡¯t matter as long as it was interesting. Something that looking back¡­ it almost seems ironic.


    Moving out to Hollow Creek, the time ran quickly, and after a couple of weeks, we were already used to the house. Mom had found a job to cover the bills, and I had started going to a Summer prep school just as an excuse to have something to do. After all, College was out of our budget for us.


    It was at that time, probably more or less around mid-June when it all started to happen.


    I went to bed and woke up suddenly covered in sweat. First I thought there was someone else inside the room. I walked a few steps in the darkness, opened the door, and certified that there was no one awake or around apart from me. When I turned back, I looked at myself quietly sleeping in my bed.


    At that moment I realized, that I had begun nightwalking in my dreams.


    Now it should be fair to say that I''ve always had a vivid imagination, which also reflects itself in the way I dream. It may be due to all the fiction or fantasy media I consumed through the years. It was like a game in some way, a fun interaction I had with others, something that I kinda polished over the years. First I would usually try to remember what had I dreamed immediately after I''d woke up. Then I would have fun telling it to others and watching their reaction. One time after another, using my parents and a few friends as guinea pigs.


    One time when I was a child, my family moved out from the city and I started dreaming of a fantastic mix of both places, the new and old neighborhood, that was inhabited by memories of our family, lurking around the place like phantoms of better times in the past.


    Another time, I spent around a week writing a poem for my class, of which I took inspiration from the Adams Family old TV show, and the next couple weeks I had dreams about our department mixed with the content of the poem, inside of which I would be able to interact with the members of the horrific fictional family.


    Another time I dreamed that my classmates and I robbed a McDonald''s, and another time I drove a giant mechanic spider to save the doctor who had assisted my father with his shoulder injury.


    Not every dream was rich in meaning, but most of them had enough complexity to thread a story, on which I knew somehow my growth depended.


    So when I started having these recurring dreams of me out of my body instead of the regular fantasy parade, I took them dead seriously.


    After my first night walking I spent approximately a week wandering inside the house and its rooms, watching my mom and brother sleeping, and sometimes outside the windows, afraid of what could happen if I went out.


    I discovered that I was able to watch memories lurking around the house, pretty much like before in my dreams. If I touched someone, as I did with my brother, for example, I would be able to experience to some degree what he was dreaming. Images, emotions, and chains of thought would drip from his mind to mine, making me able to see, feel, and hear what his mind was occupied with.


    And then, then... I took enough bravery to go outside. I opened the door frightened by the images that I was able to see outside and allured at the same time by the possibilities.


    There, standing in the grass with bare feet, our backyard forest in front, and a whole city to explore on the other side, I was able to feel the overwhelmingly liberating sense of adventure... there was a lot more to discover in this world I had so dully experiences till now.


    So that summer, both in the living and what I called, the dreaming realm, I started my exploration campaign on Hollow¡¯s Creek.

 Chapter 8: Him

    I wouldn¡¯t be able to describe with enough accuracy how it was to dreamwalk through Hollow Creek, what I experienced was far beyond any of my dreams before, something that I quickly began to think couldn''t be a product of my imagination.


    So I started writing a diary after a couple of days, recording my incursions and finding. I would ward a place during the day, explore it in the night, and write about it through a few days, repeating the exploring cycle each time.


    First I began exploring my neighborhood, fences, locked doors or even walls weren¡¯t a problem, as long as I wanted it to be that way. Shortly after I realized I was able to bring things with me, this happened to me in a funny way, one day I tried a pair of sunglasses in someone else''s dorm room, next thing I knew it was that they woke up with me the next morning, till this day I''m not really sure if I took them back.


    There was something off about being able to enter other people''s people''s houses without being noticed and while they were in, to say so I realized how dangerous it could be very early, but I didn¡¯t care.


    The next few days as had happened before, I was able to see firsthand other¡¯s memories walking around the neighborhood. It was a phenomenon that clicked on and off with no recognizable pattern for me at least. Sometimes I would recognize the spirit-like version of the people after visiting their homes, but mostly I wasn¡¯t sure if they were people, memories, or spirits. Most of them looked like a gaze on the wind or fragments of a story, people discussing or walking around. The memory of someone''s first ride on a bike, a kiss session in the ally, or even an old man cutting the grass.


    Many of them weren¡¯t that interesting, and now and then If I found one to be it, I would find its owner not so far away having a nice sleep. I was able to explore many of my neighborhoods'' lifestyles in that way and eventually, I became bored.


    I think I was in the middle of my exploration of Hollo Creek''s Downtown when it happened, by that moment my diary had about a hundred entries. By this moment I had already done a fair amount of research both online and on my own. My intention was to take care of those dangers that may be there while I was doing what I call Nightwalking, another name for Dreamwalking. By that point, I was already tired of reading about the risk of getting lost or avoiding being outside your own body too many times.


    I must have taken too lightly what I read in lack of evidence, I surely was too careless, too daring, too bold.


    Till that day, I had always depended on my alarm to wake up, after all, I¡¯m no little proud to be a very regular sleeper, unlike most people my age. Every day after washing my teeth and spending dealing with roundabouts inside my head, I go to bed between eleven and ten. Then, every morning I wake up by seven or eight,  giving myself eight to nine hours of sleep per day. That keeps me awake up till the night feeling well enough to endure whatever the day brings in, but that night was different.


    I remember being caught on what I was able to find in my summer school down in Hollow Park, or digging inside a pile of archives in the colliding library when no one was around. During these days, I would be stirring up my exploration till the very last minute, but that night, that terrific night after rushing into my room, I stood in front of my bed after having broken through my windows only to find nothing but an empty bed.


    For the first time under the sunlight, I was Nightwalking, and it seemed that somehow, my body had woken up and started the day.


    I fell prey to my reckless behavior, shocked by the circumstances and barely even able to imagine what could have happened. So hearing my mom''s voice sneaking from the hallway, I quietly opened my room¡¯s door and looked from its gap, to find myself duplicated in the hallroom.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    There was I, or what it looked to be me, taking breakfast with my family as if it were nothing. At that moment I thought, how could it be? I fell prey to the panic. I didn¡¯t know what to do.


    It took me a while to calm down, up to that point, what I had found in my explorations paled in front of what was ahead to come. It was just a matter of common sense, as I tried to low-down both my breath and heart rate, I had the certainty that I would be talking to that thing soon.


    Somehow thought it took him about two hours to come back, and when he did it, I was sitting on my bed looking right at him. He didn¡¯t show any sign of surprise, that should have been my first clue.


    ¡ª Oh, hey, I was wondering when would you come back ¡ª


    He said.


    ¡ª ... ¡ª


    I couldn''t answer back.


    ¡ª I hadn¡¯t had a meal like that in a long, long time ¡ª


    I tried to go straight to the point.


    ¡ª What are you? and what are you doing with my body? ¡ª


    I said, sounding bolder than I thought, I was angry it seemed, and for a good reason.


    ¡ª I¡¯m Oliver Strange, of course, this house''s child ¡ª


    He said, smiling.


    Then, the strangest thing happened, and I jumped out of my bed grabbed him from the shirt, and shook him. Neither I was able to believe what was happening. But he was lying.


    ¡ª Get the fuck out of my body and leave my family alone ¡ª


    He looked at me funny and grabbing my left hand with an inhuman strength, said.


    ¡ª You better watch out what you say, kid ¡ª


    For a second, I thought and felt like he would break it. Instead and out of nowhere, an invisible force shook me out of my place, pulling me like a sandbag and throwing my body against the walk. A minute after while I was still resenting the blow, my mom¡¯s voice asked behind the locked door.


    ¡ª What was that Oli? Is everything ok? ¡ª


    Almost immediately, he answered with a passive voice.


    ¡ª Everything¡¯s in order Mom, I¡¯m just ordering my room ¡ª


    While looking at me with pity, he came closer, and grabbing me by the hair, put me in such excruciating pain that I started to fear for my life.


    ¡ª You understand now? I''m taking this body and everything else you have ¡ª


    He said it strongly, and confident, like it was certain from the very start. And, how to blame him? It took me less than five minutes to realize, that whatever he was, it was very far from me to handle.


    And I knew it, I had screwed it.


    Many things happened inside my mind at that moment, if I hadn¡¯t started to go Nightwalking in the first place.  If I had only ignored it or taken more serious precautions on my walks. I didn¡¯t know anything about what I had gotten into. And these were the consequences.


    I spent the rest of that day locked in my room, waiting for Him to come back.


    From the morning till after my sleep time, I remained in awe, thinking about what I was going to do when he arrived. When he finally crossed the door, I fell paralyzed under the fear again. I didn''t know what was happening to me.


    ¡ª Oh, you¡¯re still here ¡ª


    I was speechless, shaking in a corner for no reason. I felt under water, and found my breath heavy, as if there was not enough oxygen in the air. I was overwhelmed by his presence.


    ¡ª What? ¡ª he insisted.


    ¡ª What do you want from me? ¡ª


    I managed to ask, he mocked me.


    ¡ª You¡¯ll eventually know Oli¡ª


    I didn''t know what he meant.


    ¡ª But there¡¯s still something you can do for me, you can leave, right now ¡ª


    He said, walking past me and getting into bed like I wasn¡¯t even something to be worried about.


    ¡ª What about if I tell... my mother, brother, or anyone else about you? ¡ª laying on my bed, I heard a snort.


    ¡ª Do you really want to make your family that? ¡ª


    He turned at me for a second, watched me with death-seeking eyes, and for a moment... I swear I was able to smell blood in the air.


    ¡ª I thought you were smarter than that ¡ª


    And he was right, to ask that was a very dumb idea.


    If I hadn¡¯t told anyone about my Nighwalks from the start it was because of the crazy it would sound, to explain how I had gotten into this situation was then, even crazier. What was worse, now I had an added risk, that he would have a pay-back on my family.


    That same night, I left my house with nothing else than a bag filled with two pairs of pants, a few t-shirts, and a handful of things that I thought were relevant to survive. I ran away into the woods beyond our backyard and waited, awake and looking into my house from the distance.


    There were no dreams that night, nor exploration, nor that safety feeling I had always enjoyed without knowing under my family¡¯s roof.


    I was alone in the dark, knowing that my whole life had been taken as a hostage, and full of questions.


    Who or what was Him? What were his intentions? How did it find me? and most importantly... what was I now?

 Chapter 9: The Archive

    About a week after I was kicked out of my house by a creature that I knew nothing of, a creature that was now in the complete hold of my body, family, and life above all, I discovered this strange sensation of freedom


    Leaving everything behind to know that there is nothing certain about tomorrow gives you this... certain strength I would call it, something similar to a limited state of freedom, where you can do anything, but not all the time. A state in which you''re both afraid and excited. This I think, is how truly being free feels like.


    You would probably think that I was mad to think this way, given the circumstances. But that was probably the only thing that kept my sanity intact while spending all of my time looking for a solution, after all, and as impossible as it could sound, I still believed I was able to handle this problem on my own.


    You see, when you find yourself in this type of situation, things like breaking into other people¡¯s houses don¡¯t seem like a problem anymore, you just can¡¯t think of yourself as a bad person, and many other things become easier to do in order to survive. For me, the first one of those was to break into someone else''s house, a summer flat about the end of Irvin Street, a place that I had put my eyes on while exploring the neighborhood, and that I quickly began to use as a shelter.


    During this time, I discovered that I wasn¡¯t able to Nightwalk anymore, instead, I had gained the ¡®ability¡¯ to see these spiritlike memories I used to in the form of visions, gazes, or feelings, by having contact with a certain location or object. Sometimes it was on purpose, others was by a complete accident, either way, it was a trip every time.


    If I had to describe it in some way, it was like having access to the story of anything I could get my hand into, sort of speaking. That was how after getting into one of my neighbor''s houses to steal a laptop I was able to unlock it and gave myself enough resources to begin with my research.


    Demonic Possessions, Bilocation Phenomenons, Exorcising, and Doppelgangers, remembering the story about Dr. Jekyll and Hyde I focused the goal of my roundabouts on finding an answer to three main questions.


    One, was I still I? Two, what was Him? and Three, how to go back to my true self?


    My general hypothesis was then that I had become a phantasmagoric double of my own the same morning I didn¡¯t make it on time into my room. That moment had been the perfect opportunity for this strange being to steal my body and own it.


    Now, there is plenty of information online about doppelgangers, the evil twins, split personalities, or even clones. The original myth remounts back to a specific type of spirit in German folklore, a sort of evil entity who would take the form of someone while trying to still his life. So the next thing that I did, despite my skepticism and usual reluctance to lean on strangers, was to ask for help and to do so, I leaned on Chan communities.


    To give you a brief summary of these sites, I would say that they are mainly online discussion forums, some very specialized towards certain areas of knowledge. Usually, they would gather a wide range of users very famous for engaging in some of the most strange happenings on the internet, all under an anonymity flag.


    It was when I had dived into this type of website, that I decided to take the little articulated range of thought that I had at that moment and posted a thread under the title of ¡°My body has been taken hostage by an unknown spirit¡±. To my luck and surprise, after a night''s sleep, I reached the top list of the community threads with over a hundred entries. I had been a total success.


    A mix of mocking, memes, and answers that vary between quasi-skeptical believers and complete freaks had taken it as a hypothetical case in a sort of game, closer to roleplay than the serious matter I had intended first. Even though it flawed nature, as more and more answers were added to the thread, it quickly became the thin thread between me and losing hope.


    One morning, while I was in the middle of my research, I woke up to discover a new series of answers on the topic of exorcizing inside my thread. A set of back-and-forth between users developed into a discussion during my sleep time, and by the time I was able to read them all, they had jumped into a real-time chat.


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    Raising my interest, I followed them as a consequence.


    The chat was hosted on a site called UnknowsArchive, a place where I ended up lurking from tip to toe that same night.


    The object of the Archive as their users called it, seemed to be a group of common shared experiences related to paranormal phenomena. Tightly organized in a series of sub-forums filled with testimonials and intricate explanations of its causes. I would say that the main difference between this place and Chan forums was that these people seemed to know what they were talking about, much as if they were working over the same logic system.


    For example, that same day while talking in a chat with a group of users of the Archive, Miguel, who claimed to be a years-long user of the site, told us the story that brought him in the first place. It went more or less like this.


    Miguel¡¯s aunt Martha had suffered an extreme case of schizophrenia since he had memory. The troubles his family had passed through to take care of her as she wasn¡¯t able to fit into an institutional care program, partly due to her special needs, and partly due to their economy, were what ultimately led them to depend on the assistance of independent care-workers, same that would change frequently due to her delicate state.


    Hallucinations, psychosis, and compulsive disorders were part of her daily life. One day, they¡¯d reached the end of their willing suspension of disbelief when the police reached Miguel''s mother in the middle of her shift. Aunt Martha''s caretaker had called 911 because the old woman had started to levitate in the middle of the hall. When they came by, the walls were filled with unintelligible words splattered in her blood.


    It went to a point when they couldn''t ignore it anymore and had to admit that something... evil, was possessing Aunt Martha.


    What came after that, Miguel described, was an endless parade of scammers and so-called ¡®experts of the paranormal¡¯ phenomena, more drawn to human, monetary interests, than to solve supernatural affairs.


    No matter the less everything concluded when a man suited in black looking more like a CIA agent than an "expert" came by. In Miguel¡¯s words, the man just put his hand on Aunt Martha¡¯s neck leaving a mark that remains to this day, and all went quiet.


    He didn¡¯t charge them with money, nor gave them his name, he came and left, so simple as that.


    Of course, after all that story, Miguel posted a picture of the mark on Aunt Martha¡¯s neck. It was, in a few words, a few inches circle containing various unknown symbols.


    Another post tagged under the sub-forum ¡°case studies¡± talked about Arwan¡¯s Agency experience within his work field.


    In the Archive, there were a few seemingly normal people who spent their time and resources out there actually trying to find supernatural things, and there were even fewer, like Arwan, who had managed to use others'' time and resources to do the same.


    Arwan story about Lucy, like many of his other posts that I managed to solve later, was written to clarify many of his findings after closing a case.


    Lucy''s story developed pretty much like Aunt Martha¡¯s, this time a young girl affected by a so-called health problem was put aside by her family until a strange event made them realize that they were probably dealing with something evil beyond their understanding.


    Arwan¡¯s Agency was reached after she ran into a wooded area in Nebraska, refusing to go back home.


    Arwan started his story by depicting the procedures, precautions, and instruments he and his team used to face such a situation. After a few days of trying to solve what Arwan believed was an extreme case of psychosis or other type of mental disorder, the girl appeared out of nowhere and ripped the head of one of his helpers.


    It was then, when all went south, that Arwan relied on one of his oldest friends, a man he described as a sort of aloof mentor figure. So in the best of his words, Arwan described the next couple of days as a hunting experience led by someone far more experienced than him.


    When they managed to catch the girl through a combination of wit and raw strength, the mentor figure put her down using what he described as an artifact covered in rune-like scribbles made of ancient symbology references.


    It didn''t take Arwan that much to get more interest in the way in which the girl had been captived, instead of the girl itself. Shortly after, despite the reluctance of his friend, Arwan tried to reproduce a few of these symbols and their effects for his own study afterward.


    The drawings on his notes published in the forum were far from the little mark on Aunt Martha¡¯s neck, but very similar in essence. They were all circles inscribed by complex symbols, following a sort of indistinguishable logic.


    I would eventually discover that there were many stories alike, but very few as insightful as Arwan¡¯s. This made people like him very popular in the community, a sort of celebrity or legend, that you''ll end up hearing about if you stayed around enough. It was about then when I met Jun-0.


    You see, how the Archive worked was very similar to other sites, where although having all the freedom to say and post about everything following very few rules, there was a group of people supervising the whole activity, who also knew better than anyone else the topic there found.


    They were both rare to find online and speak with, and RPK was one of them. He seemed to have caught who I was at some point in my research, and one day, I found myself talking to him through private messages.


    After a brief interchange, he added me to a group tagged ¡°Tier members¡± inside the forum, which opened a new set of sub-forums to lurk in. It was there where I found it.


    This thing, this very thing was, to say the least, the mecca of my discoveries, and what ultimately gave sense to all of this digging into the rabbit hole of online research accountancy.


    A simple document hosted on someone¡¯s clouding service claiming to have all the answers to this unexplainable phenomenon.


    It was called: ¡°Arwan¡¯s Comprehensive Guide for Sympathy Users¡±


    It was about three in the morning when I bumped into it, and the lights were long-time off. There, inside the darkness, with only the sound of the laptop''s fan accompanying me, I opened it and started reading.

 Chapter 10: Arwan鈥檚 Comprehensive Guide for Sympathy Users

    The document started with a statement as follows: ¡°Be aware, dear reader, that what you¡¯re about to put yourself in is probably going to have no practical use for you.


    The truth that I have discovered about Sympathy, it¡¯s that it¡¯s not meant for the use of common folks like you or me.


    I am simply writing this as a record so that I can state the existence of this phenomenon, and maybe be able to recognize its influence whenever I find it in the future.¡±


    Ironically enough, what followed was a mix of a very detailed group of instructions and explanations on how Sympathy worked and the transcriptions of what seemed to be a conversation between Arwan and someone else.


    I truly wish I could tell you all of what this guide had to offer about the understatement of Sympathy, but I don¡¯t have that type of gifted memory yet.


    Instead, I can offer you what I understand about it, and my own experiences making it work, because in spite of Arwan''s warnings, what I discovered was that Sympathy far from being merely a group of quasi-magical symbols or runes shredded in myth, was that they were something closer to a science, based on knowledge that I was barely beginning to acquire.


    That said, I hope you endure this accountancy as a crucial part of my story, one about how I became what you''re watching right now.


    The first thing that I truly learned about Sympathy was far away from the initial descriptions given by Arwan, something more focused on the nature of the symbols he would later describe how to use.


    One of the first things Arwa stated in his guide was that Sympathy was an act of ¡°reality bending¡± made mainly through ¡°Hex¡¯es¡±. These Hexes consisted of four parts:


    One, the Command, a process in which symbols become the equivalent of an action, to say so, a few straight lines following a ratio in representation of a ¡°towards outside¡± or ¡°expelling¡± action.


    Two, the Nature, in which another equally symbolic representation of the medium through which the action beforehand represented would be made, to say so a wind rune.


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    And Three, a Circle, the specific ratio in which this Sympathy would take effect, although it could be drawn inside any other form depending on the purpose.


    This is the way in which he would describe the method used for his interlocutor to create a stream of wind strong enough to overthrow him using only a paper sheet with the Sympathetic Link or Hex drawn on it. An experiment enough exciting to convince Arwan to try it, with no similar outcomes whatsoever.


    There was where the fourth part of the equation entered into action, the Link, what Arwan would describe as a connection between the Sympathist and the ¡°Stream¡±, a sort of feeble metaphor for the Other Side, what he called the House of the Ideas, where all souls come from.


    Arwan speculated a lot about what could possibly be that Link through his manual, leaning finally toward a Unified Theory of Totems. The idea was based upon shamanistic beliefs and observational reviews of an object that his interlocutor held.


    So, due to Arwan''s inability to either explain it well enough or comprehend it to its fullest, he accused Totems as the main source of these powers. The very idea was that this object, described as a memento, worked as a canal between this world and the other, providing his owner with the energy to make Sympathetic links work.


    It was as if the symbolic constructions were a machine that took energy from another plane of existence, he stated.


    From that point on, Arwan started to describe more in-depth the way in which one could build Links using a set of Commands and Nature runes within a circle, in such a way that it was hard to imagine he would do that without being able to test it himself.


    If he eventually became able to use Sympathy or not, and how, it was never described in the book. But somehow he discovered how to use it and recorded his findings.


    When I was near to reach the end of the book, I found a Hex that seemed weirdly familiar. It didn''t take me that much time to find where had I seen it before, inside of Aunt Martha''s exorcising story. There, I knew I had to test it myself.


    As described by Arwan, the most basic form of this Sympathetic Link was the one of a Hex drawn inside a circle, being the Command a group of arrows pointing to its center, where a rune that should mean ¡°pressure¡± was located.


    In the description of this Hex, there were a couple of footnotes, for example, in its basic form, it would just cast a strength through its center forbidding or making it difficult for those in its middle to get out. Then he started laying down more examples, in which by adding another circle and a second set of arrows the Hex would exert a far stronger grip on its victim, making it closer to a punishment chamber than a containing device.


    The only inconvenience about trying to modify the variants of the Hex, adding, for example, other types of runes explained Arwan, was that the Link used by the Sympathist may not be suited for it. This would cause what Arwan described as a case of SRE or ¡°Sympathetic Rebound Effect¡±, a moment in which the Hex cannot draw energy from the Stream, taking the users instead. This effect was described as the "Sympathist Feeber".


    In expenses of all these intricacies, drawing the first draft of the Hex was as simple as sitting down and tracing the lines on a piece of paper.


    Once finished, I sat down in front of it for nearly half an hour, just looking at it. Three out of four elements of the Hex were there, a nature¡¯s command within a circle to hold captive whatever was put inside, but there was something else needed to make it work.


    A link between this world, and the Stream, as Arwan called it, a sort of Totem. There, regardless of all I''d been warned by Arwan, I had a crazy idea, partly moved by curiosity, partly influenced by an instinct.


    I set my hands on top of it and watched. There, my world made an overturn.


    At first, it was like a feeble shine. Then, it became dim light.


    Lastly, and before my arm got expelled out of the Hex, it became a sudden sparkle. I felt how my shoulder almost got out of its axis, and behold the paper burning in its place.


    There I realized, I had made a Sympathy Link for the first time.

 Chapter 11: The Playgrounds Incident

    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I knew it was a bad idea from the start, but at the same time, after gathering so many stories about what Arwan called Sympathy, and what this sort of mix between science and occultism could do, I knew it was my best shot.


    Two weeks had passed since that whatever-would-be creature had taken possession over my body, kicking me away from my life, when I drew the first Sympathetic Link in the basement of my newfound home. Two weeks when I placed my hand on top of the shakily drawn Hex, to find surprised how its strokes shined before expelling almost immediately my hand so hard that I could hear my shoulder cracking. That was the moment I realized that the Unified Theory of Totems that Arwan had formulated during half of the extent of his manifesto didn¡¯t apply to me, or whatever I had become. At that moment, I felt like the luckiest person in the world, I was somehow not only gifted among those among the Archive users, many of whom had a whole life studying, working, and handling supernatural affairs, but I had also discovered the closest thing to magic I could know off.


    I knew it at that moment, what I hadn¡¯t been able to admit to myself when I had started to Nightwalk nor after I found my body somehow possessed by Him, that my life wouldn¡¯t be the same from that moment and on.


    Then I just felt sorry, sorry for the fact that unless I found the way to beat Him, I was probably doomed.


    My main goal then became to make an arsenal for myself, in which at least there was a Hex able to contain Him for good. How would I make him give me back my body, I would solve it later. It was at that moment when I had an idea, one that would put me the closest to dying I¡¯ve been this last summer. Or at least one of the three times I¡¯ve been close to death. I would craft my own Hex using Arwan¡¯s teachings.


    For this experiment, I needed four things, the first of them all, a Command that I pulled out of Arwan¡¯s original example of a restraining Hex, with the form of a few arrows pointing in the same eccentric directional flow. The second one, a Nature represented by one of Arwan¡¯s list of runes, being Strength or Pressure. Third, an Area represented by a Hexagon, which I drew on the floor using salt. Fourth, an emergency breaking mechanism that consisted basically of a bucket set off in a stiff on top of a chair and under a water tap open at its minimum. The idea was that it would eventually be filled enough to throw the water down on the floor, diluting the salt, a process that I even proved by letting it fill and watching how it dropped a few times. My idea was, as you could guess by this moment, to put myself inside of the Hex, and prove its effectiveness on my own flesh.


    All of this took me a morning, and part of the afternoon, so when the night came in, my little experiment was completely set.


    There were some issues no matter the less to what ¡®restricted or contained in¡¯ could actually mean in practice, all of Arwan¡¯s descriptions about the effects that could unchain in the subject were vague and narrated from the point of view of the user, apart from set in a theoretical type of instruction vocabulary. Surely in most cases, little was his interest in how safe it could be if you applied it to yourself anyway, so I had to take a leap of faith along with my chances.


    When I finally decided to launch the experiment, I already knew that whatever would happen, it would last at least nineteen seconds, that is a minute and a half. I was sweating even before going in, when I made the first step in and nothing happened, I felt so relieved that I walked straight to the middle. It was at that moment that I realized that I didn¡¯t exactly know how to activate a Hex, nor how I had done it before. Arwan instructions about the casting effects were limited to saying ¡°Hold the Totem in¡± which didn¡¯t seem to apply to me.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    I leaned then and touched the salt of which the Hex was made, there was no shining that time, instead, it must have taken about five seconds when I felt my body heavier than usual, and it wasn¡¯t until the clock reached the thirty seconds mark that I realized that I had a problem.


    It seems to be that the way in which this specific trap worked was by increasingly applying a sort of invisible force upon the subject, a sort of ¡°pressure¡± made of thick, invisible to the eye air. At first only noticeable, then bothering, till it became a strikingly painful pressure coming from all directions. If I had to describe it, it was as if I was being pushed by a thousand hands, in a palpable, painfully overwhelming feeling that made me shrink in my spot, till I fell on the floor thinking I would be crushed by the pressure. When I searched with my eyes for my phone on top of a table across the other side of the room, one minute had passed. What happened during the last thirty seconds I cannot describe, at that point, the pain became so unbearable that I fell unconscious.


    I woke up fifteen minutes later, all wet and with the taste of salt in my mouth, for a second, I realized how close I had been to dying. Surely it was luck that I had set the weather stream to reach its limit only after ninety seconds, but I would be lying to you If I didn¡¯t tell you that I wished It would stop long before.


    When I found the strength to stand up and clean myself, I looked back at the floor, the Hex had been completely erased and only a puddle of dirty water remained. And still groping myself, a thread of hope shone inside my head. I had now a line of action strong enough to make a plan, one that could give me back my life. The next thing I had to do it was obvious, I had to trick Him inside one of my Hexes.


    I will try to save you a lot of my hesitation when coming to the point in which He and I ended up setting our last encounter. I was just glad that I had convinced him to meet with me, or so I thought. Thinking back now, it seems to me I may have fallen under a false feeling of self-confidence after learning a trick or two about Sympathy. I was a fool, though I had managed to make a plan that seemed infallible by that moment.


    We had set our encounter at midnight in the Playgrounds next to Hollow Creek''s Mall, precisely speaking in Almond Stadium, probably the only baseball field in proper conditions of all Hollow Creek. The plan was simple, I had to make Him go inside my restriction Hex without noticing, that was the easy part, the hard one was not to die in the attempt, and then manage to get my body back, for which I had prepared a few things, that we¡¯re going to call my Tree Trump Cards


    When the hour came, I jumped out of the fence and took a stand in the middle of the field, it was late at night and the only noticeable lights were the ones coming from the Mall a few blocks away.


    Between here and there, there was the rest of the playground, a long extension of concrete holding a few basketball and tennis fields, barely interrupted by a couple of sand puddles sown with iron constructions that worked as recreational areas for the children. There was no one, at least on plane sight, and only the silence worked as a companion, along with the cold of the night.


    One hour after the time we had agreed, he appeared in the distance, walking as a familiar figure in the void. With no hurry, he dived into the field, jumped the fence, and faced me right in the middle of it. The whole process should have taken him about two minutes.


    It was then, without mediating any words yet, that I realized it was going to be harder than I expected.

 Chapter 12: Bewitched

    There''s something that no one tells you about that moment when you are in the face of death itself, and possessed by a sort of courageous spirit, decide to fight your strongest fear.


    Being a Hero doesn''t feel or look as good as the stories told you.


    In fact, and if you''re brave enough to trust my word, I can tell you that it feels like shit.


    At that idealized moment of true courage, you feel stressed, nervous and so afraid that you begin to feel either stupid or suicidal. Is at that moment right before everything gets darker, when all the doubts assault you at once, and you begin to ask if you wouldn''t have been better just by staying in a less dangerous, yet mediocre version of your character.


    It''s there when you discover that whatever you''ve had between hands it''s important enough to put your life on the line. And that only if you get out of that place alive, that something proves itself to have real worth.


    That''s why when he talked, I got quiet for a bit.


    ¡ª So, you did have the gut to appear ¡ª


    And I stared at him blatantly, angry, filled with... anger.


    There, he down-looked me as in our first encounter, and against all of my instincts, I held his sight, he seemed to be annoyed for a second.


    ¡ª That should be my line ¡ª


    I spitted out, trying to strike him. Then I walked a couple of steps aside, to be honest, a bit anxious. I didn¡¯t want to look intimidated, so I proceeded to ask.


    ¡ª What took you so long? ¡ª


    ¡ª I was busy, meeting with friends, ring any bell? ¡ª


    I stayed quiet.


    ¡ª You know, the other day I was walking over Hemingway Street and I thought to see someone that looked really similar to me ¡ª


    He was¡­ right. As one of my chores before facing him, I had followed him only to realize he was having a completely normal life, I was sure that that was how I convinced him to come in the first place. He seemed to take a lot of care in his daily activities. The time he spent helping at home, talking with neighbors, and downtown doing chores was almost like he was trying to prevent himself from being caught. I eventually managed to solve that if I treated him with me simply appearing at some point, without context or explanation, that would mess up his facade. He agreed to meet immediately.


    ¡ª I don¡¯t know what you''re talking about¡ª


    I lied.


    ¡ª I didn¡¯t know you were a stalker ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯m not sure if you can become your own stalker¡ª


    ¡ª What would that make you then?¡ª


    ¡ª Accountable? ¡ª


    ¡ª That¡¯s funny, now I know why I took your life in the first place ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª What? ¡ª


    He asked cocky, and for a moment I had to center myself again, remember that this was a fight I would only be able to win with head and leaded feet. I stayed calm.


    ¡ª Did the cat eat your tongue, Oli?¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah, well, talking about taking things from others ¡ª


    I double-thought it, instead


    He asked me straight-forward.


    ¡ª What do you want? ¡ª


    ¡ª My life back ¡ª


    He laughed at me as if I was telling a joke.


    ¡ª That¡¯s more like it ¡ª


    ¡ª It¡¯s not going to be like the last time ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah, we''ll see ¡ª


    He said, stretching loosely his arms like in the school¡¯s gym class warm-up.


    ¡ª You caught me out of breath, it was a long night ¡ª


    I said nervously.


    ¡ª Well, I hope you do your best then, right? ¡ª


    I swallowed, honestly not sure if I had thought through it enough.


    ¡ª Let me tell you something about this world you surely don¡¯t know, Oli ¡ª


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.He said, stepping further, gazing with his eyes, stained on a red light.


    ¡ª There is a dim light that separates your world from mine, under which reality and dream merge ¡ª


    I backed down a step.


    ¡ª The place where myths, fables, and tales have their nest, here''s where I lay, deeply intertwined with your nightmares ¡ª


    ¡ª What the hell are you talking about?¡ª


    ¡ª You fool, haven¡¯t stories taught you already? you got too close to the fire, and those who do walk with one foot in the dark and another in the light must do with open eyes ¡ª


    ¡ª Who¡­ what the hell are you? ¡ª


    He smiled at the verge of the question.


    ¡ª I¡¯ll let you know as a favor, Oli ¡ª


    Then he stood quietly in front of me, looking taller and stronger.


    ¡ª Right now, I¡¯m your worst Fear ¡ª


    Then, retrieving his arm he dropped a blow over my left side, so quick that I was barely able to interpose my forearm. One last sentence he said as I felt my body being ejected by an overwhelming force.


    ¡ª You should have listened to your instincts ¡ª


    I was thrown away, like a toy, and dropped with a nasty sound that iterated whilst my body crawled over the sand.


    Suddenly I found myself over my belly again, dirty and covered in mod, with a stab of pain across the whole right side of my body, telling me in screams that this wasn¡¯t a play anymore.


    At that moment looking at his estranged face I knew it, he had already realized, that blow was meant to erase me from this earth, but instead, I was standing up again. I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I scratched the sleeve of my hoodie, wrecked by the blow, to reveal the Hex covering my left arm. The rune shining represented strength, and the whirling lines all across my limb the command ¡°Seal¡±, contained within a thin line drawn around half of my body, going through my neck, chest, and waist in a diamond shape.


    ¡ª What? you didn''t expect it to finish so quickly, or did you? ¡ª


    He buffed, kicking dust in front of him.


    ¡ª That¡¯s ¡­. a bewitched marc? ¡ª


    ¡ª Or didn¡¯t stories teach you that? ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    Stepping front, he threw himself upfront, shortening the distance, and with both hands this time, he dropped another blow from above. One hand I had to raise, with which I stopped him in the middle of his flight.


    ¡ª Impossible¡­ one of the Faenician Arts!? ¡ª


    At that moment I could feel it, almost like it was vibrating, the strength flowing from his blow through the Hex into my arm. With little to no experience using it outside of the basement, I couldn¡¯t tell how the command Seal would work or how much could the Hex withstand, only that whatever was absorbed by the Hex would be stored within a limit, after which the Sympathetic Rebound Effect would start spawning, most likely waiting now to crash half of my body. Maybe, I thought, it wasn¡¯t a good idea to receive any more punches directly.


    Quickly I jumped out of the way, letting him fall under his own weight, I reached into the leg pocket on my cargo pants, and pulled out the second card I had ¡°hidden under my sleeve¡±. It was, literally, a piece of paper.


    ¡ª What are you? Answer me! ¡ª


    He pulled himself together, emerging from a cloud of dust, his figure took an intimidating stand from the other side of the pitching diamond. Like someone who¡¯s about to throw something.


    ¡ª Your answer first! ¡ª


    I demanded back


    ¡ª Are you one of Arden''s students? ¡ª


    ¡ª Arden? ¡ª


    ¡ª You refuse to answer? ¡ª


    Then standing from a few meters apart, he retrieved his arm and shrunk it like a boxer would do before a jab, a distorted wall of nothing shutter the void between us, menacing to completely swallow me. Only one thing I was able to say before.


    ¡ª Please work! ¡ª


    And before it could reach me, the wall split itself into a thousand breezes.


    Standing in its way instead, the Hex drawn in the piece of paper shone, so bright, that the paper caught fire in my hand. I dropped it out of the impression.


    We both stared at the void, speechless.

 Chapter 13: Barely a Warm Up

    ¡ª Well, it seems like I might have underestimated you, Oli ¡ª


    Breathed Him out


    I was able to see it in his face, clear and loud, although only for a moment. He was caught by surprise, I had caught him by surprise. The moment I pulled out the Hex, denying his attack, was the moment in which our encounter became a real fight.


    Till then, it had been like if a fly tried to fight a storm, or a fish to change the flow of the sea. Useless and one-sided, a being trapped in something it cannot understand.


    Now I was able to fight back, but don''t get me wrong, I wasn''t celebrating just yet.


    Till that moment, I had only been able to use that Hex to push objects from one side to another, being allured by the vision of some of them levitating.


    To use it as a defense was, on this occasion, more a gamble than a true science. That meant that I had survived this time only by luck, and not a feat of strength.


    I was scared as shit at that very moment.


    ¡ª Does that mean you surrender? ¡ª


    I joked, sweating cold in my shoes.


    ¡ª Oh not at all, it just means the warm-up has ended ¡ª


    He answered, as something I didn¡¯t find funny at all, but that I was expecting. And that was due to the third, and last card under my sleeve. One of which you should already know of.


    You see, the only reason I began to test other types of Hexes and their effects, to begin with, was the fact that they all had a counter to my plan. I wasn¡¯t able to activate them from the inside without being affected by their commands.


    If Hexes could ignore their source, meaning I, then it would¡¯ve been another story.


    Instead, I had to find a way to lead Him into my trap, being stealthy enough not to be discovered, and only then... find a way to pull out of it alive.


    The obvious answer I could think of at that moment was to become better at handling Hexes, and hence in Sympathy itself.


    Having understood that, the rest was a matter of testing Hexes till I had a functioning hand of them, and brainstorming a plan. Following him, and extorting him to meet at the playgrounds, where it wouldn¡¯t be uncommon to see lines forming geometrical shapes under your feet came as a ¡°bright idea¡±. The plan was to create a situation where I could trick him into my grounds, one where I had an advantage, and hopefully, one where I could shift the balance in my favor.


    That''s how I ended up fighting dangerously close to a tramp that could kill me too if I wasn''t careful enough. Something that somehow still seemed better than facing a creature that would certainly kill me if I had the chance.


    Ironically enough at that moment, and having proof to him that I was able to fight, the next best movement I could think of was to run. Far enough so I could safely activate the Hex from outside, trapping him inside. The problem? was to do it without him noticing, so I needed to mislead him as much as I could first.


    ¡ª Warm-up? ¡ª


    I said, acting out all the confidence I could gather.


    ¡ª Well, didn¡¯t you think it was going to be that easy? or did you? ¡ª


    Taunting the ground with his feet, he pulled back one of his legs, and with the same invincible, insubstantial force, he threw himself up-front, almost like ejected, towards me.


    There, I barely was able to elude him, throwing myself to the side so hard that I fell into my butt.


    Rightfully scared, now not because he had shown to be way faster than before, but because he had gone out the borders of my trip, I felt my plan crumbling down for a second. He was too fast, he jumped too much, he was too unpredictable, too strong. Things were getting out of my expectations at that moment.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    One wrong movement and all would go south, so I stood up and thought. What should I do to activate the Hex at the right time and place? There, my brain lightened and I just began to run.


    ¡ª For God¡¯s sake, could you at least keep it cool? you were doing great ¡ª


    He said, before throwing himself front again.


    Barely a dash, and he had crossed over the circle again, standing without knowing, outside of its range. I looked back scared to death, having felt for the second time the wind cracked behind me while his body passed next to it.


    There, I realized two things.


    One, that the speed with which he moved was such that he probably couldn¡¯t control his landing place, proof for which stood the increasing amount of removed grass, mixed with dust in the air.


    Two, that if he caught me off guard I''ll be surely out of the fight on one blow. That way, having no good chances to face him, an indirect approach seemed to be the best option.


    ¡ª Come on! I just want to dance a little bit ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m not much of a dancer myself! ¡ª


    I said, heading immediately towards Him.


    ¡ª Oh, you killjoy ¡ª


    He said before breathing in and throwing himself into an unavoidable collision. I touched the ground with my hand right about time, and the Hex shone in its place.


    Just in a breeze, I felt an absurd force bumping over me, pulling me out of my way, till I was thrown away, spinning through the ground.


    The smell of fresh-cut grass got mixed inside my nostrils with the dirt, wet for the sprinklers that activate themself during the night.


    I had done everything I could, the best I was able to. I had tricked him into the trap and managed to use the Hexes to defend myself. I had endured his attacks, the pain, and fear while charging against him, and still managed to pull myself to a side to activate the Imprisoning Hex, stealthy drawn on the field.


    What I had not been able to foresee, was the tiniest and dumbest things of all.


    I stood up, to see him fall under the effects of the Hex.... and for a moment I had it.


    I had won against all possibilities.


    I have made the impossible come true.


    Then, he laughed.


    As the water wet the field down, I realized.


    Much like in the way the water in the bucket under the tap had saved my life during my experiment, to my misfortune, it would do the same for Him this time.


    I hadn''t won anything at all.


    ¡ª Well, that¡¯s ironic ¡ª


    Said Daniel, already comfortable on his seat next to Barnes.


    Since they had sat down, going through all of Specter¡¯s exposition about The Book, and finally Oliver¡¯s accountancy of the happenings, the evening had fallen giving place to the night.


    By the moment Chief Ortega knocked on the door, the clock¡¯s needles pointed a quarter to ten.


    ¡ª Guys, I just wanted to let you know that I¡¯m already leaving ¡ª


    By that moment, Specter had rightfully covered Oliver''s head, letting him in the middle of his tell of the fight.


    Barnes, who had taken the due precautions not to let the man see what was happening inside the room gave him a worried look and dispatched him as soon as he could.


    ¡ª We¡­ are going to need some more time, Agent Specters is just finishing his instructions... ¡ª


    ¡ª I understand Detective, just make sure¡­ to be back at home by the morning ¡ª


    ¡ª We will Captain, we¡­. yeah ¡ª


    The air was thick inside the room.


    ¡ª So he doesn¡¯t know? ¡ª


    Asked Daniel, as Barnes came back to his side, letting himself fall heavy on the chair.


    Specter looked stoic.


    ¡ª Due to the nature of our work, we cannot let information slit through too easily ¡ª


    The two detectives shared a look.


    ¡ª Usually, we¡¯re not out there telling everything about our cases, or how we operate... you surely understand why ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah, I bet ¡ª


    Said Barnes.


    ¡ª And... what makes us so special? ¡ª


    Daniel asked.


    ¡ª Well¡­ ¡ª


    Rising an eyebrow, Specter measured his answer, to which Oliver gave a glimpse of judgment from inside the box.


    ¡ª No one else is being followed by the book, isn''t it? ¡ª


    There Daniel shrugged his face, holding his chin as he thought about it.


    ¡ª So, how The Book presents you... matters? ¡ª


    ¡ª Oh, it surely does ¡ª


    Specter held his silence then as if he was saving a truth from the rest.


    ¡ª But it¡¯s... classified? ¡ª


    ¡ª Very clever ¡ª


    Specter conceded


    ¡ª Anyways, it¡¯s still not clear how you lost your head ¡ª


    Oliver nodded from the comfort of his place, a little bit embarrassed.


    ¡ª I¡¯m just about to get to that part ¡ª


    Barnes stood from his seat and went to the corner, where the coffee machine had been accommodated.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t we have something stronger? ¡ª


    Then, Oliver began talking again.

 Chapter 14: On the Run

    It would be hard to explain the feeling, of rise and fall, triumph and grief that filled me at that moment.


    On one side, I had surpassed any expectation of success I ever had. To say so, beyond my wildest dream, I had been able to face Him to a point where I was almost certain and sure, that I had outwitted Him.


    But at the same time, whether it was a miscalculation, bad luck, or even the will of a superior power, that hadn¡¯t been enough to reach success.


    The weirdest things happened in the less-expected moments and everything that could go wrong went wrong at that moment.


    One could say that it was the perfect balance for all the luck I had the last couple of days.


    So painfully sat on my knees, I had to watch how the water washed the salt with which I had drawn the Hex on the baseball field.


    ¡ª That was close ¡ª


    He said, with his voice roughly scattered by the Seal''s effect.


    ¡ª I will assume for your face, that that was your best play at hand ¡ª


    White eyes, shoulders down, head tilted back, I stared at him foreshadowing what was about to happen. He was right.


    Like someone who has climbed over a cliff, only to fall on the verge of its top. That was I.


    His next words nailed my coffin right away.


    ¡ª I almost feel sorry for how close it was ¡ª


    Then I realized, I had been left without options, and I moved.


    Slowly, and ungracefully, I felt the real estate of my body as I fell sideways to the ground, tired, confused, and sore.


    And while I rolled over my body, like Atlas, I felt the world weighing over me.


    My right arm, my ribs, and the rest of my limbs hurt beyond any other effort that I had ever done till that moment. Yet, as I managed to crawl a couple of steps back into my knees, and then feet, I knew, that was the state in which I had to go on the run.


    So as crappy as it could be, I ran as fast as I could, heading to the stands of the baseball field.


    Only one sentence I was able to hear from my numb state.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Was enough to give me that little bit of motivation I needed to pull over my last strengths.


    And I started to truly run, I ran as fast as I¡¯d ever done.


    As soon as I entered the stands, a thought struck my mind. The ¡°notebook¡± I thought, uncomfortably stretching my arm to my pocket.


    Then I saw it between my crippling fingers. A tiny, little made of recycled paper notebook looking scratched and dirty for the fight, but that would look like that even If I hadn¡¯t brought it with me anyway.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Filled with numerous circles, symbols, and explanations in scrambled inked handwriting, it was in that notebook that I¡¯d been practicing my Hexes for over the past days. As I ran, I shifted the pages in a quick move and found the section from where the sheet containing the expelling Hex was torn.


    The memory of the shredded invisible force charging against me still made me shiver, but not as much as the image of the Hex splitting into a thousand breezes.


    What I had become able to do, I wasn¡¯t able to understand yet. So as I ran, to know that I still had one of those hexes drawn inside that notebook, among those I hadn¡¯t tested yet, gave me the strength that I lacked. I still had something to defend myself, whatever it ended up being.


    It was at that moment when a stroke, striking demolishing sound broke in. Coming from the entry hall and reaching me, it made me stop in the middle of the run to turn back.


    There, standing now all composed in the hallway, covered by a dust fog, I saw Him breathing heavily in an image more reminiscent of a predator than the quasi-playing partner he had seemed before.


    Slowly but steadily, as I began to be filled with the menacing feeling of being hunted, I turned my feet back to the run, realizing that unlike before, with all my traps and preparation, I had become the prey animal here.


    A few seconds later, I was watching how a piece of concrete belonging to the wall through which corner I had passed flew next to my head, dangerously close to hitting me with the right speed to strike me down. A quick, burning overdosing ignition of energy then filled the fibers of my body, this time not belonging to any type of Sympathy, but to the most basic human instinct.


    The very same feeling Him had referred to at the beginning of our encounter, was the one pushing me into survival. It was fear.


    That way I ran through another corner to find myself in the restrooms, turned left, and went out of the Stadium through a backdoor. Feeling while I did it how a pipe spitted water over me, as steam and sparkles broke under the force of Him''s raging attacks.


    A jump after, and I had scarcely overcome the fence more or less in the same way I had done when broken in, in such a fashion that by that moment, I wasn¡¯t even sure how I was able to perform that act.


    After I had left the Baseball fields behind, I sneaked through the playgrounds, hearing how the steel of the fence I had just jumped folded in Him¡¯s way. Then I headed the the forest on the other side of the nearby road. A place that I knew thanks to my Nightwalks, would lead me to my house''s backyard.


    By this moment, you probably would be asking yourself ?where was everyone? we¡¯re not talking about a park in the middle of nowhere, but a public and usually crowded park in the middle of the town.


    So even if we were to say that the seasonal movement of the people was low at that time of the year, someone surely would be around to witness the mess that was happening at that moment.


    And I can tell you, there was certainly someone, or a few of them, that I only was able to notice once it was too late, as I crossed the street and watched them drive over and their white, rusty, Chevy truck almost hit me.


    I didn''t mind it at that moment, I mean, who would? in the same way, I didn''t think everything would go that south during the fight, little thought did I put into involving others.


    so when I looked inside, with my eyes wide open like a deer under its lights, and saw there was a family inside, I cursed in silence. Two children, between six and eleven, a black-haired man around his forties and a blond woman of the same age.


    They stood watching with a mix of surprise and guilt, relieved that they hadn¡¯t rolled over me. My first impulse was to keep running, and so I did.


    It wasn¡¯t until I had run a few meters inside the woods, looking back to see that nothing followed me anymore, that I realized what I had probably just done.


    A sort of foreshadowing from my gut, quickly confirmed by the sound of a truck¡¯s brakes going unrailed.


    ¡°Oh Fuck¡±


    Was the only thing I got the opportunity to think as the lights of the truck shone misplaced to the woods inside.


    ¡°No, no, that shouldn¡¯t have happened¡±


    In the same way, it had happened with the sprinklers in the field, misfortune seemed to smile at me that night. Not only my victory was ruined by the odds, but it was also my flight.


    I wondered for a second about their chances to survive if I just made it as if I hadn¡¯t seen anything, then, the sudden thought of me asking them to take me far away from there a few seconds before struck me. As if my consciousness, or who knows what was telling me that it was my responsibility, I felt heavy.


    ¡°You could have saved them¡±


    There were Bollocks, indeed, but before I could take a decision, a voice raised from the streets.


    ¡ª I know you¡¯re there, Coward! Get out and face me! ¡ª


    It literally, couldn¡¯t have gone worse than that. I couldn¡¯t do anything else.


    ¡ª Me!? we¡¯ll you¡¯re more coward for taking hostages! ¡ª


    ¡ª Ha! Do you think I care? Now come here and get yourself killed! ¡ª


    It was complete nutcrackers, but still, as both of us screamed, my fingers were quickly running through the pages of my notebook, as a clear question searched my mind.


    Having played the three cards under my sleeve, and spent all my energy, did I still have something to fight with?


    My hands stopped almost at the same time my mind found it.


    I did have something.


    How could I save these people and still get away alive out of there? Tearing a couple of pages from the notebook, and tearing one of them into even tinier pieces, I headed to the road, to find Him standing still in front of the chevy-truck, now turned upside down.


    I was about to do something stupid, and I hoped it worked.

 Chapter 15: And that鈥檚 how you lose a Head

    ¡ª This is it, you¡¯ve reached the end of the road ¡ª


    He said, holding one of the children, unconscious, from the neck of his t-shirt.


    Next to Him, the man, covered in injuries, was facing the pavement, while the silhouette of the other two remained seat-belted inside the now quiet truck.


    There, at the edge of the road, while looking at Him I questioned my decision.


    ¡ª You¡¯ve crossed the line with this one ¡ª


    I said nonetheless, standing firmly on my feet.


    ¡ª Did you expect something else? ¡ª


    He answered.


    ¡ª To be honest, for a moment, I did ¡ª


    And it was true, somehow, I hoped this stayed just between us two.


    ¡ª Well boo-hoo, now come here and kneel before me ¡ª


    I thought it for a second, but... no, that wouldn''t solve anything. I smiled instead.


    ¡ª Well, that¡¯s sounds a little bit too m¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª DO IT ¡ª


    And I slowly started to do it anyway, step by step, as he himself advanced closing the gap. There, he raised his free hand.


    ¡ª Do I have the chance to say a last word? ¡ª


    ¡ª You¡¯ve had enough ¡ª


    Too obvious, but I still needed to try.


    When he had dropped the child ready to drop his last blow on me, I ran quickly towards Him.


    It happened in a split second, as I felt how the air distorted itself around me by the influence of his power, I tackled Him.


    I tackled Him so strongly that he got ejected.


    Like an elastic band getting out of its grip.


    He hit the edge of the truck.


    And got expelled to the other side of the road.


    Not even I was able to believe it, as the strength Hex on my hand burned down, I thanked God.


    There, I waited a couple of seconds, ironically enough that was the hardest hit I had landed on him the whole night.


    I stepped in and tried to watch over the truck, in the direction he had gone through.


    Laid over a ditch, I saw him... my... his body twisted due to the hit, one leg and both arms folded in an impossible position.


    Suddenly, a spam struck his body, followed by a twitch. I had the chance to watch how his limbs unnaturally relocated themselves.


    A few seconds after it, he was standing again. He turned back, searching for something with blood-stained eyes.


    When our sights crossed each other, I started running again.


    I ran as hard as my weakened legs let me, diving again into the woods. When I looked back and saw his silhouette running strangely fold, I knew I had to do it.


    I pulled a handful of pieces of paper and threw them around, like Hanzel and Gretel scrums, making a bet on them.


    One last trick I had to pull so I could make a safe escape, and maybe fight another day.


    There I would activate the last command from that night.


    Feeling like I could fade away, the paper crumbs started to shine as flares all over the place, a sudden spark, and the forest was covered in flames.


    Trees, bushes, and everything around caught fire spreading it wild.


    That same night I ran through the forest till I reached my house¡¯s backyard.


    Even knowing the dangers of it, I didn¡¯t know what to do or where to seek help. I was afraid, sore, and in panic.


    I had discovered I could fight, but even yet... I had lost.


    I had left Him behind, but he still knew everything about how to hurt me.


    Now that he had me in his sight, unlike before, he could use my family to hurt me. That¡¯s why I was there, in the hope of taking them with me, to convince them, no matter what I had to do.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Stealthy, I entered the house to find my brother sleeping inside his room, his PC still running a YouTube video. As he used to do.


    My mom was out, probably covering a night shift, also what she used to do.


    For a second, I felt at peace, calm, whole.


    It was then that the doorbell rang.


    Now, you may think that there¡¯s a limit, for what can happen in one night, but ask yourself this question first. Search into your memory, into those relentless pieces of your story, that you know shaped your today¡¯s self.


    That time your mother came to pick you up at school, as she never did, only to spend a week sleeping at one of her friends'' homes, while she and your father fought their marriage over one of the dumbest things you¡¯d ever heard of.


    Think about that time when you decided to go to a party in a place in the city you¡¯d never known, to meet those who would become your best friends for the next couple of months, while still somehow ending up being kissed by your longtime crush.


    Or that time your little brother got sick while your mother was out, and had so much fever that you and your dad had to drive him to emergencies in the middle of the life, only to end up staying the rest of the weekend in hospital.


    Daily or nightly, on overheat or cold, those days seem to pile themself up event after event, and the grandiosity of the whole experience comes from the depth it took in its journey.


    From being just a bit too much of an overworked, ordinary day, to becoming a canonic event.


    And yet are somehow these pivoting moments those that throw your life into a new level within yourself.


    How your parents don¡¯t look the same anymore. Your newly discovered love for your noisy little brother. How you discover that the world is wider, complex, and... yeah, fun.


    Standing under the doorframe of my brother¡¯s room, I turned my eyes to the door. A long hallway that ran into the living room, scarcely lighted by the kitchen lights, seemed to whisper a foreshadow of what awaited at the other side of the front door.


    Then, the doorbell rang a second time, and I could only imagine what could be on the other side.


    Maybe mom had forgotten her keys and was coming back for them, or maybe she was just on extra hours, finally coming home after a long day. I rushed my way into the hallroom hoping luck smiled at me and I was able to see her after a few of the worst days I¡¯d had.


    I left and advanced through the hallway.


    But when I threw a look through the window, I found nothing in the parking space where she used to leave her car.


    So... maybe it was a neighbor coming to check out Mom or my brother, knowing how much she used to worry.


    Or maybe a longtime friend coming to visit, or even my Aunt May, maybe even someone trying to deliver a package.


    Standing in the hall, under the dim light of the wall lamps, with one foot in the darkness, and the other one in the light, I swallowed.


    I was able to trick myself a couple of times into not thinking it was Him trying to catch me off guard before reaching the door, and when I did and looked through the magic eye, I stayed frozen for a moment.


    ¡ª Do I know you? ¡ª


    Opening the door on a quick movement, I asked without hesitation, even when I already knew the answer.


    ¡ª Are you Oliver, ehm¡­ Strange? ¡ª


    She asked, with a hint of doubt.


    ¡ª Yes ¡ª


    I answered straightforwardly, still accelerated by the run, the fight, and everything else.


    ¡ª Great! My name is Kiki, I¡¯m from... ehm, Hollow Creek''s student council ¡ª


    She answered excitedly and stretched her hand awkwardly straightforwardly so I could shake it. Something I did out of pure reflex.


    ¡ª Ehm¡­ Hi¡ª


    I said, thinking how her hand was harder than I could tell by her soft appearance. Actually, her hand was way tinier than mine, as she was.


    ¡ª Could we talk outside for a bit? ¡ª


    She requested while clumsily removing a long sports bag from her back.


    I double-thought my answer, having no time and being clearly in a hurry. But I found her pretty enough to forget my hurry at the image of the nude skin between her panty socks and her skirt. I was clearly out of my mind.


    I stepped outside, and the cold of the night made me remember my appearance.


    Till that moment, I hadn¡¯t stopped to think about it. I was completely shredded, with my hoodie turned into tatters and my pants covered in a combination of mod, grass, and something that should be blood. Little could I say about my face, which had been rolled over the ground a few times already that night.


    It was at that moment that I realized how strange the situation was.


    ¡ª I¡¯m¡­ sorry, I don¡¯t have that much time, could you be quick? ¡ª


    I told her as my brain tried to warn me of something that I ignored.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be quick ¡ª


    With a movement so quick that I was barely able to perceive, she smiled, very much in the style doctors do before sticking a needle in your arm.


    Normally I would say, Kiki was the type of girl you wouldn¡¯t distrust at first sight. After all, she was in appearance, just a regular high-school girl. A half-true somehow, one very similar to me being only a seventeen-year-old regular boy.


    That night, I don¡¯t know if it was because of her bright almond eyes, how her short black hair threatened to touch the skin of her neck, or something in her tiny silhouette.


    But standing sailor-dressed at my front door, after the weeks of resilient self-isolation studying Sympathy in the darkest corner of my shelter-house I felt something. I felt my world crumbling down, and I knew it.


    I knew that I had lost my head over that girl.


    And I mean it literally.


    Cause it was like that, how Kiki, with her carefully hidden sword had taken my head on one single thoughtful movement.


    I didn''t even know what had happened till she took my head from the floor, holding it against her chest.


    ¡ª I''m so sorry for this, Oliver ¡ª


    She said pressing her lips together.


    ¡ª But whatever you have become, it''s our fault.... and we need to fix it before hurts anyone else ¡ª

 Chapter 16: The Dreamcatcher

    It was then when Oliver stopped, abruptly and clearly wanting to tell more, convinced that Specter¡¯s hand, now raised in between him and the two detectives, was a force strong enough to shut him down.


    When he looked at the AMAT Agent, a wink made him know that his job had already been done. That night, he had already told everything they needed to know about his story, at least, for now.


    ¡ª And? ¡ª Daniel asked from the other side of the desk, already intrigued by what was going to happen next in the boy''s accountancy.


    ¡ª I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t go further without revealing vital information from our organization''s functioning ¡ª


    Barnes rolled his eyes and buffed.


    ¡ª You must be joking ¡ª


    Specter gave him a rhetorical look


    ¡ª Is that all? but how does the body get into the woods? and what happened to the family on the road? we had no eyewitnesses of the fact, it just... doesn¡¯t solve the case¡ª


    ¡ª Well, that can easily be answered right now ¡ª


    Said Specter in a demeaning manner


    ¡ª I started to follow this case above the moment Oliver started to learn Sympathy, while his body was freely walking out there in possession of an Unauthorized Entity of unknown origin ¡ª


    Daniel and Barnes looked at each other.


    ¡ª As for the family, our task forces were able to pick them up and provide the due care to avoid their Willing Suspension of Disbelief to break the fourth wall, preserving the Thoma¡¯s Effect ¡ª


    ¡ª Disbelief? wait, Thomas? ¡ª


    ¡ª Yes, like when you¡¯re watching a movie and decide to believe things you wouldn¡¯t outside of it ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡­ don¡¯t.. ¡ª


    ¡ª In summary, they probably won¡¯t remember anything from that night, except for the fact that they suffered an accident ¡ª


    ¡ª And Kiki threw my body into the woods ¡ª


    Oliver added


    ¡ª Or at least¡­ that¡¯s what she told me she did, I went mad at the moment ¡ª


    Barnes shrugged his face.


    ¡ª As for what happened in the parking lots, think about it as the first attempt to suppress these Entity, the intrusion of our agents it¡¯s the reason behind the intractability of their identities ¡ª


    Daniel sat then, looking blankly at the mirror of the interrogation room.


    The whole situation was delusional, and far beyond his expectations concerning what could be hidden behind the so-called whispers between his colleagues ¡°the strange case of Oliver Strange.¡±. He felt tired after a long day of work and almost five hours of being sat in the same room, his mind foggy, for how much information he had already absorbed, and mildly unsatisfied. He truly believed the end of that case was closed at some point that afternoon, only to discover that inside the rabbit hole, another rabbit hole awaited. He just sat there without mediating any word for enough time for Specter to go on, serve himself a new cup of coffee, drink it, and wait for him to give an answerback. It all felt like a dream.


    ¡ª Detective ¡ª


    Said the agent with the demeaning tone he was already used to.


    ¡ª We need your help to catch this Entity ¡ª


    Daniel tilted his head forward, and the rest of his body followed him.


    ¡ª Every detail is important, so we can avoid anyone else getting entangled in this situation ¡ª


    Daniel nodded his head, and a little bit disorientated tried to look for something.


    ¡ª I, I don¡¯t know what¡­ ¡ª


    Then he remembered.


    ¡ª The files ¡ª


    And he suddenly put his hand inside his jacket, pulling out the files he had taken before.


    ¡ª For God¡¯s sake Daniel ¡ª


    Said Barnes from his chair, just a few centimeters aside. Daniel knew perfectly how that disappointed tone would sound, he just didn¡¯t expect to hear it so soon.


    ¡ª It¡¯s this all? ¡ª


    Specter asked arching an eyebrow, Daniel threw a look to Barnes, and the old Detective took a second to measure his answer.


    ¡ª There¡¯s still a box full of evidence in the Chief¡¯s Office ¡ª


    ¡ª The Chief¡¯s Office? what the hell did you do? ¡ª


    ¡ª Listen, Daniel, you were clearly out of control, I had to be sure you wouldn¡¯t do something st¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª I can¡¯t believe it ¡ª


    Daniel dropped with a heavy voice standing out of his chair. Barnes followed the act as a defense reflex


    ¡ª You fucking snitch ¡ª


    ¡ª You were being reckless, kiddo ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯ll show you what reckless¡­ ¡ª


    Then Specter stranded in between the two of them, raising his hands in case he must stop them.


    ¡ª Let¡¯s calm down gentlemen, we already had the box, there¡¯s no reason to fight ¡ª


    Daniel took a look at him.


    ¡ª He had no option but to tell the truth, that was the first thing we aimed for after we stepped into the building ¡ª


    Barnes answered, waving his hands in a powerless demeanor.


    ¡ª  So¡­ Now what? ¡ª


    Specter gave Daniel a compassionate look, and for a moment, he wished he didn¡¯t have to do what he was about to.


    ¡ª Well, now Detectives, you¡¯re going to head back home and sleep over it, tomorrow we¡¯ll solve it ¡ª


    Then Specter walked them out the entrance, and when they¡¯d leave, he looked at Oliver back in the interrogation room and with a smile gave him another wink.


    ¡ª I just want to ask why ¡ª


    Said Oliver judgmentally from its place


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.¡ª I told you it was going to be awesome, didn¡¯t I? ¡ª


    ¡ª What did you just¡­? ¡ª


    ¡ª Oh, a magician never reveals his secrets ¡ª


    Then a deathly silence took the room


    ¡ª I¡¯m just kidding, can¡¯t you see it on top of the table? ¡ª


    Then Oliver looked next to him, the dream catcher Specter had brought next to the book and he remained still in the same position he had left it when he pulled it out. Weird enough, Oliver remembered the moment when Specter suggested the idea of breaking into the Building that same morning after reading about the detective partners in his book, one would say, that putting yourself into the hands of the police being suspicious of several crimes was a crazy idea, but he managed to shake it off by appointing only three things he needed to do it with an unwavering confidence. The Book, his severed Head, and that Dreamcatcher. He and Kiki had no choice but to let him do whatever he wanted to, and help him in the process.


    ¡ª Look Oliver, it¡¯s not that complicated ¡ª


    He said while searching both detectives to confirm they didn¡¯t have anything else that could expose them.


    ¡ª That Dreamcatcher it¡¯s what we called in the AMAT a Plot Device, and works to store a Conceptual Token, in other words, a Kantian Noumenon, an idea impossible to access but through reasoning  ¡ª


    Oliver swallowed, barely able to follow him.


    ¡ª Come on, really? ¡ª


    Specter exhaled and gave Oliver a pity look.


    ¡ª A Totem, you¡¯ve heard before about it, works as a link between a superior power and the holder, giving him the ability to perform fantastic feats ¡ª


    Then Oliver''s eyes lighted up


    ¡ª Like¡­ when writing a Hex? ¡ª


    ¡ª Yes! For a Sympathist like you, runes would represent these Conceptual Tokens, for this ¡°Totem¡± in particular, the token represents a plotting Trope known as ¡°All Just a Dream¡± ¡ª


    There Specter went quiet, as Oliver¡¯s head turned down ashamed.


    ¡ª What is it? ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯m not sure about what you said ¡ª


    ¡ª Uhm¡­ ? ¡ª


    ¡ª You called me a Sympathist ¡ª


    Then Specter laughed.


    ¡ª I wouldn¡¯t be sure to call you like that either, but I¡¯ve met people less capable than you who call themself like that ¡ª


    Then Oliver raised his head again


    ¡ª I personally, think you would make a better Storyteller ¡ª


    ¡ª A Storyteller? ¡ª


    Oliver replied


    ¡ª That¡¯s how we who make stories call ourselves ¡ª


    Bold, but simple enough, that statement moved Oliver¡¯s heart to its core, so that even when Specter took him, along with the rest of his belongings into the room, the idea remained at the back of his head.


    ¡ª Have you ever read or watched a story in which at the end, it all turns out to be just a dream? ¡ª


    While speedrunning through the building, Specter asked, stopping a second to pick a Dreamcatcher exactly identical to the one in the interrogation room.


    ¡ª Uh, yeah, that¡¯s how Captain Tsubasa was supposed to end right? Oliver never became a pro soccer player in Barcelona, he was in a wheelchair and all was a dream ¡ª


    Specter gave him a weirded-out look


    ¡ª Well, that¡¯s a terrible example, but I guess it works ¡ª


    ¡ª I mean, I think that never actually happened in the story but¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª The point is that this Plot Device works similarly to that, making everything in the room in which it¡¯s placed, part of a dream ¡ª


    ¡ª Wait, how a dream? are we¡­ sleeping? ¡ª


    ¡ª Well, no we¡¯re not, to explain what a dream is would take¡­ just listen to me! ok? ¡ª


    ¡ª O-Okay ¡ª


    ¡ª It marbles reality in a limited space, and a very specific way, targeting the subconscious baggage of which dreams are made, in other words, memories ¡ª


    ¡ª Oh ¡ª


    ¡ª Now you get it? ¡ª


    ¡ª Why didn¡¯t you say you could mess with their memories from the start? ¡ª


    ¡ª Because it doesn¡¯t work that way ¡ª


    Stated Specter, while breaking into the vigilance room, and erasing the stored data from that day.


    ¡ª Hear me out, the usage of this trope has constraints and conditions, there must be Chekov¡¯s Items carefully placed within the scene, you must know what you¡¯re searching for before digging in, and be able to erase your tracks after you take it, but most importantly, it must be introduced through a believable narrative to its subjects, if not¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª If not? ¡ª


    ¡ª The narrative thread would break and the trope won¡¯t make its effect¡ª


    ¡ª Oh ¡ª


    ¡ª But usually what would happen is that tonight, the memories that I targeted today would mix with the subjects'' dreams, vanishing in the process ¡ª


    Stated Specter, right before taking a Dreamcatcher from the entrance stand, cheerfully goodbye¡¯ing the night-shift officer, who clumsily waved his hand back in the middle of a yawn.


    ¡ª That easily, we got out of your problems with the law ¡ª


    ¡ª Well I technically didn¡¯t break any law ¡ª


    ¡ª Apart from Public Property damage, Vandalization, Riot, and Agravassion, among many others¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah, I get your point ¡ª


    ¡ª Ready to get your body back? ¡ª


    ¡ª I was wondering when would you get to that part ¡ª


    Then, just about when both stepped into the parking area, a white, all-dirty van with an inscription that said ¡°Duff Brothers Co, Scraps, Dregs, and Wastes Handling¡±  entered burning rubber, just to stop a couple of feet from then.


    ¡ª I think that would be about¡­ ¡ª


    Added on time Specter, while watching his watch.


    ¡ª Now ¡ª


    Opening the co-pilot door, a rushed out Kiki recklessly wheeled the vehicle with a couple of books to cover the space between her short legs, and the clutch showed up, throwing them a charming smile.


    ¡ª Are you done? ¡ª


    She asked


    ¡ª Of course ¡ª


    Said Specter.


    ¡ª Great, because we have no time to lose, get in ¡ª


    And so both did.

 Chapter 17: The Ritual

    After they had jumped in the Van, Oliver was shocked on surprised, finally there, he couldn''t believe it.


    ¡ª What the Hell is happening?! ¡ª


    Said Oliver from the back of the Van, watching over his headless corpse, which lay inert half-covered by a forensic bag on the floor.


    ¡ª What, it¡¯s not supposed to look like that? ¡ª


    Stated Specter seated on his knees while examining the body with a pair of white gloves and a pencil, as a doctor, or someone grossed by it would.


    ¡ª A-Are you joking? ¡ª


    ¡ª Of course, I am ¡ª


    In front of them, Oliver¡¯s body lay stiff and half-melted into a translucent substance that remembered that of the slimed with which the youngest, and not so young used to get obsessed with.


    ¡ª It seems like your body is melting ¡ª


    Stated Specter, very intrigued by the fact.


    ¡ª Yes, I can see that, but why? ¡ª


    ¡ª Well, I¡¯m not an expert on Entities Biology or Phantonomenology, but I would say that it¡¯s a side-effect of having your head severed for, well¡­ such an amount of time ¡ª


    ¡ª Eh? ¡ª


    ¡ª Haven¡¯t you thought why after being possessed people were able to see you? or why you didn¡¯t show the most common feats of being a wandering spirit like you did when Nightwalking? ¡ª


    Oliver stopped and thought for a second.


    ¡ª Well, I did¡­ but, I never had a clear answer ¡ª


    ¡ª My theory is that you became into a doppelganger ¡ª


    Oliver stared at him unatoned.


    ¡ª In other words, you transitioned to a phantasmagoric state, and unlike spirit-like creatures, they have their own physiology and functioning, mainly made out of plasm, a type of energy ¡ª


    Then, sticking the pencil into the substance, Specter raised his arm drawing a thread made of plasm in the air between him and Oliver¡¯s severed head.


    ¡ª To me, it seems that while your head¡¯s being out of town, your phantasmagoric body had started to rotten in lack of energy ¡ª


    Then, the Van jumped over a street bump, and both turned on time to watch Kiki¡¯s ick face.


    ¡ª What is happening back there? ¡ª


    ¡ª Eyes on the road kid, do you even have a driver¡¯s license? ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡­ ¡ª


    Kiki stuttered from her seat, red as a street stop sign.


    ¡ª Anyways, we need to make this quick if you don¡¯t want to be carried for the rest of your afterlife ¡ª


    It was an old, wooded cabin on the top of a cliff, surrounded by woods that extended themself as far as one could see, into the sea. There the only way in ¡ªunless you were a hiking enthusiast¡ª was a road swirling through the East of the city, barely a few miles from the Police Station. The cabin, rooted in the ground after being there who knows how long, next to the half-wrecked ruins of a well-like structure, was barely able to host a couple of persons at the same time, if you were to willingly skip all public safety lineaments to put yourself in.


    ¡ª Okay, this is the place ¡ª


    ¡ª The place for what? ¡ª


    Asked Oliver


    ¡ª For performing the union ritual you silly ¡ª


    ¡ª Ritual? ¡ª


    Dropping herself from the driver¡¯s seat, Kiki blow out air while passing next to those two, amused by the looks of the cabin¡¯s wooded engraves.


    ¡ª What are you doing? ¡ª


    Asked Oliver.


    ¡ª I admire the art, this place must have at least four hundred years ¡ª


    She said.


    ¡ª Wait, no, I mean with your mouth ¡ª


    ¡ª Oh, I¡¯m whistling ¡ª


    Oliver shouted out his mouth for a second and thought.


    ¡ª Four hundred years ¡ª


    Then, Specter stepped in the door front, handled one of the wooden beams, and shook it so hard that dust started to rain over the inner floor.


    ¡ª Wait! What are you doing? ¡ª


    ¡ª Well kids, you¡¯re just looking at the nearest Sanctuary, luckily not that far away from a shithole like this, I¡¯m actually surprised ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯ve heard about this place, when the town was founded, the¡­ ¡ª


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.Said Kiki, but before she could keep explaining, Specter stepped in.


    ¡ª We don¡¯t have time for that, do you have your Katana with you? ¡ª


    Kiki looked at her waist, and the weapon remained there as usual.


    ¡ª It isn''t obvious? ¡ª


    ¡ª I truly couldn¡¯t tell, we¡¯re also gonna need fire ¡ª


    Both of them looked at Oliver. He remained confused for a second.


    ¡ª Yeah sure, I swallowed a lighter before, of course, I don¡¯t have a¡­ ¡ª


    Then he realized.


    ¡ª ¡­ you mean Sympathy, right? ¡ª


    ¡ª Or we could just search in the Van ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah I¡¯ll try, but I need someone to draw for me ¡ª


    ¡ª I have a pen! ¡ª


    Said Specter, before starting to settle the place for the ritual.


    Twelve candles stood over a dusty, oak-carved wooden floor aged by the centuries, drawing a circle. Six were meant for the outside corners of the Hexagram, another six for the intersections of the Hex, establishing an inner circle, both of which were ruled by the rune belonging to the Temple¡¯s Patron, an ancient name long forgotten, yet still preserved into the Sanctuaries floor, it¡¯s afterlife stronghold. When Specter walked in holding Oliver¡¯s severed head, the sympathetic link started to shine.


    ¡ª Didn¡¯t you say you couldn¡¯t do Sympathy? ¡ª


    Asked Oliver


    ¡ª Oh, I don¡¯t, I just know a couple of tricks or two, it¡¯s actually a stroke of luck that someone like you is here with us ¡ª


    Said Specter, while Kiki dragged the ectoplasmic rotting headless body of Oliver.


    ¡ª It won¡¯t be instantaneously, but the energy gathered within this wall should help to restore your body after we stick your head back to it ¡ª


    ¡ª How long? ¡ª


    ¡ª A couple of days at least, enough time for Park to find out about what we¡¯re dealing with ¡ª


    After hearing the name, Kiki dropped the body¡¯s legs heavily into the ground, buffed a string of air, and walked back to the Van.


    ¡ª Is she okay? ¡ª


    Asked Specter.


    ¡ª She doesn¡¯t like when people mention her brother ¡ª


    ¡ª I thought she was into this for him ¡ª


    ¡ª Maybe more like because of him, it¡¯s¡­ complicated ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah well, I don¡¯t care, we need her ¡ª


    ¡ª Just let me¡­ could you? ¡ª


    ¡ª Get you close to her? sure pal, do you want her number too? ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    It was already three in the morning when companied by Specter, Kiki entered the cabin holding Oliver¡¯s head.


    ¡ª I¡¯m sure this time! I swear ¡ª


    Oliver lied


    ¡ª Last time, I didn¡¯t even know what was I facing, but after all I learned with you, Park, and Specter, to defeat Him would be a piece of cake! ¡ª


    ¡ª You know I could beat Him single-handedly in close combat, right? ¡ª


    ¡ª Eh, yes¡­ I, you let it clear last time ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯m just worried about everything else¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª My family would be ok, he won¡¯t ruin his alibi ¡ª


    ¡ª He could now, if he discovers we¡¯re behind him ¡ª


    Kiki gave Oliver a guilty look.


    ¡ª And then he would kill everyone you love, just because I slayed the wrong head one night ¡ª


    Then, one single tear sprang from her eye, mopping down through her chick.


    ¡ª Well, you know, sometimes you just¡­ slay the wrong head, you just need to¡­ realize it and correct your mistakes¡­ there¡¯s always hope if you have the will! ¡ª


    Oliver gave there a look to Specter, who shrugged his shoulders not knowing what to do.


    ¡ª I think¡­ you¡¯re right ¡ª


    She said, putting Oliver¡¯s head down in the middle of the Hex.


    ¡ª Am I? I mean ¡­ yes I am! ¡ª


    She looked at him, pulled out her Katana from its sheath, and held it in position. Specter squatted over and bound together Oliver¡¯s body and head, leaving only a barely perceptible space in between.


    ¡ª Thy the thing that made them split be the one that joins them again together ¡ª


    He said in a deep voice, sweating, Oliver¡¯s eyes danced around the room, as he felt the Sympathy being drawn through his body. The Hex then shone, and the candles sparkled together, a sudden trembling, a loud silence, and a storming wind that turned everything off, bringing again the darkness that took control over the place.

 Chapter 18: A Real Sympathist

    When Oliver opened his eyes, everything around was covered by a thick, unknown, and thought-provoking darkness. As he was himself from the tip of his head to the toe of his feet, so that the only thing he was able to see was himself and nothing else, at infinitum.


    It took him a moment, but when he tried to breathe and couldn¡¯t, he eventually realized, that he was floating inside of this darkness, like a balloon in a night without stars. Then, he looked up and saw a silver thread, a rounded sphere made of light that he thought could be the moon, when he tried to reach it, a hundred particles moved with his arm, and a familiar lighthening feeling filled his body. Only then did he realize that this darkness was made of water, a few seconds after, he panicked.


    It was a silent fear, like the one humans have in loneliness, one where screams cannot be heard, nor the pain suppressed, one made of slaps and kicks, in an endless fight to reach the surface, not being sure if such a thing ever existed. It was in the middle of this fight, that Oliver released, that the object he had seen before, the old times favorite muse, the moon, wasn¡¯t what he thought it be. He realized that the light that came out of it was not that of a mythical being, but the very same one that lit up the outside world. For an instant, he saw trees, a clear sky, and leaves falling to the ground. For an instant, he thought he would be able to reach it. Then he realized that, far from close, having emptied his lungs and tired his arms, his strength had started to fail him.


    It was just when he had given up, that a hand came from the light, right into the darkness, a single peacefully offering hand that took it and pulled him out of the darkness.


    When Oliver lay down on the leaves-covered dirty ground, he was all wet, tired, and breathing like a hurt animal.


    ¡ª Welcome again, Oliver, to the world of the living ¡ª


    Said the familiar voice, Oliver turned around, still shakily overwhelmed by the effort, and found Park sitting next to a bonfire. It was late in the afternoon, and he was suited in black wearing the Academy¡¯s uniform, much in the way in which both he and Kiki had been the first time Oliver met them, two weeks ago.


    ¡ª How does it feel to be in one piece again? ¡ª


    Asked with whim the slanted-eyes boy from the comfort of a wood-carved little chair.


    ¡ª I¡­ I ¡ª


    Oliver stuttered, putting his hands over his pumping chest, and slowly recovering his breath, till he was seated.


    ¡ª ¡­ I feel better, I guess ¡ª


    Park laughed, oddly pleased.


    ¡ª That¡¯s good, now sit, and grab a snack, we have a long night in front of us ¡ª


    Only then did Oliver realize that next to the bonfire, a wooden stick formation held tiny, little roasted fishes, carefully aligned next to the heat. The next thing he knew was that they were not so far from the Sanctuary he, Kiki, and Specter had performed their ritual, but this time he was alone with Park.


    Sat the two of them in the middle of the night, Oliver dived deep in his thoughts, rehearsed by having a body back, but still unatoned from knowing it was not the original one.


    ¡ª Are you afraid? ¡ª


    Asked the black-haired student, he was only a couple of years older than Oliver, but the distance between them was perceptibly unmeasurable from the start.


    ¡ª Of what? ¡ª


    Answered Oliver


    ¡ª You tell me ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯m not afraid of you ¡ª


    Park gave him a tender look.


    ¡ª That¡¯s a good start, but why don¡¯t dig deeper? you¡¯ll have a fight before the end of the night ¡ª


    Oliver gave him a blank stare.


    ¡ª I thought¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª We all thought, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here and not them ¡ª


    ¡ª How many¡­? ¡ª


    ¡ª Four days Oliver, we¡¯ve done everything we could, but it must finish now ¡ª


    ¡ª Is my family¡­ safe?¡ª


    ¡ª Specter told me to tell you something if you asked that ¡ª


    ¡ª Specter? ¡ª


    ¡ª He said ¡°Look at the fridge¡± ¡ª


    Oliver stayed quiet for a moment, thinking


    ¡ª I¡­ don¡¯t understand, I¡¯m not even a real Sympathist, last time was just¡­ beginners luck ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª Why don¡¯t you¡­? ¡ª


    ¡ª We all have our role in this story, Oliver, where did all this start? how to end it for good? that¡¯s what we take care of ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª Come, follow me ¡ª


    Said Park, a both headed deep into the trees.


    It was a byway that flowed by the east side of the mountain, that took them about thirty minutes of calm walk into the woods. When we started, the sky was stained red, and by the end of it, a blueish darkness had covered, it as a result of the stars shining far from the city. The place was an old abandoned observatory, a stand in the middle of nothing, made out of wood, rocks, and long rusted iron.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.¡ª Where are we? ¡ª


    Asked Oliver


    ¡ª Look out there¡ª


    Said Park pointing somewhere inside the dark, Oliver sharpened his eye and was able to glimpse a set of distant lights in the middle of the woods.


    ¡ª It¡¯s the Academy ¡ª


    Oliver stared at him in white.


    ¡ª In that place, some of the most powerful, worth-knowing experts in the world live to explore, develop, and teach others how things like Sympathy work ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª Once you become aware of something, you can lose the track, run away from it, or even cover your eyes, but you can¡¯t unsee it ¡ª


    ¡ª I didn¡¯t ask for¡­ all of this ¡ª


    ¡ª Not everyone is able to do what we do, Oliver ¡ª


    Oliver gave him a doubtful look.


    ¡ª And the certainty of that will carry you along the way, you decide if you want to make it a curse, or your strongest feat ¡ª


    That was the real difference between Specter, Kiki, and  Park. Unlike the other two, Park was the only one able to use Sympathy. The only other one able to understand what it was to face others with a hand of sheets and a pen, hoping that your wit was enough to work a miracle. Oliver still remembered the incident, right after being decapitated by Kiki and brought to that dark, mischievous place they called the Academy. Carved in stone and lost in time, they ran away through a desert campus filled with shady corners, still not enough to hide them from the grizzly-looking monster that held the Director¡¯s title, and its right hand, a man covered in scars so tall that make Specter look like a child. It was then that Oliver saw it for the first time, real Sympathy, not the thing he had made with a couple of drawings, salt, and a sheet. It was far away from Arwan¡¯s Comprehensible guide, that night, covered in quasi-runic burning marks, marbling reality as if it was clay on a children¡¯s hand, Oliver met the first true Sympathist he would ever meet and witnessed what could Sympathy in the hands of a real expert truly do in a fight.


    Then, Oliver stood on the verge of the long-rotten wooden structure and stared at the lights in the distance.


    ¡ª I don¡¯t have any plan, I don¡¯t even know what to expect ¡ª


    Then Park handed him a tiny, all scratched and dirty notebook.


    ¡ª I think this is yours ¡ª


    Oliver recognized it instantly, they were its Sympathy learning notes.


    ¡ª There were a couple of really interesting constructions in there, I took a look inside, I hope you don¡¯t mind ¡ª


    ¡ª Not at all ¡ª


    Oliver said, giving him a look.


    ¡ª Where did you learn Hex-linking? ¡ª


    ¡ª Hex-linking? ¡ª


    ¡ª You had a diagram inside of it, an energetic funnel made of a sealing-expelling pair, a dual-link ¡ª


    Oliver took a second to understand what he was talking about.


    ¡ª I¡­ thought it would be possible, but I couldn¡¯t find a measure for the energetic storage, it was just too dangerous to use in a fight ¡ª


    ¡ª SRE, right? ¡ª


    ¡ª Exactly ¡ª


    Said Oliver excited


    ¡ª Well, you could easily solve that using a Totem/Holder pair ¡ª


    ¡ª Holder? ¡ª


    Oliver asked


    ¡ª The inversion of a Totem, that is, an object that makes you able to store energy instead of drawing it ¡ª


    ¡ª That¡¯s¡­ a dualism dichotomy? ¡ª


    ¡ª More like an Opposites Unit, where the existence of an object ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ Depends on the existence of another two, that means¡­ ? ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah, there is a third device that can be used to nullify both Totems and Holders ¡ª


    ¡ª Impressive¡­ ¡ª


    Said Oliver, holding his chin in allured excitement.


    ¡ª Do you have one with you? ¡ª


    ¡ª A Holder? God no, that¡¯s a very rare artifact, I barely have a couple of Totems with me every time ¡ª


    ¡ª Ah¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª But there¡¯s another way to deal with SRE using that creation of yours ¡ª


    Oliver then gave him a distrusting look


    ¡ª You have funneled in and out, right? As long as you don¡¯t keep it in, you should be okay ¡ª


    ¡ª Wait, is that even possible? ¡ª


    ¡ª To activate more than one Hex at a time? God, of course, it is, imagine how lame would be Sympathy if not, it only requires a little practice ¡ª


    Oliver stood in disbelief.


    ¡ª And Hex-linking''s main purpose it''s actually to make that easier ¡ª


    ¡ª But, what if the energy I¡¯m trying to funnel through it¡¯s too big? ¡ª


    ¡ª Well, that¡¯s the gamble, but it usually takes a couple of seconds for your static body to align with your meta-body, during which some things can just¡­ go through ¡ª


    ¡ª That¡­ I don¡¯t get it ¡ª


    ¡ª Well, that¡¯s on Ardeen¡¯s freshman year beyond biology class content table ¡ª


    Said Park, throwing a look to the light¡¯s row far away in the darkness.


    ¡ª That¡¯s¡­ nice ¡ª


    Then, a horrifying sound that could only be described as the combination of an old lady¡¯s laugh with the collision of two metallic devices, making friction, started to come out of Park¡¯s jacket. The eye-slanted boy then pulled out a disgusting flesh-looking red-ball device, in which a tiny mouth began talking.


    ¡ª There is movement inside the house, I repeat, our Villain is inside the house ¡ª


    Park gave a look back to Oliver.


    ¡ª Ok, Hero has already woken up, We are heading there immediately ¡ª


    Right there, at that moment, Oliver swallowed a big chunk of saliva.


    They had already started moving.

 Chapter 19: Whats hiding in Creekshaw

    On their way back to civilization, Park and Oliver took a detour.


    Going down through a byway in the mountain, till reaching a road that crossed over the woods, they walked all the way to Creekshaw, the all-time neighboring town to Hollow Creek.


    Barely a third of Hollow Creek''s size, Creekshaw was divided into two parts, Creekshaw¡¯s Grove and Creekshaw¡¯s Port. The neighboring town to the modern city in which Hollow Creek had become, used to be an important Port for fishing and transporting during the very establishment of New England more than four hundred years ago.


    Nowadays, a shadow of its origins has turned into a vacation''s destiny due to a set of four islands, none of them big enough to hold an assessment, but the very reason that attracted divers and tourism with its unique marine wildlife during six months a year, becoming Creekshaw''s population lifeline with the rest of the world.


    Both cities, united by history, blood, and property owners, were also the perfect settlement for a place like Ardeen¡¯s Academy.


    When both boys reached Creekshaw¡¯s welcoming sign, guarded by twenty-four hours fully lightened McDonald¡¯s, a red Chevy Truck that made Oliver remember his fight with Him was waiting for them.


    Inside, a red-hed girl around their own age, with freckles covered face, wearing a squared t-shirt, received them with a scowl.


    ¡ª I truly hope you were serious when you said you were in a hurry, for your own sake ¡ª


    She said, Park answered her with a smile.


    ¡ª I would never call you if that wasn¡¯t the case America, believe me ¡ª


    And we both got in the truck.


    Around a mile in, from the back of the truck, feeling himself a burden in a similar way he felt when been a severed head, Oliver heard the uncomfortable silence break inside of the driver''s cabin. When he spied inside through the windows, he felt America¡¯s green eyes fixed on him.


    ¡ª ¡­ Not much, I¡¯ve been working the whole summer in my father¡¯s business ¡ª


    ¡ª Which one? ¡ª


    Asked Park.


    ¡ª All of them ¡ª


    She said


    ¡ª Huh, that sounds inconvenient ¡ª


    Then, he noticed Oliver picking through the back window.


    ¡ª Oh, I probably should introduce you to the other ¡ª


    Giving a plane look at Oliver, he nodded his head in a friendly manner.


    ¡ª Oliver, she¡¯s America, one of our next-year freshman students, she¡¯s like you, one of those weird cases in which an outsider becomes able to use Sympathy ¡ª


    America gave him a hasty look, followed by a grunt.


    ¡ª That¡¯s not true and you know it ¡ª


    Park buffed and gave her a tender look.


    ¡ª America, he¡¯s Oliver, and he just learned to use Sympathy two weeks ago, he¡¯s got not a single drop of Faenic background in him, even though, he¡¯s probably already at Sophomore level ¡ª


    After hearing that, America turned around so fast that the truck skidded burning rubber for a second before she took control of it again.


    ¡ª You must be kidding ¡ª


    She argued with her eyes wide open, as Park nodded in rehearsal.


    ¡ª Him? ¡ª


    She asked again, giving him another look through the rearview mirror. Oliver smiled awkwardly, waving his hand from the back.


    ¡ª That¡¯s impossible ¡ª


    She declared, fixing her view again on the road, as they drove by Hollow Creek¡¯s Welcoming sign.


    ¡ª Well, not impossible, it took me more or less the same time to jump from Dual-links to Hyperlinks after I understood the logic behind it, and I was fourteen ¡ª


    America shook her head, like trying to shake an idea away.


    ¡ª You¡¯re a weirdo Park, there¡¯s no comparison point ¡ª


    Then she looked at the rearview mirror, only to find Oliver smelling the insides of his hoodie.


    ¡ª T-thanks for the clothing by the way ¡ª


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.He said when realizing this, America rolled her eyes blank.


    ¡ª How¡¯s it that I always end up hanging out with the weirdest guys in town? ¡ª


    ¡ª Turn right in the next intersection, we¡¯re heading to Hollow Park ¡ª


    Oliver turned himself to Park.


    ¡ª Are we really going to do it that way? ¡ª


    Park gave him a look back.


    ¡ª A.M.A.T forces are locking Hollow Creek right now, if we don¡¯t stop Him tonight, who knows what can happen ¡ª


    ¡ª Wait, what? ¡ª


    Said America from her seat.


    ¡ª Turn left here ¡ª


    ¡ª You didn¡¯t say that when you called me ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯m sorry, I needed this ride desperately, I did what I had to ¡ª


    ¡ª Park, am I locked in Hollow Creek tonight? ¡ª


    ¡ª That¡¯s right ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    America turned her head back into the chair¡¯s rest


    ¡ª My dad¡¯s going to kill me ¡ª


    ¡ª Ok, stop, we¡¯re already here ¡ª


    They were by the end of Washington Street, number 32, the oldest part of the neighborhood, right where the houses began to look slightly crappier than the rest. They parked right at the other side of the road and looked inside through the hallroom¡¯s windows.


    ¡ª I didn¡¯t know you had a twin ¡ª


    Said America the first.


    ¡ª He doesn¡¯t ¡ª


    Then she looked at Oliver, strangely more serious than before.


    ¡ª Well, that¡¯s not creepy at all ¡ª


    Stated with a sarcastic tone.


    ¡ª Well, what¡¯s the plan? ¡ª


    Then, Park took a piece of wrapper from the truck¡¯s floor, and pulling out a pen from his jacket started to scribble in it. Six dots and two squares, one dot for each person involved, a square for a house, and another for the car.


    ¡ª Ok, it should be pretty simple, our goal is to pull Him out of the house into the woods, more or less at the same time we manage to take Oliver¡¯s family to a safer place ¡ª


    ¡ª Who¡¯s in the woods? ¡ª


    Am¨¦rica asked first


    ¡ª Kiki is in the woods, she¡¯s meant to support Oliver, and deliver the final blow in case he¡¯s not able to ¡ª


    ¡ª Why there are only two dots inside? ¡ª


    Asked Oliver


    ¡ª Your mother is about to go on a date ¡ª


    ¡ª Wait, what? with whom? ¡ª


    Park raised his eyebrows and nodded his head sideways.


    ¡ª You guess ¡ª


    Then Oliver realized.


    ¡ª Specter!? ¡ª


    Park nodded, while an all-make-up and dressed in black Carry came out of her house, took her car out of the parking place, and left.


    ¡ª Motherf¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª I don¡¯t think you want to say that, but anyways, I¡¯ll take your brother out of there into the car, where America is going to take him into a safer place, then I¡¯ll come back with you ¡ª


    Oliver then breathed out in relief.


    ¡ª Listen to me, Oliver ¡ª


    Said Park, suddenly coming more serious than before.


    ¡ª Reviewing AMAT¡¯s response to this incident, we believe that whatever is inside of your body, is way stronger than we thought, and may become a hazard for the whole town after leaving it ¡ª


    Then, Oliver turned tense as a string again.


    ¡ª As often happens, supernatural beings and their impact on this world become weaker within the constraints of a possessed body, malice, plagues, illness, chaos, or death itself, are only some of the most common symptoms of their release ¡ª


    Both America and Oliver swallowed saliva.


    ¡ª Weren¡¯t you researching what it was before? ¡ª


    Asked Oliver.


    ¡ª That¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of, I traced Him¡¯s trespass event through the dim light ¡ª


    Oliver didn¡¯t know what to think of.


    ¡ª I don¡¯t know exactly who he is, but was able to discover its nature¡­¡ª


    Park thought well before opening his mouth again.


    ¡ª He¡¯s a creature of the nightmares, Oliver, a dream that went sideways, more an idea than a conscious being ¡ª


    A silence then filled the insides of the truck, and sank in darkness, only interrupted by the blinking sign of the board that recommended an engine revision with a red light. Oliver gave a look then to the other two, deadly sank into the revelation, he¡­ he didn¡¯t quite get it yet.


    ¡ª Guys I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t understand why that¡¯s such a mic drop¡­ ¡ª


    Said Oliver.


    ¡ª You may not know this yet Oliver, but stories are the fabric of reality, and pretty much like in politics, science, or even general history, an idea powerful enough can change the world in its entirety ¡ª


    ¡ª Stories convey ideas, and we are the stories that we live¡­ ¡ª


    Said America from her sit


    ¡ª That¡¯s why fighting ideas is so dangerous, the last time an idea went out of its trail, we wiped out half of the world''s population¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª Oh¡­ ¡ª


    Said Oliver feeling awkwardly dumb on his stand, then Park put the whole machinery in motion.

 Chapter 20: Round 2

    It was eleven at night when Oliver broke into the house through the back door, everything was dark inside, and the familiar scene from before had long vanished, leaving only an obscure silence, marked by the scent of a monster inside the place.


    Locking the door at his back, knowing the place like the palm of his hand, Oliver advanced in the darkness, silently sneaking through the hallway, passing by his old door, where Him should be laid, all the way into the kitchen. Once there, through the windows, Oliver briefly switched the light on and off. That was the sign.


    ¡ª Oliver, I think we had a problem ¡ª


    Said Park through the phone, open as a communication line.


    ¡ª I¡­ think I know what you mean ¡ª


    Oliver answered quickly, hanging out in the process.


    ¡ª Hey, Oliver! ¡ª


    Said Park before watching through the window to see Oliver in the Kitchen, next to a thinner figure.


    ¡ª Hey buddy, I thought you were sleeping ¡ª


    It was Corin, Oliver¡¯s younger brother, half-sleep and already suited on his sleepers, carving mindlessly one of his eyes with the back of his hand.


    ¡ª I was thirsty ¡ª


    Answered Corin walking through Oliver, into the fridge.


    It had been almost a month since the last time Olive had seen him, and for one moment, everything came back to him. The months before moving out, the journey and having to leave everything, their D&D unfinished campaign, and even the discussion they had the morning before he had to leave. It had been a couple of messed up weeks, in which everything had turned into something he couldn¡¯t even describe. It was hard to realize, that even when both had shared almost everything till that moment, Corin probably wouldn¡¯t be able to understand what was happening even if he tried to explain it. At that moment Oliver decided that it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea either.


    When Corin closed the fridge door having served himself, Oliver saw a strangely familiar dreamcatcher attached to it and remembered Specter.


    ¡ª Hey, Corin, do you still remember our Empire Rises DnD quest? ¡ª


    Already on his way to bed, the boy turned around and watched him with bold eyes.


    ¡ª I had this idea about a magic book we can use to solve Alveda¡¯s Maze, and¡­ ¡ª


    Then Oliver felt his body shook, carried aside by Corin¡¯s weight, who had mindlessly run to hug him.


    ¡ª You¡¯re back! ¡ª


    He said thrilled


    ¡ª Wh¡­ yeah, I¡­ wait, how do you know? ¡ª


    Corin answered then, words that Oliver would never hear, as his face went from a golden joy to a pale angst. Eyes fixed in the dark hallway, holding Corin''s arm, he squatted enough to have him on his height, resembling in the act a prey animal. He felt it, almost like a scent in the air, way before it was readable by the eye. When the silhouette emerged from the dark, he knew the whole deal was about to start.


    ¡ª Oh, hi Oliver, I didn¡¯t know you were coming tonight ¡ª


    Said Him calmly, with a pleased expression.


    ¡ª I¡¯m sorry, I was just around the neighborhood, and thought about stopping by to say hello ¡ª


    Turning himself in front of Coring, shielding him with his body, Oliver squared himself up. He laughed in his place.


    ¡ª That¡¯s a good one, but you should seriously think about calling before ¡ª


    He said, right before throwing his arm upfront, unleashing a terrible wave of invisible force that advanced like a heavy truck, crashing the whole hallroom, rumbling, splintering, and chipping all in its way, right before fading in front of Oliver¡¯s bare hand.


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª What?¡ª


    ¡ª I think¡­ I don¡¯t have a comeback for that one¡­ ¡ª


    Said Oliver, right before pushing Corin away, then, jumping in the opposite direction.


    ¡ª Run! ¡ª


    ¡ª You fool, you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to do? ¡ª


    Aiming Corin in the middle of his run, Him said, provoking Oliver¡¯s reaction.


    There, Oliver waved his other hand over Him, in a split second, a thought crossed his mind, the house, his brother, everything was too tight, too close, too dangerous, so he held and pushed at the same time, the very same force that had went through the sealing Hex on his other hand, the expelling Hex shone, activating the link between the Hexes and a much weaker wave came to life, reaching Him with barely enough strength to throw him over his knees.


    ¡ª What the¡­ ¡ª


    He said, turning his attention to Oliver, while Corin sneaked behind the hallroom¡¯s coach. Oliver remained shocked for a moment, remembering Park''s words about dual links, it was a matter of practice. Now he understood what he had meant with it.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.¡ª It won¡¯t work anyway ¡ª


    Then Him retrieved his body again, just as he had made during our Playground''s encounter, stood his feet firmly on the carpet, and whipsawed himself with an unspeakable force through Oliver. He managed to avoid him once, getting to see Corin under the table, right in time to be tackled by Him through the kitchen¡¯s wall.


    ¡ª I got you ¡ª


    He said strong-arming Oliver under his weight, Oliver, not even conscious that his body had gone through the wall on a single blast caught out blood, splattering all in between him and Him.


    ¡ª Any last words? ¡ª


    Oliver grasped with his convoluted throat


    ¡ª Eh? ¡ª


    Him asked, the Hex on Oliver¡¯s hand shone, and the rest of the shockwave he had sealed before projected Him through the roof, into the night. The stars shone over their heads, and Oliver was able to see a dim light.


    ¡ª Oliver! Are you ok? ¡ª


    Screamed a voice from the other side of the mess in which the kitchen had become, when Oliver could stand up, he saw it. It was Park.


    ¡ª Oliver! ¡ª


    He said, switching his attention to the spot that the scrawled Oliver had indicated. It was Corin, under the table. Park got it ipso facto.


    ¡ª Hold on, I¡¯ll be back in a second ¡ª


    Taking it by the arm, Park got Corin under the table, when the boy tried to resist, the slanted eyes student pocked his forehead, making him fall unconscious. When both went through the door, the roof fell over the hall.


    ¡ª Shit ¡ª


    Said Oliver, numbed by the pain.


    ¡ª Mom¡¯s going to blame me for this ¡ª


    ¡ª Oh, you bet ¡ª


    Said Him jumping over the hall, and grabbing Oliver by his clothes, which got raised with the same ease a snack bag does in the hands of a fatty.


    While his body rolled over the grass of the backyard, Oliver thought carefully about what was happening.


    Somehow, that was the second wall he had gone through in the last five minutes or less, it wasn¡¯t like his ghostly condition excused him from pain nor the wounds a normal person would suffer in that same situation, he was sure enough bones had broken in that last exchange to unabling him from keep fighting, yet he still didn''t feel like dying. If so, his mind was foggy enough to feel like if it kept moving in that direction, probably everything would be over soon.


    ¡°It must be something like the delay park explained before¡±


    He thought, trying to make sense of his condition. It made sense in a way if he would exist first as an idea, then as a soul, and only after that as a physical body, then some properties could be lost in the interactions, much like in the way he didn¡¯t have a shadow anymore, nor needed to sleep. Yet it was an uncertain science, to start, it could be that some elements were affected more than others in a relational dynamic, reflecting rule-guided transformations like in chemistry. Like Runes seemed to make with reality when inside a command, if everything existed first as an idea, and this idea translated all the way into the matter, then the very nature of everything could be altered by Sympathetic links. Incerce could be controlled at will, energy storage, and released without constraints and strength granted as any other property. The world would be like legos, you would just need to know the right combination of them to build whatever you wanted.


    It was then that Oliver had a realization.


    He had fallen unconscious.


    So he woke up immediately.


    ¡ª Oliver! ¡ª


    Screamed Kiki on top of him, shaking him by the scrapped hoodie.


    ¡ª Are you alive? ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡­ wish I wasn¡¯t ¡ª


    ¡ª You dumb ass! I went out cause you were taking too long! ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah, things went¡­ south ¡ª


    They heard a stumble and looked back to find Him stepping on the grass.


    ¡ª I see you¡¯ve found yourself a girlfriend, Oli ¡ª


    Kiki helped Oliver to sit down, saw him, and quickly knew he was already out.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll finish him ¡ª


    ¡ª Wait! ¡ª


    He screamed sore


    ¡ª I have an idea ¡ª


    Kiki doubted it.


    ¡ª You better make it work before I kick this assholes ass ¡ª


    ¡ª O-ok¡­ ¡ª


    Oliver conceded.


    Then, she stood in the middle of the two and swayed her katana out of its sheath. There, taking form in the middle of the night, a thin mist took a stance on the grass, like dew on a winter night, or fog over seawater.


    ¡ª I see, that¡¯s not just a regular sword, isn''t it? ¡ª


    Said Him slowly walking towards her. She remained in silence.


    ¡ª By its look, I would judge that if it touches me, to heal a wound would be the last of my concerns ¡ª


    Her eyes, slanted like her brothers, shrunk in disgust.


    ¡ª Am I right? Well¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t answer, I¡¯m not going to let you land even a scratch in me ¡ª


    He said cocky


    ¡ª Well, let¡¯s see if that¡¯s true ¡ª


    Said Kiki, stepping forward.

 Chapter 21: Kiki vs Him

    There is something unintelligible, graceful, even alluring about watching a girl performing any type of artistic, martial, or psychically demanding gesture.


    Maybe it was the focus, strength, and uncanny amount of effort needed to do it. Maybe it was the very nature of their being, stretched to their limits and under pressure able to make their spirits reach a higher value through their body''s aesthetic.


    Or maybe it was just the hormones, all riotous inside Oliver''s teenage body. The only certain truth was that as the boy watched Kiki standing in the grass menacing and with her Katana unseated, he felt himself more appealed to her than afraid.


    There, as the time froze for Oliver, Kiki stepped sideways, dashing way faster than what Oliver''s eyes could see, vanishing from her place, only to appear behind the creature, wielding her weapon in the middle of a slash.


    A second, and she dropped her edge over Him¡¯s shoulder, with all the strength of her body, twisting in the air. As the edge fell, a straight line drew itself in the air. She got Him, or so she thought.


    A clean movement already practiced many times, that ended with her gracefully landing on her feet. When she touched the ground, she jumped out of Him''s range, like a rabbit would do out of a trap, steady. But as fast as she did it, she gave a look at her sword, then her face became filled with doubts.


    ¡ª Didn¡¯t I tell you? ¡ª


    Him said, not even giving her the pleasure to turn himself around, tilting his head to watch her over his shoulder instead.


    How was it possible? What exactly had happened? why did her hands keep shaking? She knew it by fact, even being inside a human body, she should be able to cut the creature down. Him was standing inside the dim light range of action, the whole possession was a sign of it, and even if that wasn¡¯t enough to define its very nature, the extent of his strength was proof of it, Ardeen had explained it himself during classes, it was impossible to work wonders without becoming one. So Halfbreed, possessed or not, Him had crossed between worlds and hence it should be cut by her katana. But he wasn¡¯t, and she couldn¡¯t tell the reason why.


    ¡ª Have you already figured it out? ¡ª


    Asked Him, turning himself back to her.


    ¡ª No? well, I¡¯m so sorry for you ¡ª


    Then, he waved his hand sideways, and an invisible strength wall shocked her by the side. She put her katana in the way and got thrown a few meters away. Her body rolled over the grass, staining her white shirt, and she landed bent over her feet, like a wild animal on the run.


    ¡°If one cut isn¡¯t enough, then a thousand should do¡±


    She thought, before springboking out a second invisible wave, all the way through Him¡¯s side.


    ¡ª Quit it! ¡ª


    He said, watching Kiki¡¯s poker face from up, as she sneaked under a third wave and slashed her Katana right into his face, so strong, that he stepped back on its place.


    ¡ª Tsk ¡ª


    She snapped her tongue the second right after, pivoting on her right leg, before leaping again, dropping another row into his side, and pulling herself away. When she stopped, looking at him squat after the exchange, she began examining her sword again.


    ¡ª You goddamn little rabbit! ¡ª


    He cursed out giving her a look, unscratched and raging.


    ¡ª I¡¯m telling you, you won¡¯t make anything out of that! ¡ª


    Said Him, while a thin blood string flowed out of his nose. Then she knew, it wasn¡¯t like her blows didn¡¯t do anything but only the edge was unable to reach Him. Everything else, the strength, direction, and even balance acted in the same way. Whatever he was doing, it was only a trick. And that wasn¡¯t something she hadn¡¯t faced before, and she knew the answer to untrick yourself. You just needed to outwit the other part. She knew what she had to do.


    ¡ª I really don¡¯t like to use this technique, it tires me, and makes my body sore afterward ¡ª


    She said, shaking her katana to a side, and changing to a two-handed grip. She stepped strong in the grass, and her calves grew a whole inch in muscle.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.¡ª W-what¡¯s that? what the hell are you talking about? W-which technique? ¡ª


    He said, raising both of his hands in between them.


    ¡ª Stop right night with whatever you¡¯re doing! It¡¯ll be useless! ¡ª


    He claimed sweating, raging, and still resenting his jaw from the last hit. Then, she suddenly disappeared, leaving a wind whirl in her place. He searched with his eyes, first right, then left, then back, nothing.


    ¡ª Were? ¡ª


    When he watched down, he found her and her blade, a couple of inches from his face. Before he could do anything, the blow landed with such strength that not only raised him out of the ground but ejected him through the air, into the wooded area. A big, grassy, and noisy shockwave came after, raising a dust cloud in the middle of the backyard, letting a deep hole inside the ground where Him had stood before.


    ¡ª I¡­ didn¡¯t know you were so strong ¡ª


    Said Oliver, witnessing the scene, close enough to have his hair filled with dirt from the display. Kiki, breathing in deeply, turned herself to find him right where he was a moment before.


    ¡ª Why did you take your shirt off? ¡ª


    She asked, all covered in scrabbles, Oliver saw himself for a second and realized how weird could that be for a non-sympathize.


    ¡ª I know it may seem weird, but this is part of my plan! ¡ª


    Kiki raised an eyebrow, gave him a good look, and turned back to the woods.


    ¡ª And it¡¯s working? ¡ª


    Oliver stopped a second, still with his notebook and the marker Park gave him before in his hands, and read the new hexes drawn onto his body.


    ¡ª Actually, yes, I feel a lot better ¡ª


    Kiki gave him a gaze.


    ¡ª If I asked you to distract him, you think you could follow me? ¡ª


    Remembering the previous exchange, Oliver thought about it.


    ¡ª I may have to receive one or two hits with the speed at which you move, but I can take it, sure, count on me ¡ª


    He said on his knees, giving a confident look, that somehow she managed to trust. Then she gave him her hand.


    ¡ª Then, let¡¯s go ¡ª


    Both of their eyes met in between the nightly haze, and she leaped again, making Oliver start to move.


    As soon as he stepped ahead, a movement from its insides gave the order to the command to execute itself. Quickly, he felt himself being filled with a strange energy that made him feel almost overwhelmed with excitement, sharpness, and something very similar to rage. It was the newly drawn Hex doing its effects.


    Faster than he could expect, both entered inside the woods as he fell under the almost spelling unknown feeling of sharpness that made him able to both see and move better inside the darkness, running as if he was almost jumping, mimicking Kiki in her run, from tree to tree, and managing to avoid crashing into them inside the barely illuminated for the three-quarter moon and convoluted stars umbrella of trees, possessed by quasi-supernatural reflexes, till they suddenly stopped. While watching Kiki¡¯s hand fully extend to her side on a tactical ¡°stop¡± sign, Oliver realized, as they stood in front of an area of trees torn and twisted for the fall, that they had found Him. He was there, quietly lying on the ground.


    ¡ª This is our chance ¡ª


    Oliver said, stepping mindless ahead.


    ¡ª It¡¯s a trap ¡ª


    Kiki replied, wielding her katana upfront as she carefully stepped down with a hunting air.


    ¡ª How do you know it? ¡ª


    ¡ª I can smell it, but we¡¯re going anyway ¡ª


    ¡ª Are we? ¡ª


    ¡ª There¡¯s no way back, only through ¡ª


    Oliver swallowed, as a headache took control over his head, probably caused by the unexpected impacts of the Hex in his body.


    ¡ª Stay back and steady, all right? ¡ª


    ¡ª Roger that ¡ª


    Right before leaping forward, she said.


    Then Him woke up, wide-open eyes, in time to catch her in the middle of her flight, it was like he had never been laid, throwing himself against her to grab her into his hands.


    ¡ª GOTCHA ¡ª


    He screamed, as she twisted herself like a mammal in the air, and struck him like a whiplash with her edge. Him¡¯s body bounced right on the instance, all the way through Oliver¡¯s place, where the blond raised his hand as he activated the expelling command on his right hand.


    ¡ª GET THE HELL OUT! ¡ª


    He screamed almost in a hurry, and on time to catch one of Him¡¯s shockwaves swirling invisible from the wavering of his own hand. Both forces collided in the middle, and both blonds got expelled in the opposite direction as a result.


    When Oliver was able to raise his eye, he saw Him rolling over his back, right before being struck by Kiki¡¯s katana again on one of his sides. She stopped and gave him a split-second look along with a nod.


    They were doing good, while standing himself up Oliver thought... now he just needed to keep the pace.

 Chapter 22: Hims Awakening!

    He had gotten the idea from Park just a few hours before, and as it happens with every big thought, it had boiled inside his head till it burst into action, an experiment, and the curiosity of the ¡°what if¡± as he drew the lines over his body while watching Kiki fought Him in the backyard.


    The theory was simple, if a Sympathetic Link worked ¡°commanding¡± a rune effect through a Hex, expelling or sealing energy through the runes like the Strength one, then, what stopped him from commanding that same rune into his body? Arwan had briefly explained a limited number of runes in his comprehensive guide, including the strength rune, which he had described as ¡°aim to provide, manipulate and suppress energy in its many forms¡±. In many ways, and especially after talking with Park, Oliver had felt that his understanding of Sympathy had been boxed within a case-study framework. The science, of which the Ardeen¡¯s student had talked so lightly, and in which Sympathy consisted, more than a mere mathematical mix between occultism and arcane traditions, seemed to be more similar to an art, a language, or a craft of which one could make something of its own, much in the same way someone could paint a frame, or write a poem. It was like a frame, in which rules, formulas, and systems like the one from Arwan could take a part.


    That sole thought, that ¡®inspired idea¡¯ was the one that led Oliver to draw a new Hex, thinking that maybe if it was possible to make an energy wave come to be through a Hex, to reinforce an object through the same principle would it be too, in such a way that either if his body was ghostly, conceptual or whatever those terms implied, to infuse it with the properties of the rune could be possible. The outcome was the very way in which he was able to stand again to run after Kiki, while she fiercely chased Him inside the darkness as he flew under the umbrella of leaves provided by the woods.


    ¡ª Be on your feet! ¡ª


    She screamed as Him skated through the dirt with both feet and hands, recovering its stability in a beastly manner.


    ¡ª This ends now ¡ª


    Him said, inhaling deeply, as his chest inflated itself as a ballon, before whaling a shockwave that struck the trees around in a grunt that was heard from every corner of Hollow Creek.


    After a ¡°Hold on tight¡± command from Kiki that Oliver had been barely able to hear, taking cover behind a tree that tilted dangerously close to fall and crush him, the blond went out to find himself under a clear sky. That was the magnitude of Him''s power, one that could make a clear into the woods just with one growl, Oliver thought, throwing carefully his look into the creature that now stood in the middle, where his old body had been before.


    ¡ª W-what is that? ¡ª


    ¡ª I presume, it''s a mirage of its true form ¡ª


    ¡ª A mirage? ¡ª


    Kiki looked at him, concerned.


    ¡ª A foreshadowing of what we¡¯ll face if he gets free, now it¡¯s easier to know who he is¡­ ¡ª


    Standing, in front of them, was now a half-human, half-demon creature. Ram hooves, black scruffy hair, and goatly head, crowned by two ringed horns twisted in an obnoxious way that framed a face dominated by a bloody mouth, and a pair of golden eyes.


    ¡ª He¡¯s a Faust, the spring of a sorcerer and a pagan god, and the all-time patron of Witchcraft ¡ª


    Oliver stared at her without knowing what to answer.


    ¡ª Basically, we¡¯re in trouble, I''ve never fought a demi-god before ¡ª


    Right there, at that moment, Oliver fixed his eye on the alien creature, this time becoming aware of its nature, far beyond its strange appearance, his eyes before clouded in an untouchable, almost indescribable fog, saw clearly the outline of its oddness and unlike before, he felt fear. Fear of its newly acquired fangs, fear of the menacing stand of its strangely elongated body, and fear of its death-seeking eyes. When Kiki saw him, falling under the creature¡¯s allure, Oliver¡¯s face had already turned white.


    ¡ª Hey! ¡ª


    She screamed, shaking him by the arm, it took her two attempts to pull him out of the Faenician mist. Oliver was barely able to talk.


    ¡ª What¡­ what is happening to me? ¡ª


    He said with his lips shivering, staring at her eyes.


    ¡ª It¡¯s his Allure, you¡¯re falling under his blood thirst ¡ª


    ¡ª Allure? ¡ª


    Oliver asked.


    ¡ª It¡¯s another Faenician Art, like the Sympathy¡­ it allows you to influence others emotions ¡ª


    Oliver shook his head.


    ¡ª Focus on my eyes ¡ª


    Then he did it so


    ¡ª I¡¯m here with you ¡ª


    She said, getting so close that Oliver was able to feel her breath on his lips. He swallowed almost thrilled.


    ¡ª You should be ok now ¡ª


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Quickly turning her face to Him, still holding his shoulders, she said. Oliver felt himself lighter than before.


    ¡ª W-what have you done? ¡ª


    Kiki turned herself again, biting her lips as she talked.


    ¡ª I¡¯ve put you under my own Allure, you¡¯ll feel weird for a bit, but it should be enough to keep you from him¡¯s ¡ª


    Oliver remained blank for a second, and then nodded, noticing the smell of her sweat from close.


    ¡ª You have to explain this later ¡ª


    Kiki shrunk her face in funny doubt while wielding her katana again.


    ¡ª First, we have to survive this, you know? ¡ª


    Oliver nodded again, throwing his eye to the creature again, reluctant.


    ¡ª But¡­ how? ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯ll go first ¡ª


    Said a third voice, coming from behind. When they both turned around, from the shadows of the woods, Park¡¯s silhouette emerged, dressed in the Academy¡¯s black uniform.


    ¡ª Thank you for holding on, and sorry for the delay ¡ª


    Kiki exhaled partly relief, partly mad with him.


    ¡ª You¡¯re always late ¡ª


    She said.


    ¡ª I see the thing has gone through an awakening ¡ª


    Oliver stared at him, while Park incorporated himself to his left.


    ¡ª What do you think? ¡ª


    Said Kiki to his right.


    Suddenly, the three of them were standing in line in front of the creature.


    ¡ª I know him ¡ª


    Said Park, calmly. Kiki raised an eyebrow.


    ¡ª Its name is Schram, the Pagan god of Fear adored by witches ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª Although that¡¯s neither its true name nor its real god, it matches the text description ¡ª


    ¡ª Spit it once and for all ¡ª


    Insisted Kiki.


    ¡ª Well, we have good news and bad news, the good ones are that we already know its weakness, Scharam hasn¡¯t completely crossed to this plane, and we should be able to exorcize it as long as it doesn¡¯t reach full awakening¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª The bad ones? ¡ª


    ¡ª We¡¯re fighting against a Sympathy-resistant being, so most of my techniques won¡¯t be useful¡­ we need to outwit him through good old ass-kicking ¡ª


    ¡ªThen we¡¯re screwed ¡ª


    Said Kiki, snapping her tongue.


    ¡ª I can¡¯t cut him, it¡¯s like I was cutting air ¡ª


    Park stared at her weirded out, as he got rid of his jacket, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.


    ¡ª Air? ¡ª


    Then, a second growl that raised a shock wave slightly weaker than the first one reached them, making them shake above the ground.


    ¡ª Anyways! we need to knock him out! ¡ª


    ¡ª Got it! ¡ª


    Kiki said, right before both of them looked at Oliver, barely able to hold himself to a branch. The boy raised a thumb in a sign of approval.


    ¡ª Y-yeah, totally got it! ¡ª


    When the wave stopped, both Park and Kiki jumped sideways, framing Scharam in a triangle formation. Park raised a hand, gave the two of them a look, and then jumped from his place so fast that Oliver couldn¡¯t follow him with his sight.


    ¡ª ?Now! ¡ª


    Screamed the black-haired student, suddenly under the creature, holding the horns of the creature with his bare hands, both covered in hexes.


    ¡ª Oliver! ¡ª


    Following him, with eyes like plates, Kiki voiced while swinging her katana in the middle of a leap, so strongly that when she struck the creature, it threw it against Oliver with a disgusting sound.


    When Oliver saw the creature¡¯s body coming with his eyes fixed on him, he felt panic. The next thing he knew was that he had raised his Hexed hand against it, throwing Him barely strong enough to make it twist in the air before it landed heavily on a nearby tree. The creature smiled with his blood-thirsty snout.


    ¡ª S-sorry! ¡ª


    Said Oliver distressed, he didn''t have time to think about it, he felt like he had wasted Park and Kiki''s chained attacks, giving Him the opportunity to breathe. He was having more problems following them than he thought he would.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t mind it ¡ª


    Said Kiki Park landing nearby, Olliver turned aside and saw his hands filled with scratches, and felt worse about it.


    ¡ª That¡¯s a strength rune, right? ¡ª


    Park asked, making Oliver deviate his sight.


    ¡ª Something like that ¡ª


    ¡ª That¡¯s both smart and convenient ¡ª


    Oliver asked with his eyes


    ¡ª I mean, I¡¯m using a similar trick through my witch mark ¡ª


    Pointed Park, while raising his right hand, covered till the forearm with strangely familiar tattoos ¡ª


    ¡ª Those are¡­? ¡ª


    ¡ª You should be able to hold him just like I did before ¡ª


    Oliver swallowed just by facing the idea


    ¡ª You think you can do it? ¡ª


    He looked at Kiki, who wield her katana up-front between the creature and them


    ¡ª I will ¡ª


    Said Oliver, filled with determination.


    ¡ª Right on time ¡ª


    Said Park, fixing with his eyes the creature, as it started to crawl unnaturally throughout the tree, till it reached its top. Kiki looked back at them.


    ¡ª Enough? I¡¯m afraid he tries to escape ¡ª


    ¡ª He won¡¯t ¡ª


    Said Park, sure as he advanced


    ¡ª He has the upper hand, and every right to kill us ¡ª


    Kiki remained silent.


    ¡ª I think I know how would you be able to cut it ¡ª


    Kiki turned suddenly back to then


    ¡ª But you would have to trust me ¡ª


    Both their eyes meet one inch from the other. Kiki thought about it for a second.


    ¡ª Not even death ¡ª


    Park laughed, handpicking a memory from his mind.

 Chapter 23: GOAT

    Once at the top of everything, Schram looked down to the odd trio.


    The air, thinner and fresher than before filled his nostrils with pine, lavender, and sweet sap. Standing up there, he was able to hear both the night mammals hunting in the dark and the day ones sleeping in their nests. He was able to hear the water flowing underground, and the air quivering the leaves in every tree¡¯s branch.


    Once more, he thought, he was where he belonged, able to feel the world among the rest of the living and not-so-alive beings. It was like coming back home, but in another place, like watching the sun come down, or watching the moon full on its own, feeling from the distance. To live that way, was why he had come to be in the first place.


    ¡ª You certainly don¡¯t know this, but y''all going to meet death in this field tonight ¡ª


    Looking down at them, he said.


    ¡ª Wie arm ist denn, wer sein Leben erhalten will, weil der wird¡¯s verlieren¡­ ¡ª


    Then he let himself fall, like pulled by invisible strings to the ground, even further, ejecting himself from behind as an object surfing a wave.


    When he reached the ground, the floor collapsed under his feet, the dust flooded the air, and the trees unroot themself from their place. When Schram inside the chaos was able to reach Oliver with his right arm, a sensation of raw power filled his jaws.


    It was Kiki, that had landed another blow from his right side.


    ¡ª You sneaky little¡­! ¡ª


    Cursed the creature firmly holding Oliver through his hoodie, before taking another blow from the opposite direction. It was Park, that ran through its guard to land a blow in the side of its elongated torse, that made him sweep through the ground, still holding the blond.


    ¡ª Let me go! ¡ª


    A third blow and a shockwave came out of Oliver¡¯s right arm, barely strong enough to brush the fuzz of his air.


    ¡ª Hah ¡ª


    Schram laughed, right before throwing Oliver against the ground, still holding him.


    ¡ª You¡­ ¡ª


    A step further, Park kicked the ground, making a thousand particles rain over the creature, like hot steel splinters. Kiki leaped again then, and was able to use that as a distraction to land another blow on Shcram¡¯s side, this time, the creature held up her katana with his bare hand, leaving her hanging in the air.


    ¡ª I think your good luck has¡­ ¡ª


    Then he realized he had started to fade away, so while still holding Oliver, he threw aside Kiki¡¯s sword.


    ¡ª What¡­? ¡ª


    It was Park who had gotten a hold of something inside his body, somehow hiding in the splinters from before, Schram caught it, and along a stream of blood, rocks as big as marbles came out of his mouth. Right there, another blow struck him somewhere throughout his ribs, one that he was unable to foresee.


    ¡ª Enough! ¡ª


    He said, taking hold of one of Oliver''s arms, attempting to split it in half. Even then, another blow hit him in the back of his head, and another, and another, as Kiki¡¯s legs enrolled around his neck.


    ¡ª Let him go! ¡ª


    She screamed as Oliver¡¯s marks shone, strengthening his body. One last blow, and he let him escape from his grip. This time, it was Schram, who had foreseen Park''s next movement, coming from his blindspot, carrying a stick Hexed into a spear, now gripped between the creature¡¯s hooves. A rough shake and Kiki fell from his back.


    ¡ª You think you¡¯re smart, well I¡¯m clever ¡ª


    He said, watching oddly how a smile drew itself on Park¡¯s face


    ¡ª I was hoping that was the case ¡ª


    Park said, right in time for Oliver to charge into Schram, gripping its oddly elongated silhouette in between his arms. But right when Park was about to land his fist over the creature¡¯s chest, the creature growled, deploying an energy wave so strong that it blew them away, so strong that it spread them all across the woods, as if they were mere leaves in the air.


    Having crawled over his back to si himself, Oliver, covered in leaves, dirt, and splinters, cursed into the air.


    ¡ª Crap ¡ª


    He had already lost count of the times he had been thrown into the ground, the whole thing seemed useless at that point. Like pushing a rock through a hill, only to see it fall again.


    ¡ª Oliver?! ¡ª


    He heard through the darkness, again under the umbrella of trees, covered in darkness, he recognized the voice before even his sharpened senses came to see it. It was Kiki.


    ¡ª Where are you? ¡ª


    ¡ª Here ¡ª


    He answered, raising a listless hand up in the air.


    ¡ª Are you all right? ¡ª


    She asked, hardly running over one of her legs. He knew it instantly.


    ¡ª I¡¯m ok, just a little dizzy, but¡­ what happened to you? ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡­ ¡ª


    Her tongue stumbled.


    ¡ª I landed the wrong way ¡ª


    She was out of the fight.


    ¡ª Oh¡­ you think you can¡­? ¡ª


    ¡ª I won¡¯t give up ¡ª


    She gave him a fierce look, she wasn¡¯t lying at all, something that made him worry even more.


    ¡ª Cool ¡ª


    He lied, giving her an awkward smile, he stopped for a second a looked at her, as she breathed heavily, making her chest bump under the white shirt from the effort.


    ¡ª What? ¡ª


    She asked, feeling his eyes over her.


    ¡ª Nothing ¡ª


    He answered, she wiped the sweat dripping from her mouth. Oliver didn¡¯t take his sight out of her.


    ¡ª You still need to explain to me what that allure-thing you talked about before is ¡ª


    ¡ª Ah ¡ª


    She seemed distracted.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.¡ª Park also knows about it, and is better explaining it ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª We need a new plan ¡ª


    Oliver rested his arms on the ground, and strengthening his body, he managed to stand over his feet again.


    ¡ª I have an id¡­ ¡ª


    And right before he was able to end his phrase, his body got thrown into the ground again, this time it was Kiki, who saw Schram''s blow coming.


    ¡ª Move! ¡ª


    She voiced pushing him down, as Schram passed over their heads howling, trying to pierce their bodies with his horns.


    Heavy he landed on the ground, sliding through the floor with his darkened hooves. He fixed his shining eyes on them, and his mouth twisted itself in a disturbing way.


    ¡ª Enough playing ¡ª


    He said in a guttural voice. Oliver stood out, supporting Kiki on his shoulder, the girl raised her hand, wielding her katana again. Different this time, Oliver stepped in front.


    ¡ª Let me go first this time ¡ª


    The girl looked at him wide-eyed.


    ¡ª I have an idea ¡ª


    It was risky, but at that point, every decision he had made since he had started Nightwalking till that very moment seemed to be the same. In the worst-case scenario, he would hold the creature till Park found them, wherever he had ended up after the shockwave. So stepping front, Oliver raised his hand oddly, like a street fighter would do, and gave the creature a look.


    ¡ª Huh, you finally man up ¡ª


    Spoke Schram.


    ¡ª Let¡¯s finish this once and for all ¡ª


    Oliver answered.


    Squaring his horns upfront like before, Schram leaped his body from the ground, possessed by force and speed enough to pierce a wall, and charged against Oliver. When he reached the boy, Oliver, who had seen that pattern already so many times, put himself out of the way with his footplay. The creature, having also gone through that exchange so many times, had stopped in the middle of his run, right in time to turn around and push the blond aside, making good use of the impulse of his body. Oliver interposed his hands, rejecting the creature only strong enough to nullify any harm, and both figures got thrown in opposite directions.


    Barely a couple meters from each other sharpened thanks to the effects of the Sympathy enabled in their bodies, they looked at each other with resentment.


    ¡ª You¡¯ve grown ¡ª


    Said the creature, in an uncomfortable familiar tone.


    ¡ª And you have become uglier ¡ª


    Answered Oliver, spitting aside.


    The exchange began again with Oliver¡¯s movement, right as Schram had done before, he leaped from his place so strong, and so fast, that he had been able to go through a wall. Charging against the creature, his body hit it by surprise, throwing both to the ground.


    He had a reason, thought Oliver, as he watched the Schram spat from his belly a stream of gastric juices, eyes wide open, filled with blood. The creature hadn¡¯t been able to foresee it, instead, he had received the blow fully and rolled over the leaves with the blood. That was one of the flaws of inhabiting a mortal body, having to deal with its feebleness.


    ¡ª Hah, hah, you¡­ ¡ª


    Scarcely laughed Schram between gags.


    ¡ª Ready to give up? ¡ª


    Said Oliver, reincorporating himself quickly.


    ¡ª Oh, I¡¯ll give you something else¡­ ¡ª


    At four legs like an animal, Schram leaped again, faster than he had done before, so fast that Oliver couldn¡¯t see it. Both started then rolling through the ground, as Oliver reinforced his body to hold the effort, one blow after another. First, Schram pierced him by the shoulder in an interchange that lasted over a minute, a minute in which Oliver struck once, again, and again the creature''s ribs. Both split for a second, and after Schram had thrown a wave that allowed Oliver to return it, burying him in the ground, both engaged again in a fist-claw-horn fight that tithed the wood around them.


    By the moment they split a third time, the wound accumulated from the moment Schram had crossed the roof of the house back there, through the backyard, and the wood against them tree, had left his body sore and battered. Oliver was seated on his right knee, with a blind eye and a stream of ghostly blood flowing from his shoulder. It was then that Kiki stood in front of him.


    ¡ª Where¡­where is he? ¡ª


    ¡ª I don¡¯t know¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ feel him anymore ¡ª


    Kiki argued, worried.


    ¡ª We¡¯re by ourselves now ¡ª


    Said holding tight to her sword, knowing he had gone past his capacity long ago.


    ¡ª Your leg ¡ª


    He said


    ¡ª You ¡ª


    She answered. A silence filled the void for a moment, a three-part silence, filled only by the breathing of the three, and the air winding through the branches.


    ¡ª It¡¯s over ¡ª


    Stated Schram, stepping front with his goatly legs.


    He threw himself one time, and Kiki intercepted him with the side of her sword, resenting her leg. He did it again, leaping this time with his whole body, and the impulse was so strong that throwing away her sword, ripped Kiki¡¯s feet from the ground, making her do a whole lap over her axis. The creature did it one more time, and both teenagers got thrown a few meters forward, while Oliver tried to shield Kiki. When both were done, Schram took Oliver¡¯s aimless body and held it high in front of his horns.


    ¡ª I told you I was going to kill you ¡ª


    Familiar, though strangely obnoxious, the seventeen-year-old boy felt the warmth from his body, goatly changed into whatever that creature was, holding him by the neck. That was the closest he had been to taking his body back ever. Dizzed, numbed, and light-headed, Oliver tried to say something, making instead a snarl that woke up Kiki.


    The girl, wretched and woeful, wept an unheard request that drew a stained-teeth smile on the creature''s face. Then, bathing under the stars'' light, he stretched his body and claimed in a wrecked old German.


    ¡ª ¡­aber, wer aber sein Leben verliert um meinetwillen, der wird¡¯s finden ¡ª


    His head, without noticing, fell severed into the ground.

 Chapter 24: Canon Event

    ¡ª We¡¯ve been informed that we may be facing a Special Class asset here ¡ª


    In a mischievous tone, said a short-haired woman suited in black, much in the same way Specter was, a few inches from her. They were both standing in the middle of the parade made out of AMAT agents, moving from one side to the other.


    ¡ª ¡­or at least, a Supporting Class one, that¡¯s at least what the Charismatic Index shows in our books ¡ª


    Right in front of them, Charles Ardeen the third, great heir of his grandfather''s legacy, but also great in size with his 6,7, stared at them devious.


    It was always the same he thought, even with all their knowledge, or precisely because of it, the AMAT pretended to know everything through all of their books.


    He had been there many times, inside the very belly of the great Library of Everything, the so-called House of the Souls.


    He had probably read more AMAT books than a regular person would read normal books in a lifetime, and even then he kept learning how they worked.


    He had experienced their stories firsthand and even had a couple of them under his name. Yet, precisely because of that, he knew that those books were worth nothing if you weren¡¯t able to see stories for what they were.


    That time, as many others in the past, he knew¡­ AMAT was again scheming against the natural development of everything.


    They were digging their nose where they shouldn¡¯t. The only thing was, that this time he owned the yard in which they were stepping in.


    ¡ª We know, we¡¯re probably already inside a Canon Event ¡ª


    Said Charles with piercing eyes on the woman.


    ¡ª I¡¯d forgotten we were talking with Lord Ardeen itself¡­ my apologies ¡ª


    Kr?hen, who was next to them, at the edge of the road, growled from the depths of his throat.


    ¡ª The boy¡­ ¡ª


    He said, almost in whispers, making the woman notably uncomfortable.


    ¡ª Sure, the boy¡­ ¡ª


    But before she was able to say, Charles stepped in.


    ¡ª You won¡¯t be able to trick him back¡ª


    ¡ª There¡¯s no need to ¡ª


    ¡ª With canon characters no, of course ¡ª


    Then she stayed silent, and everyone gave a look to Specter


    ¡ª That wasn¡¯t me ¡ª


    Specter excused himself


    ¡ª There¡¯s no need to, he is on our books too ¡ª


    Charles stated, making the face of the woman go from suspicious, to judgment.


    ¡ª So it¡¯s true, Ardeen¡¯s Academy has books too ¡ª


    Ardeen smiled, blowing air through his nostrils like a big animal would.


    ¡ª That¡¯s already history, something I wouldn¡¯t expect a little girl to know from the start ¡ª


    Then, the suited black woman, who should be somewhere around her thirties, closed her eyes in distress, and for a moment it seemed she was about to jump from her hills. But she didn¡¯t, instead, she gave him a smile back.


    ¡ª Ok, that¡¯s enough, we should be pending this operation ¡ª


    The place was Mount McGregor¡¯s east face, they were standing approximately two thousand feet from its base, cutting the road to the cities and its traffic, with a corp of about six dozen agents, all revolving a set of four vehicles. The stance located in a road¡¯s emergency stop was both facing the city and next to a communications pole, letting them hold a monitoring position. And emerging from the vehicles, a sea of cables spiraled down like guts into the belly of one out of four oddly advanced machines seemingly made out of glass and steel. Another three similar stands already stood in the mountainous area surrounding Hollow Creek. As Specter introduced himself into the conversation, an Agent all dressed in protection suits came close to them.


    ¡ª We have a problem, Agent Stark ¡ª


    The woman made an unpleasant gesture, about to dismiss the agent.


    ¡ª What happens with the Stage Four? ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ Two hours left, but, it¡¯s not that ¡ª


    ¡ª Then, what is it? ¡ª


    The Agent swallowed and gave a look to everyone before talking.


    ¡ª We¡¯ve lost contact with our surveilling team in Hollow Park¡­ ¡ª


    Eyes wide open, the woman gave an embarrassed look to Ardeen and his colleague.


    ¡ª Foremost, we¡¯ve detected strange activity in the nearby woods¡­ ¡ª


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report itThen, before the agent could explain himself further, a sound stole everyone''s attention. It was low and rumbling, almost guttural, distant but clear, like the sound of rain outside the house. There, like a suspicion you don¡¯t want to confirm, the four of them turned their head at the same time, searching for something in between the thousand lights that made the city in the distance. And there it was, right in its downtown, tiny but unmistakable, a cloud of dust where Hollow Park should be.


    ¡ª That¡¯s impossible ¡ª


    Said the agent Stark, conducing herself in heels to the edge of the road to see better.


    ¡ª It has already started, the arc break ¡ª


    Said Charles, calmly from his place.


    ¡ª But¡­ the veil¡¯s not ready! ¡ª


    She claimed, turning her sight back, watching all the operation in movement.


    ¡ª There¡¯s no time ¡ª


    Answered Charles, and it took her a minute to put herself back


    ¡ª I¡¯ll go ¡ª


    Said Kr?hen.


    ¡ª No! I¡¯ll go ¡ª


    She answered.


    ¡ª I think someone¡¯s ahead of us ¡ª


    Said Charles, pointing at the place where Specter was just a moment before.


    When Specter made it into the woods, having passed through Oliver¡¯s demolished house, and the grass-riped backyard, he expected nothing but disappointment. He knew it, all of his cool-dude approach to those three kids would back-fire him quickly, and in spite of his best intentions, the truth was that they were fighting something so strong, odd, and unknown, that not even he knew what to do about it.


    He dived himself inside the woods, taking a look first at the dreamcatcher he had left in Oliver¡¯s fridge, and prayed. When he got into the clear that the creature had made when he heard it roaring and saw the trees bent, unrooted out of their place, he felt shiverings going through his limbs.


    ¡ª It cannot be ¡ª


    He thought loudly, watching a blood thread dive into the woods. He stepped forward, hesitant, till he found her, laid back over a tree, holding Oliver between her arms.


    They were both so wounded, that Specter thought they were dead, till he got close enough to see them breathe. A miracle, he thought, but not as big as the very one he was looking at laid in front of them, quietly resting over the grass, like part of it, the original and forehead-possessed body of Oliver, now headless. When Specter realized what those two had made, he almost screamed out of joy. Much in the same way, he wished he had after realizing the two were alive a moment before.


    How and with whom help they had managed to do it, he could only guess, and he would have been satisfied, if he hadn¡¯t heard the next sound.


    It was like the roar from before, a distant voice, whispering familiar sounds in the near. At first, he thought it was the winds, then, when he recognized it as a voice, he thought either Kiki or Oliver had woken up. But it was neither one or the other. Instead, as he kept turning his attention to it, he realized the voice came from someplace further in the woods. He walked a few steps in and discovered the blood thread leading inside of it.


    ¡ª Es tut mir so leid, du hast keine falsche gemach, aber deiner zeit habes nich noch gekommt ¡ª


    Said the voice, coming from a familiar silhouette inside the umbrella made out of woods, awkwardly sitting over his own fets, facing him with his back. Specter recognized immediately, that it was Park.


    ¡ª Wer bist du!? verdamnt! ¡ª


    Said another voice, deeper, which source Specter wasn¡¯t able to find.


    ¡ª Beruhige dich bitte, ich muss daf¨¹r machen dass das funktioniert ¡ª


    It took him a second, but word by word, he got it. They were in the middle of an argument while speaking in German.


    ¡°God, I hate this language,¡± thought Specter, who had little understanding of it¡­ barely enough to get some out of what they were saying.


    ¡ª I know you¡­ you were¡­ asshole¡­ free me ¡ª


    Said the unknown voice.


    ¡ª Who ¡­ I¡­ old Ardeen¡­ have¡­ shut up ¡ª


    Answered Park.


    ¡ª Hah¡­ dumb?... liar ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ should¡­ WC¡­ ¡ª


    Then, they both got quiet for a second. Specter thought of coming out, but before he could do anything, Park stood out, and he was able to see what was beneath him. A Hex, carefully drawn with blood on the floor, and inside of it, a horned Head, like the one of a goat.


    ¡ª Now¡­ must¡­. sorry ¡ª


    Was able to hear Specter, before he activated the Hex. The lines shone, and before he could understand what had happened, Park turned around to find¡­ nothing.


    ¡ª Specter, you¡¯re here ¡ª


    Said back when he came back to Oliver and Kiki, where Specter lay unaware of what had happened.


    ¡ª What the hell happened? ¡ª


    Asked the agent, notably upset about what they had seen. Park smiled, as he noticed the agent¡¯s sight over the wound piercing a hole where his left eye used to be.


    ¡ª We won ¡ª


    Said Park, before falling unconscious into the ground.

 2nd Prologue: Aftermath

    Trust me, I couldn¡¯t believe it either. When I waked up in Hollow Creek¡¯s Central Hospital all patched up, and dressed in a white coat, I thought I had died.


    ¡ª The last thing I remember¡­ yeah, the forest ¡ª


    At the beginning, it was all blurred, and excepting my mom ad brother, everything else seemed unimportant.


    I felt like I had come back home from the very moment I heard her voice, felt her hands all over my scrapped face, and saw Corin¡¯s silhouette playing on his phone while throwing looks from the corner, an attitude for which I couldn¡¯t avoid mocking him.


    ¡ª Where were you? I thought you¡¯d run away to a safer place ¡ª


    He stopped for a second, holding a cola in his hands.


    ¡ª Ah¡­ you mean, now? ¡ª


    Having mom fell asleep in the wait, he had gone for it by himself. I looked at him weirded out, and remembered. Those were probably the first words he gave me since I woke up. The last time I saw him, everything was chaos.


    ¡ª Wh¡­ yeah, you¡¯ve been off¡­ this whole time ¡ª


    ¡ª No, I haven¡¯t¡­ ¡ª


    Then, I saw it, hanging on the front wall like it was part of the furniture, a dreamcatcher like the one in the fridge, and bit by bit, I started to remember. Corin, he shrunk his shoulders and sat in his corner, throwing curiosity looks to my bed now and then.


    It was September when I woke up, right after School Started, and until that moment three months had passed since I had begun nightwalking, more or less. And everything I had gone through the last summer, had started to settle down in the back of my memory. The diary I kept of my dream explorations, the morning I came back home to find my body possessed, the time I spent locked in strangers home learning Sympathy from the Archive, the playground incident and how nervous I was, Kiki and my brief visit to the Academy, my shenanigans with Specter as we erased all of my tracks, and lastly, the fight against Him. If I closed my eyes and watched it from far away, I could feel how these memories floated lightly inside my head. It felt like¡­ If I decided that everything was a dream, it would become that way.


    As easy as leaving a book on a shelf and forgetting it. Like its story had never happened in the first place.


    The next time I thought about it I was in the bathroom, while in the next room, a doctor explained to my mother the nature of my injuries, how bad they looked against how bad they actually were. At that moment, I thanked God the closest mirror around was locked with me behind a door, far away from unwanted looks. As I rubbed with the tip of my finger the scar on my neck, all the way around it, I fell under the weight of the image in the mirror. Standing there, was instead of my head, the reflection of my headless body. Simple and clear, moving along with me. It wasn¡¯t a mirage nor an illusion, and my head was certainly over my shoulders, as far as everyone else was concerned at least.


    The mirror was the only one able to reflect it, but something had happened, something that changed me in ways I couldn¡¯t foresee. I was still with a foot inside of that mysterious and indescribable ¡°Dim Light¡± that Schram talked about.


    ¡ª The Doctor says you¡¯re ready to go ¡ª


    Said my mother with a big smile on her face, I felt relief and packed out the little I¡¯d brought with me. We left that same afternoon, heading to Creekshaw.


    As we drove through the Autum¡¯s forest in between the cities, laid against the car¡¯s window, I let myself get lost in my thoughts. As my mother complained about the inconveniences of moving from one place to the other, I thought about the past few days.


    How I have gotten into the Hospital was still a mystery, not bigger than how had Schram been defeated, or Park and Kiki¡¯s roundabouts after the incident.


    The official reports seemed to point at a gas explosion in the house, of which my brother and I had evacuated by pure luck. Apparently I had taken the worst part, walked into the backyard, and fell unconscious. Corin had been helped by a peasant, a girl, and brought to the police station, suffering no damages thank God. But I knew the truth, and all of that was extremely convenient.


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    What¡¯s more, I knew Specter, the A.M.A.T, and how they used to work in this type of situation. So even if everyone felt good about the development of all, I had my second thoughts.


    ¡ª So, what do you think? ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­It¡¯s nice, but¡­ can we afford it? ¡ª


    ¡ª The officer that called me after¡­. talked to me about this housing program, it seems to be planned for zinesters and catastrophes ¡ª


    ¡ª That¡¯s¡­ nice ¡ª


    I said, stepping behind her into the hall.


    ¡ª We¡¯ve been really lucky ¡ª


    She seemed truly happy about it.


    ¡ª I had my doubts¡­ but I¡¯m starting to feel like you know, us and here, it was all meant to be ¡ª


    And I wasn¡¯t going to ruin it for her.


    ¡ª Sure, it was about time, right? ¡ª


    The place was a modest, three-bedroom apartment located in Creekshaw¡¯s Groove. A tender suburban community, hosting a couple more than two thousand families, and a few businesses to cover the essential needs of a town. There was a big market, a healthcare center, a primary school, a gas station, and a few restaurants, bars, and boutiques mainly open for the summer season. It was a quiet place next to the sea, with beautiful views, and nice people. The perfect hideaway for a place like the Academy, which presence Oliver couldn¡¯t ignore as he watched the old castle-like structure peaking from the woods through the windows.


    ¡ª Corin should be here soon, do you want to go out? ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯m¡­ tired to be honest, I feel like I¡¯ve been far from home for a long season ¡ª


    Said Oliver, truly sore in his body, but especially struck by an odd feeling. A couple hours later, Oliver found himself alone in the house, watching the white seeling of his temporarily new-found home.


    ¡ª This is starting to happen too much lately ¡ª


    He said out loud, talking with himself.


    When he opened the fridge there was nothing inside, much like in the storeroom. It made sense, he thought. After the incident, he didn¡¯t ask about the house and their belongings out of fear. Both his mother and brother had been the last week with him in the hospital, eating fast-food and drinking tap-water. So, with a sense of guilt, Oliver felt hunger and closed the flat¡¯s door behind him.


    When he was about to step outside the building, he stumped on a girl on her way to the lift. She was dressed in a flannel shirt, ripped jeans, and a beanie. When both saw each other, they voiced at the same time.


    ¡ª Huh? ¡ª


    It was America, the same girl that drove him and Park the night of the fight.


    ¡ª Thanks ¡ª


    Oliver said, sitting carefully in America¡¯s old velvety couch.


    Her apartment, right next door to Oliver¡¯s, was everything you could expect from her looks. An old-fashioned, almost vintage-looking collection of second-hand furniture, spiced up with colorful, collage-looking personal mementos. Only by looking at her fridge, one could be able to see the amount of traveling she was used to. There were pictures with friends everyone, strange-looking paperweights, rocks, and souvenirs of all kinds. Quickly, Oliver felt tiny in front of her.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t mind it ¡ª


    She answered


    ¡ª It could have been anyone ¡ª


    ¡ª Still, thanks ¡ª


    ¡ª Do you want something to drink? ¡ª


    She asked, then, Oliver¡¯s belly made a loud sound.


    ¡ª I¡¯ll¡­ bring some snacks too ¡ª


    Quickly after, Oliver was eating a whole stack of mold bread with ham and cheese as she tried to drink an entire six-pack herself.


    ¡ª Really, really thank you¡­ ¡ª


    Chew Oliver with his mouth full


    ¡ª Stop saying that, please ¡ª


    ¡ª You¡¯re totally different from what I thought ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah? how¡¯s that so? ¡ª


    ¡ª Well¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­? ¡ª


    ¡ª You¡¯re nice and chill, that¡¯s what I mean ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ Thanks ¡ª


    ¡ª Dont mind it ¡ª


    Behind her laptop, facing each other on the sofa, America took a look of Oliver.


    ¡ª You¡¯re not like I thought neither ¡ª


    She confessed.


    ¡ª You thought I was a dumbass, right? ¡ª


    He was right, America felt amazed.


    ¡ª That¡¯s¡­ exactly what I was going to say ¡ª


    ¡ª I can¡¯t blame you, Park¡¯s not the best at introducing people ¡ª


    Said Oliver, overseeing the fact that he had felt it back then, much like when he navigated through the story of things by touching them, this new sort of¡­ sixth sense, or power that he had acquired. He sensed it when she gave him her hoodie, that she thought he was a dumbass.


    ¡ª This may sound weird¡­ ¡ª


    Said America.


    ¡ª ¡­? ¡ª


    ¡ª But I¡¯m glad Park did it ¡ª


    ¡ª How so? ¡ª


    ¡ª Summertime is pretty boring in Creekshaw ¡ª


    Oliver looked at her, thinking. Could someone like her be bored that easily? that summer, particularly from him, had been everything but boring. She smiled, and that was probably the first time Oliver saw her doing it. Then she left her laptop aside.


    ¡ª Wanna see something cool? ¡ª


    Her green eyes shone with whim. Oliver backed for a second, impressed by her energy. It seemed to be that that night, they¡¯ll have a ride.

 Chapter 26: New Horizons

    The place was Creekshaw¡¯s Port, right at the other corner of the town, way ahead in the shipyard. It was a thick mass of concrete picking inside the ocean, branching in every direction, hosting too many boats to count, both tiny and big, with and without motor. After they parked, right in the middle of it, America took Oliver to the east extreme. Both standed in the edge of the shipyard for a few minutes, and talked.


    ¡ª Are you serious? ¡ª


    Asked America.


    ¡ª Yeah¡­ I mean, why am I even telling you this? ¡ª


    ¡ª I don¡¯t know, you where the one who start making weird questions ¡ª


    ¡ª That¡¯s not true! ¡ª


    Repleid Oliver


    ¡ª The tangerine-kissing thing? ¡ª


    ¡ª That question was about weird experiences, not kissing ¡ª


    ¡ª Hey, hold it on tiger, I¡¯m not the one who hasn¡¯t ever kissed someone ¡ª


    ¡ª Oh, fuck you ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah, you¡¯d wished ¡ª


    Oliver watched her taunting, then rolled his eyes.


    ¡ª You really like to flirt, isn¡¯t? I didn¡¯t expect that ¡ª


    ¡ª Of course, that¡¯s the only funny thing one can do with boys ¡ª


    ¡ª Really? ¡ª


    America second-thought about it.


    ¡ª Well, and sports, but that depends on the girl ¡ª


    ¡ª And the boys ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah, fuck¡¯em ¡ª


    Then, Oliver saw his chance.


    ¡ª You¡¯d wish ¡ª


    She laughed at that one.


    ¡ª So, why this place? ¡ª


    At that point, they where just wandering through the edge of the seawal, while America acted out a tightrope walker on the sidewalk curb, and Oliver watched her.


    ¡ª My mom and I used to come here before she left ¡ª


    And as she spoke, Oliver was able to see her with her guard low, easy to read, even without touching her. In spite of her smile, he was able to feel sorrow in her voice.


    ¡ª My dad also left, thou I don¡¯t have that many good memories with him ¡ª


    At least, not any that came to his mind right there. America raised an eyebrown to him.


    ¡ª I get it, it¡¯s a complicated moment, always, and it gets worst as you grow up ¡ª


    ¡ª You think so? ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯m just talking, but as it is right now, it seems like it ¡ª


    Oliver thought for a second, watching one of the Academy¡¯s buildings picking out the forest in the distance.


    ¡ª How do you do it? ¡ª


    ¡ª Do what? ¡ª


    ¡ª Live between two worlds, to know that all of this crazy shit exists out there¡­ and still, be traveling, worrying about family and hanging out with weird dudes, like me ¡ª


    America shake her head, like reproaching him.


    ¡ª That¡¯s too specific, don¡¯t you think? ¡ª


    ¡ª Well, you do it somehow, I want to know how ¡ª


    ¡ª I don¡¯t know ¡ª


    She answered quickly


    ¡ª I mean, it eventually becomes like everything else ¡ª


    ¡ª How so? ¡ª


    ¡ª Well, you have a life, and friends, and both a job and a family, but no one really knows what you know about it, or how it really is, nor how you handle it ¡ª


    Oliver stood quiet for a second.


    ¡ª And they don¡¯t even really care, that¡¯s the real trick, you¡¯re the only one who cares ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª What? ¡ª


    She looked at him worried, worried that she may have gave him the wrong answer.


    ¡ª That sounds¡­ oddly wise, even mature ¡ª


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡ª You think so? ¡ª


    She fell then, supporting her wight on his shoulder. Invading his personal space, Oliver sweat.


    ¡ª I¡­ yeah, I do ¡ª


    ¡ª Thanks, I¡¯ll write it somewhere ¡ª


    Then she gaped, grabed her phone out and took a picture of them two.


    ¡ª W-wait, what¡¯s that for? ¡ª


    ¡ª I had an idea, I¡¯ll show you another day ¡ª


    She looked happy, that was enough for Oliver.


    On their way home, they took a detour right into Hollow Creek¡¯s Mcdonald¡¯s auto-service, bought a couple of ice creams, and headed back to Creekshaw Groove in a comfortable, mesmerizing silence. When they exited the truck, Oliver took the courage to ask the question.


    ¡ª So¡­ you think I should do it? ¡ª


    America didn¡¯t understand at first.


    ¡ª I mean, the Academy, learning Sympathy, and all that stuff ¡ª


    America shrunk her shoulders


    ¡ª It¡¯s not mandatory, not every Sympathist goes there, if so, the rule is not to go ¡ª


    Oliver thought about all of the Archive users, and the little he had actually gone through inside their files. There was an incredible amount of knowledge gathered there, he just needed to search for it, make his own experiments like Arwan, and draw his own picture. It would take him years, but he would make it eventually.


    ¡ª But¡­ maybe precisely because of that, you should ¡ª


    Oliver saw into her green, shady eyes. She was serious about it.


    ¡ª There are only a few places with so many experienced people to teach you about all of this¡­ and they seem to be interested in you ¡ª


    Oliver thought about the little he knew of the Academy, people like Specter, Park, Kiki, and America, even those he had watched fighting during his brief visit as a severed head. Making memory of it filled him with fear. It was all unknown, dangerous, and too complicated to understand from where he was at that moment.


    ¡ª You think so? ¡ª


    ¡ª It doesn¡¯t look like it''s too much of a coincidence that you can see the place from your freaking windows? ¡ª


    ¡ª I guess you have a point ¡ª


    ¡ª I think some things are meant to happen, or at least, very likely ¡ª


    Oliver gave her a friendly look.


    ¡ª That I have born in this place, for example ¡ª


    She shrunk her shoulders again while opening the door of the building.


    ¡ª Thanks ¡ª


    ¡ª Your welcome ¡ª


    The lift took them quickly to their floor


    ¡ª Ultimately I¡¯ll say, it must be your own, personal and sovereign decision ¡ª


    Oliver searched his hair with a hasty hand.


    ¡ª I really hate this type of stuff ¡ª


    ¡ª We all do, but that¡¯s part of growing up ¡ª


    ¡ª Fuck ¡ª


    ¡ª Not today, but thanks ¡ª


    She winked at him as a goodbye.


    ¡ª See you later tiger ¡ª


    ¡ª Thanks for the food ¡ª


    As she closed her door, he said.


    The next morning, Oliver woke up to find her mother holding a package from the mail. It was a flattened box, wrapped in thick paper and tied with a cord. The image of a raven, along a shield of arms with the motto ¡°Scribere tua Fabula¡± was stamped in its surface. Along with it, a letter was attached, in the mailing information the following was written: C. Ardeen III, 116 Shire St, Creekshaw MN XXXX. The letter had already been opened, Carrie was astonished.


    ¡ª I¡­ haven¡¯t had time to give anyone our direction ¡ª


    Oliver knew it instantly


    ¡ª Maybe they got it from the Police ¡ª


    Oliver took the letter and went through it very quickly. It wasn¡¯t exactly what he had expected.


    ¡ª Oli, I must tell you, a man came to see me the night of the¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª I know ¡ª


    Shut her Oliver, with his eyes fixed on the paper.


    ¡ª Oliver, you don¡¯t understand¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª What? ¡ª


    ¡ª I think this is real, he told me it was a family interview ¡ª


    Oliver sat for a moment, and let the letter over the table. In bold Times New Roman, the title said: Ardeen¡¯s Academy for the Extraordinary Scholarship Program. And it followed this way:


    ¡°Dear Mr. Strange, we¡¯re sorry to inform you that your application for our Schooling Program has arrived out of time, and hence been excluded from the selection process.


    Yet in evidence of your achievements and good references, our Reviewing Committee has supedited your request to our Internship Programm, that we believe would make a better fit for your qualifications.


    This, among the opportunity to participate in our Schooling Program regular activities, would make you available for a Scholarship, if meet the requirements.


    To participate in this opportunity, all candidates for the Internship Program are summoned to our Campus on September fifteen (15) of the current year, where they will be part of a Test in which their general knowledge and practical skills will be reviewed, measured and evaluated, to meet the admission bar of the program.


    In all regards


    Ardeen¡¯s Academy for the Extraordinary


    Admissions Department


    Signed


    C. Ardeen III¡±


    ¡ª Why didn¡¯t you tell me? ¡ª


    Carrie asked, Oliver looked at her eyes and was unable to answer.


    ¡ª This man¡­ mister Specter, told me you had taken a test during summer school ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡­ ¡ª


    Oliver doubted anything he would say after that, it¡¯ll be a lie. He didn¡¯t want to lie Carrie more than he had to.


    ¡ª I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to go ¡ª


    ¡ª Are you now? ¡ª


    It wasn¡¯t an easy question. Oliver, Corin, and Carrie didn¡¯t have it easy the last couple of years. Moving constantly, and struggling to meet the end of the month, studying had started to look dull, even a waste of time, for what they needed the most. Words like Scholarship, Internship, or Boarding School had a taste of that, money, money so big that even if he wanted to they wouldn¡¯t ever be able to pay for it. That was one of the questions he didn¡¯t dare to ask America.


    ¡ª I don¡¯t know ¡ª


    Oliver answered, looking at the package over the stained tablecloth.


    ¡ª Do it ¡ª


    Said Carrie, suddenly. When Oliver looked at her, her eyes were wide open, as if she had seen a vision.


    ¡ª I mean¡­ ¡ª


    She rectified.


    ¡ª Do whatever you want, but¡­ don¡¯t be afraid ¡ª


    Oliver¡¯s face shrunk, clueless.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t be afraid to do something new, something of your own, even if it seems impossible¡­ ¡ª


    Her freckles, orange over her pale white skin, remembered him to America.


    ¡ª Wonders can happen, but you must chase them hard enough ¡ª


    There, at that moment, Oliver thought about his little Sympathy experiment in the basement. He remembered when the Hex shone for the first time, he remembered the pain, and he remembered the feeling after he woke up. It was impossible, yet he made it. Somehow, without noticing, he had become a Sympathist.

 Chapter 27: Admission Letter

    That same morning, when Oliver knocked at America¡¯s door and the girl still half-dressed read the admission letter, she looked at him with pity.


    ¡ª Yeap, you¡¯re screwed, dude ¡ª


    She said, like watching a dead man standing in front of her.


    ¡ª What? but¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª Have you even read what it says? ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah, that¡¯s why I say it ¡ª


    There, Oliver took the letter from her hands, hasty.


    ¡ª It says that I¡¯ve been granted an Internship, what the fuck does that mean? ¡ª


    America looked at him with her green eyes, it was hard to focus when she did that. So he pretended to be more angry and confused than he truly was.


    ¡ª I haven¡¯t even finished high school, how can I become an Intern?  ¡ª


    ¡ª That¡¯s just paperwork shit-talk, the Internship something else ¡ª


    ¡ªThen, what it is? ¡ª


    America took back the letter, walked through the salon, and laid herself against the dinner table.


    ¡ª Ardeen¡¯s Academy relies a lot on old customs, Internship is how they call those situations in which a Teacher takes on the responsibility to Mentor an Apprentice ¡ª


    She stated


    ¡ª Or at least, the chance of becoming someone¡¯s apprentice¡­ in summary, you must have called someone¡¯s attention inside the Faculty, and his trying both to recruit and test you ¡ª


    Oliver remained silent, thinking.


    ¡ª I just assumed you were a complete stranger the other day, but have you ever met someone from the Academy? ¡ª


    And then she added


    ¡ª I mean, apart from Park and his sister ¡ª


    ¡ª I have ¡ª


    Answered Oliver, very carefully.


    ¡ª Who ¡ª


    ¡ª I met two men after Kiki had¡­ well, it¡¯s complicated to explain, but they were two ¡ª


    ¡ª How did they look? ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª Fast ¡ª


    ¡ª One was tall, like very tall, black hair, and¡­ the scars, he was covered in a lot of them ¡ª


    ¡ª Kr?hen ¡ª


    She said almost in whispers, eyes full of fear.


    ¡ª The other? ¡ª


    ¡ª Almost as tall, but a lot more strong-looking, like a bear ¡ª


    ¡ª Ardeen ¡ª


    She said to her surprise


    ¡ª Oliver ¡ª


    She called him, amused.


    ¡ª You may had the luck of meeting the two most powerful people in the Academy ¡ª


    Oliver swallowed


    ¡ª Charles Ardeen Third, grandson of the Great Ardeen, and Headmaster of the School Council ¡ª


    Then her eyes turned shady


    ¡ª And Johannes Kr?hen, Master of Faenic Arts ¡ª


    Oliver raised an eyebrow and then asked


    ¡ª Should that¡­ tell me something or what? I don¡¯t get it ¡ª


    America exhaled


    ¡ª That¡¯s why you¡¯re screwed ¡ª


    Then she took her keys, brushed her teeth, and with her hair still wavy and wild, both went out on America¡¯s truck. Their next stop was a cabin in the middle of the woods, where a familiar face waited for them.


    ¡ª Hey, are you guys ok? ¡ª


    Said Park sitting on the front, making a white canvas into the painting of a landscape. It was a lost place inside the mountain, just a few miles from both Creekshaw and Hollow Creek. For Oliver, it was no different from the temple or the well they had been before.


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    ¡ª There are too many lost places in nature like this, aren¡¯t? ¡ª


    ¡ª They are in fact, yes ¡ª


    Answered Park friendly, America rushed him instantly, holding the letter in his hand.


    ¡ª Could you please explain to him what his into? ¡ª


    Park looked at it with distrust first and then took it in his hands. After a quick overview, he threw a look at the blond.


    ¡ª Did anything else arrive with it? ¡ª


    ¡ª A package, I haven¡¯t opened it yet ¡ª


    ¡ª Nice, then everything¡¯s in order ¡ª


    He put the letter on a stool aside and kept painting, carefully watching behind his glasses with the only eye he had. A white medical patch covered the other.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t you get it either? He¡¯s being summoned to the Second Son¡¯s! ¡ª


    Oliver watched her estranged for a second.


    ¡ª Wow, wait, what¡¯s that? you didn¡¯t mention before ¡ª


    ¡ª I know ¡ª


    Park said


    ¡ª I submitted his application hoping for that ¡ª


    Then, the others both stared at Park.


    ¡ª You did what? ¡ª


    ¡ª So it was you ¡ª


    Park looked at Oliver for a second and gave him a wink.


    ¡ª You¡¯re completely nuts ¡ª


    Then America headed back to her truck, sat down in the driver¡¯s seat with her arms crossed, and stayed like that with a grumpy face for the next five minutes straight.


    ¡ª You think she¡¯ll be okay? ¡ª


    Oliver asked after a while, sitting down on the stool where the letter was before. Parked gave her a look from the distance.


    ¡ª She¡¯ll overcome it eventually ¡ª


    Oliver had his doubts. Theme Park added.


    ¡ª But she¡¯s right, you¡¯re in a real pinch if you don¡¯t start training right now ¡ª


    ¡ª Training you say, but I don¡¯t even know for what ¡ª


    It was subtle, but Oliver heard it, how Park put aside his brush. He was serious this time.


    ¡ª Hear me, Oliver ¡ª


    He said


    ¡ª All kinds of people give their best to enter this place, money, attitude, and experience, they surpass you in all regards, and most of them aren¡¯t even allowed to step inside the Academy¡¯s grounds ¡ª


    Oliver stared at him white


    ¡ª What¡¯s most, you¡¯ve skipped all the bars everyone else needs to get in, that alone will make you a lot of enemies, powerful people, it¡¯s up to you to show them why you¡¯ve been chosen ¡ª


    ¡ª But¡­ how? ¡ª


    ¡ª The Second Son¡¯s ¡ª


    Park stated


    ¡ª It¡¯s a welcoming tournament where little are invited, and everyone thrives to show their value as students; status, money, connections, these are all things in-game during the event ¡ª


    Then, the slanted eyes put a hand on Oliver¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡ª What¡­? ¡ª


    But before Oliver could speak his question out, Park had already an answer.


    ¡ª Win ¡ª


    That was the only thing he said. Then, America¡¯s voice stole Oliver¡¯s attention.


    ¡ª So? what the hell are you gonna do ¡ª


    Park looked at both lightly, while picking his paint right where he had let it a minute before.


    ¡ª I¡­ need to train ¡ª


    Said Oliver, hesitant.


    ¡ª ¡­ ¡ª


    America threw a hostile look at Park.


    ¡ª And who¡¯s going to train this¡­ ¡ª


    She looked at Oliver, and remembered the last night.


    ¡ª ¡­ boy ¡ª


    ¡ª You, of course ¡ª


    America¡¯s eyes opened wide


    ¡ª Me!? ¡ª


    Park didn¡¯t even bother in looking at her


    ¡ª I can¡¯t train him! ¡ª


    ¡ª Why not? ¡ª


    Park argued.


    ¡ª I just¡­ can¡¯t ¡ª


    ¡ª You won the last one, isn¡¯t? I¡¯ll say you¡¯re the perfect choice ¡ª


    Oliver and America looked at each other, she didn¡¯t find the words to explain.


    ¡ª I¡­ I¡­ ¡ª


    ¡ª I took that as a yes, I certainly can¡¯t, my doctor prescribed absolute rest ¡ª


    Oliver looked at him and noticed the bandages under the thin clothes.


    ¡ª Are you OK by the way? Sorry I didn¡¯t ask before ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯m perfectly fine, he overreacted ¡ª


    America couldn''t believe it


    ¡ª Anyway, I¡¯ll help you as much as I can, where¡¯s that package? ¡ª


    Oliver stood out of the stool as Park did the same.


    ¡ª I¡¯ll go for it, don¡¯t worry ¡ª


    ¡ª Thanks, let¡¯s do it inside ¡ª


    Once inside of it, the purpose of the cabin became clear for Oliver. It was a retirement cabin, a place to go and get lost for a few days, a place to work or get the work out of your head. Simple, clean, and neat, a perfect square made out of wood logs with only a few things inside. A bed, a working table, a fireplace for the winter, and cookware among other pots and tools of the sort. It wasn¡¯t difficult to imagine how Park was able to live in that place, at that point, it only seemed logical for Oliver to find him in those types of places. What the blond asked himself was if he lived that way always, like a folktale character.


    ¡ª I know what you¡¯re thinking, but I only use this for spread retirements ¡ª


    Said Park suddenly, Oliver wasn¡¯t sure if he had said something, or his face just revealed too much of what was inside his head.


    ¡ª It looks comfortable ¡ª


    Was the only thing he thought of adding.


    ¡ª And it is, now, where were we? ¡ª


    America stepped quickly ahead of them, fixing her eyes on the cookware


    ¡ª You have anything to eat? ¡ª


    ¡ª I have a couple of rabbits ready to fire if that¡¯s what you ask ¡ª


    America made an ick face. Then, thought about it.


    ¡ª Ok, I¡¯ll try ¡ª


    When Oliver put the box on top of the working table, Park pulled a hunting knife out of nowhere.


    ¡ª Wow, did you have that with you all the time? ¡ª


    ¡ª It¡¯s the wilderness, my friend, you must be prepared ¡ª


    He said, way too excited for cutting the strings of the box. When he finished unwrapping the paper around it, the three objects lay orderly one next to the order on the wooden surface.


    They were a hard-cover in leather book, decorated with golden threads, and with no recognizable inscriptions anywhere. A fountain pen carved in wood and painted in black with the motto of the Academy engraved in gold, saying ¡°Scribere tue Fabula¡±. And a warded old-looking key in the same yellowish colour.


    Staring at them, like they were mythic, magical to discover mystical objects, Oliver beheld their discovery. Then, Park dropped the knife, that fell into the floor with a deaf sound.


    ¡ª Well, that¡¯s disappointing, they just send you your scholar materials ¡ª

 Chapter 28: About the Fae and their Affairs

    There is something really pleasing, mysteriously fulfilling, and ambiguously infuriating about having your ass kicked for a beautiful girl.


    I couldn''t really tell if it was America''s mastery of whichever martial art she was exercising on me, or just the full body contact that I got to enjoy while she was doing it. But it felt good enough to ease the egotistical damage from being beaten once and again for a girl after I''d basically insisted that I knew how to fight.


    You should excuse me on this one, but that was what I came to a conclusion after Park, Kiki and I defeated Him, Schram, or whoever you want to call Him. After all, it was that experience precisely the one that convinced me that going further into my Sympathy apprentice was a good idea.


    That afternoon, after reviewing my situation with Park, America agreed to train me during the next ten days, till the Second Son''s Tournament, and my hence Academy''s debut started. Their goal was to provide me with the ground knowledge most students should have before starting their freshman year, a sum of lifelong experiences growing inside the Dim Light, and Faenic Culture, as they called it. Mine was to survive the experience, and if I had time, try to win the goddam thing.


    ¡ª And you''re trying to tell that this guy bare-handedly beat an ancient Pagan God? ¡ª


    Said America, standing on top of me. We were again outside, surrounded by woods. She was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt, no weapons in sight, I was all sore inside my hoodie. I watched both of my hands, Hexes in each one, the same way last time. Flashbacks started to go through my mind.


    ¡ª I don''t understand either, back there everything just... worked ¡ª


    Park raised his hands


    ¡ª You''re not facing a Concept right now, that''s the thing, in the real world you can get punched in the face ¡ª


    America laughed at that one.


    ¡ª But, the Hexes aren''t working, my energy projections should be stronger, and the impact of her punches should... ¡ª


    Park waved a hand shutting me, like a teacher does with a hasty student.


    ¡ª You don''t get it, there''s no impact nor energy to absorb in here, not enough at least, and those Hexes don''t even work that way... she''s just facing you with a decent enough technique ¡ª


    ¡ª Hey! ¡ª


    Protested America, puckering at him.


    ¡ª Listen, it''s everything about having a balanced building, avoiding critical flaws, and understanding the basics of Sympathy ¡ª


    Oliver felt like he was being scolded


    ¡ª I''m trying... it just seems like I''ve got to the starting point gain ¡ª


    Park exhalated.


    ¡ª You haven''t, I can tell, you have an exceptional talent for Sympathy, the problems are likely the way in which you learned it ¡ª


    Then, Oliver started to pay attention.


    ¡ª How so? ¡ª


    ¡ª Well, to begin, how did you even find out about it? ¡ª


    Oliver thought of it for a second, then just answered


    ¡ª I was searching for ways to make a Devil Trap online, till I found this website called The Archive ¡ª


    Park and America looked at each other, then their faces went straight into disappointment.


    ¡ª Rowan''s site ¡ª


    Said America


    ¡ª Yeah, that''s Rowan''s site ¡ª


    Confirmed Park


    ¡ª Who''s Rowan? ¡ª


    ¡ª Someone who shouldn''t get his nose into Faenic affairs ¡ª


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    Answered America


    ¡ª He a Faenic themes enthusiast, self-thought in a way, who makes a living out of... well, I couldn''t say solving, but getting into troubles with the Fae, yeah ¡ª


    As something the idea became familiar to Oliver, he couldn''t stop thinking about the way in which they talked about it.


    ¡ª You keep saying that word... ¡ª


    ¡ª Which one? ¡ª


    ¡ª Fae, Faenic, Faenician, I don''t get it, I''ve never read it through the Archive ¡ª


    ¡ª That''s because neither Rowan nor his army of paranormal-activity-freaks knows what they''re dealing with ¡ª


    Voiced America, clearly angry. Sitting still on the ground, Oliver watched through Park.


    ¡ª Nor they should, Oliver and there are strong reasons for that ¡ª


    ¡ª I still don''t get it, what''s with all of that? ¡ª


    ¡ª The Fae, Oliver, is an ancient culture derived from an old extinct Kingdom, made out of creatures, stories, and phenomena, which we know under the name of Fairy Tales or Folktales ¡ª


    Even when Park wasn''t using any unknown word, Oliver couldn''t understand what he meant by that.


    ¡ª Folktales? like... Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Goldiloks? ¡ª


    Park smiled


    ¡ª That''s why I say you have talent, exactly ¡ª


    Oliver looked at America, whose expression had softened since the last time.


    ¡ª This should be very new to you, Oliver, but much like Sympathy or Schram are partly made of concepts, this culture of which I talk to you is too ¡ª


    ¡ª It''s like an apple ¡ª


    Intervened America, attracting the boys both sights.


    ¡ª Like all apples are slightly different in shape, color, and even taste, but recognizable as apples, so are folktales, that talk about this world of wonders ¡ª


    Park nodded with his head


    ¡ª In that sense, Oliver, if that world of wonders is the Dim Light, the Fae is it''s culture ¡ª


    ¡ª And all Folktales are a depiction of it ¡ª


    Oliver stayed quietly, absorbing the idea.


    ¡ª So... you''re telling me that all myths are true ¡ª


    Parked nodded again


    ¡ª It seems  you learned from your time with Specter ¡ª


    He was right, although briefly, the time Oliver had spent with Specter after being decapitated by Kiki and caught in the Academy, had taught him a lot. There were only a few conversations, but the black-suited A.M.A.T Agent was so filled with information, that it was unavoidable not to stay with something.


    At that moment, Oliver realized, he longed to see him again. He had become somehow someone he wanted to learn more from.


    ¡ª So, in The Dim Light, the Fae defines everything, as the same sort of untold rules "we live in a society" type of thing, then what? ¡ª


    ¡ª As a foreigner, you need to become aware, learn and adapt, in order to develop successfully ¡ª


    Answered Park


    ¡ª Welcome to be a baby again, or what''s worst, an immigrant ¡ª


    America added. Oliver, eyes blank, threw himself onto the floor.


    ¡ª I''ll be honest, it''s very interesting, but it''s starting to be too much exposition for now ¡ª


    ¡ª I have a solution for that ¡ª


    Park stood up from his chair.


    Suddenly them three were standing in a straight line, with Oliver in the middle.


    ¡ª I''ve always believed that practical learning is way more important than theory, mostly because one can translate concepts from it quickly ¡ª


    While rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt, Park said.


    ¡ª Wait, what are we going to do? ¡ª


    Asked Oliver, looking side to side, to find America cracking her fingers.


    ¡ª Guy''s, I don''t think I''m prepared yet ¡ª


    Park started to walk towards him.


    ¡ª We''ll skip today''s history class, focusing on Arts from now on ¡ª


    ¡ª This doesn''t look like Art class, guys ¡ª


    ¡ª The Fae''s concept of Art is far more pragmatic than the human, Oliver ¡ª


    Said America


    ¡ª We believe Art should be able to define life ¡ª


    Oliver swallowed


    ¡ª Define? ¡ª


    ¡ª Be or not to be ¡ª


    Stepping strong, while retrieving his hand, Park threw a punch that made Oliver fall over his but. When he was able to see clearly, Park hadn''t even moved a step from his place. But, how was it possible? With not enough time to think about it, Oliver had to roll himself aside. America, without previous warning, had left her leg fall over his head in a heel-kick movement.


    Oliver started to seriously fear for his security, this time, he wasn''t a ghost-like being, if he got hit by them, his bones surely wouldn''t repair the same way they did again. To start, did he even have bones back them?


    ¡ª Welcome to the Faenic Arts Introduction class ¡ª


    Said Park, Oliver stood quickly, crawling through the ground, raising a thin stela of dust next to his feet.


    ¡ª I''ve... heard that before? ¡ª


    Too late did Oliver realize this time, Park had closed the gap between them two with his footplay.


    ¡ª Watch your right ¡ª


    He warned before, right in time for Oliver to avoid the jab-like punch. He didn''t know why, but he had trusted him right away.


    ¡ª Now left ¡ª


    And it happened again, in a couple of moves, Oliver had recovered his balance enough to tell he had engaged in an exchange. Now was his turn.


    Oliver punched left, first time awkwardly, then left again, feeling more secure. A third punch he throws from the right, making a one-two-three combination, like the ones he had seen on fight recaps. Then, Park''s silhouette suddenly disappeared, and instead of Him, it was America the one fighting him. Again, his eyes seemed to fail him.


    When she punched his gut, it was already late, Oliver was paralyzed for the reveal, and he got thrown onto the floor.


    ¡ª Lesson number one, Sympathy is more than schemes and shiny magical scribbles ¡ª

 Chapter 29: Sympathy 101

    I''ve always had my doubts about Sympathy, to be honest with you, who really ends up discovering ancient magic secrets while searching online?


    And at the bright light of the evidence, laid down on the floor after America had already kicked my ass so many times, those doubts were becoming more than annoying. Something was sure about all of this mess, Arwan''s Comprehensive Guide for Sympathy had opened my eyes to an entire new world of wonders, but it hadn''t shown me the whole landscape. That was why I wanted to go to the Academy, despite my initial doubts. I wanted to understand things the same way Park and America do.


    ¡ª Second Lesson ¡ª


    Said Park, after offering me a hand to stand up.


    ¡ª Sympathy is just one out of the Three Pillars in which the Faenic Arts cement themselves ¡ª


    ¡ª There is... more than Sympathy? ¡ª


    Park and Emerica looked at each other with fun, and she let a feeble laugh come out of her mouth. Oliver looked at her with contempt.


    ¡ª Sorry, you just sounded like a country bumpkin ¡ª


    Voiced America without any hesitation.


    ¡ª Don''t mind it, some people live most of their lives exploring just the grounds of one of these when most aren''t even aware of its existence ¡ª


    America cleared her throat.


    ¡ª Just by knowing this, you''re a million steps ahead of them ¡ª


    Oliver thought about all the people on the Archive website.


    There and as he walked, Park raised a hand and started drawing in the air, making suddenly burst sparkles as he did.


    ¡ª Listen, Faenic Arts are structured in three major categories, these are Sympathy, Allure, and Bending ¡ª


    Following his movements, three figures were drawn from these sparkles in the air. A Pentagon, a Spiral, and something similar to a flame shape, each one remained floating, as Park drew a line under each of them.


    ¡ª These three Arts, subdivide themself even further. For example... ¡ª


    And he scribbled three more runic-like symbols under the Pentagon.


    ¡ª Sympathy splits itself into its three major applications, Witchcraft, Alchemy, and Wielding ¡ª


    Two more under the Spiral


    ¡ª Allure spawns into Perceptive and Perspective ¡ª


    And two more under the flame


    ¡ª And Bending does the same with it''s Binding and Combining natures ¡ª


    When Park ended his explanation, eight different unknown terms including Sympathy were drawn in the air, much like during a science class. Oliver felt the weight of his poor performance in school at that moment.


    ¡ª You don''t need to memorize them yet, but this is more or less what the Academy teaches about Faenic Arts ¡ª


    Park trowed a look to Oliver, that he couldn''t really understand.


    ¡ª It''s part of our culture, something every Fae comes to know as they grow up ¡ª


    Park nodded, dropping his hand, and the sparkle schemes with it. Oliver almost felt sorry for all the knowledge that vanished, literally in the air, within a second.


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    ¡ª What you felt and saw just a moment ago when I punched you, or to better say... when I didn''t punch you, and even after, when you fought America thinking it was me, that... was Allure ¡ª


    Park explained, Oliver instantly remembered the fight against Schram in the forest.


    ¡ª Kiki, she... mentioned Allure before ¡ª


    Park showed himself pleased


    ¡ª Allure allows its users to exercise and block both Perceptive and Perspective manipulation ¡ª


    ¡ª That means... you can trick people and make out illusions? ¡ª


    ¡ª Oh, they''re not illusions ¡ª


    Park corrected


    ¡ª Allure allows you to influence other people''s minds and senses, it can be only one or a thousand and its effects can vary on a wide range, depending on how advanced you are ¡ª


    Oliver didn''t get it on the first try


    ¡ª Because of the way in which our brain works, these ''illusions'' can be even more real than the real thing¡­. I''ve seen people die out of fear in the hands of Allure users ¡ª


    Right there Oliver swallowed and remembered the moment when Schram entered the room for the second time, the day they met. The way in which his presence made him so afraid, that he couldn''t even breathe well.


    As Oliver realized how close he had been to dying, his face went white. Then, he felt America''s hand on his shoulder.


    ¡ª But Allure users are not such a common thing out there, especially ''that strong'' ones. And there are ways to protect yourself, especially with Sympathy ¡ª


    She then pulled a pendant out of her shirt, it was an Amethyst stringed with golden threads, pending on a leather cord.


    ¡ª That''s right, unlike Sympathy, Allure must be inherited, and it''s far less useful for fighting or everything else in general ¡ª


    Park smiled, and then Oliver asked


    ¡ª And what''s up with Bending? ¡ª


    ¡ª Well, they''re mud-heads who waste their time learning to play with elements, there''s no real science in there, just raw power ¡ª


    Said Park rolling his eyes


    ¡ª Eh? but that sounds cool... ¡ª


    Oliver looked at America, who shrugged her shoulders saying


    ¡ª Hey, I can hardly do Sympathy, ask me next time you need to defend yourself from a Bender ¡ª


    It sounded like a lot, it was complicated, and it looked like only a piece of a much larger thing. It made Oliver feel insecure about his knowledge, worried about his capacity to understand, and wonder if he really had a chance to become good at any of it. But it excited him more than it frightened him, now he just needed to beat that bear.


    ¡ª So, now what? ¡ª


    Asked Oliver, making both students throw a look at each other. Park was the first to intervene.


    ¡ª Now I''m going to prepare you to recognize and defend yourself from this Arts as you fight... while America ¡ª


    Both looked at the girl


    ¡ª She''s going to teach you how to fight as a Wielder ¡ª


    The girl jumped in her place


    ¡ª A Wielder? But, didn''t you say he was able to use Dual-links at a Sophomore level? why does he need to Wield? ¡ª


    Park gave her a friendly look


    ¡ª We have little more than a week America, and we don''t know what to expect from this year''s tournament ¡ª


    He argued


    ¡ª You must understand that the circumstances in which he learned these things weren''t the most common, and we can only teach him so many things on time ¡ª


    Park seemed more serious than usual.


    ¡ª I think our best bet for him is for you to teach him a versatile way to Fight, while I teach him how to Defend ¡ª


    Then he added


    ¡ª I''ll try to do something with his Linking knowledge... he won''t be able to make it through without it anyway ¡ª


    Between them, Oliver stood clueless


    ¡ª I don''t want to sound dumb, but I''m not understanding anything guys¡ª


    America looked at Oliver and made a grin.


    ¡ª I''m already starting to regret this ¡ª


    ¡ª Great, everything''s set up then ¡ª


    Said Park


    ¡ª We''ll start tomorrow''s first hour, now, we need to do something first ¡ª


    Walking over the edge of the cabin, Park''s silhouette got lost in the woods for a few minutes. As the sun went down opening the way for the night, Oliver realized he had spent the whole day out of home.


    ¡ª Who wants dinner? ¡ª


    And there were they, two rabbits, skinned and ready to fire, as the slanted-eyed student had said before. Oliver couldn''t hold his surprise, that was the first time he would eat something hunted in the wild. America? she swallowed in her spot.


    That night, Oliver called her mother to tell her he was going to be late. It was a weird feeling, he thought. After moving to Hollow Creek, with everything going the way it went, the last thing Oliver had thought was that he would be living like that. The fire bathing these people''s faces with a dim light as they talked, argued, and laughed about nothing special. And he, being a part of it.


    Maybe it hasn''t been that bad to start nightwalking that night a couple of months ago. Maybe, Oliver thought, it hasn''t been that bad having to fight Schram the way they did. After all, if he wouldn''t have done it... it wouldn''t have met these people either.

 Chapter 30: Honor Among the Fae

    It was a dark, ominous place, filled with monsters. Lurking around the gloom, no light could spot a place to spill itself. It was all work of Sympathy, it was all a work from ''her''. It was the closest place on earth to hell.


    ¡ª Right ¡ª


    Warned a feminine voice in the void.


    ¡ª Left ¡ª


    As Kiki wields her sword out of the sheath.


    ¡ª Up ¡ª


    A single clang and sparkles fled into the empty space.


    ¡ª Turn around ¡ª


    Lighting the jaws of an impossible being.


    ¡ª Good ¡ª


    Said the voice inside the void; closer, warmer, right at her left. The slanted eyes girl uncovered her face to find a ghostly figure standing a couple of inches from her.


    ¡ª How many times did I lie to you? ¡ª


    Asked frightening the womanly silhouette.


    ¡ª Just once ¡ª


    The woman smiled with her red lips.


    ¡ª Now you''re ready for the next stage ¡ª


    It had been that way since almost a month ago, while her injuries were still fresh, the doll-looking woman came to see her.


    ¡ª In the name of Soujuro, I come to fulfill a promise ¡ª


    She said that was the only thing Kiki needed to know to stand up from her bed that day.


    ¡ª I knew your mother ¡ª


    Was the next thing Kiki knew, for her everything about her family meant an issue. Far away from home, and wanting to know little about everything else, she answered boldly to her.


    ¡ª I didn''t, nor did I want to ¡ª


    As plain as that Kiki knew, she build differently, like anyone else. The woman liked that answer nonetheless, and from that moment she started to be more open about her.


    ¡ª As I said, it''s a promise I made a long time ago, that I would take care of his offspring whatever it may end up being ¡ª


    When Kiki heard about this, a question was conceived inside her head.


    ¡ª Where did you meet Soujiro? ¡ª


    She asked


    ¡ª Once we were one and the same... Shiba, you can call me by that name ¡ª


    And that was the first time Kiki knew about her name. At that moment, it had been two weeks since they met.


    It wasn''t the best relationship ever made, both were quiet, elusive, and straight in different passes. Possessing both an Allure that repealed each other from complete understanding. Then the best way to communicate became the time they spent together while training. Their confidence was forged in the flames of hardship and pain.


    That afternoon, after Shiba released Kiki from her Gloom Space, the girl looked at her with awe. She had cheated, lied, and tricked her... hence it had been that way only to teach her to trust her best feat... her instincts. The girl recognized it immediately. It was the same way Soujiro had trained her. That sole thing, made her trust in her too. It had been a bet from both sides, and it had repaid well.


    ¡ª Where are we heading now? ¡ª


    Asked Kiki.


    At that moment they were on the west side of the Campus, deep inside the wooden area, far in the training area.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡ª That''s enough training for today, now we need to occupy ourselves with politics ¡ª


    And for a moment Kiki didn''t know what the woman meant to.


    ¡ª Tomorrow''s the Opening Ceremony, and you haven''t met the social duties of the next Second Son''s Tournament winner ¡ª


    Shiba looked weirdly proud of saying that, meanwhile Kiki wasn''t sure about that part of the training.


    After exiting the forest, they walked through the Academy Grounds, an open Campus filled with grass and buildings of all sizes and kinds, structured as a Park, and dominated by the ancient building in the North Side, the same that Oliver and most people were able to see picking from the woods in Creekshaw.


    It took them about fifteen minutes to get there, plus one hour to be ready. When they arrived at the Cochlea Hall, a round reunion hall big enough to host two thousand people, everyone was either dressing in ball gowns, drinking, having a talk or everything at the same time.


    Without realizing it, Kiki had been released into a society event. She felt somehow betrayed by her newfound sponsor.


    ¡ª What the hell is supposed to be this? we aren''t even supposed to begin classes yet ¡ª


    ¡ª Precisely because of that young lady, we''re here ¡ª


    ¡ª What is ''here''? ¡ª


    The woman smiled sassy from her place, like someone who was keeping a secret for herself.


    ¡ª This Kiki is the Professoriate Opening Ceremony, every year we meet to celebrate the new year... before the students come to ruin the fun ¡ª


    She took Kiki''s hand and rushed in without measure, Kiki sprang over her feet and wished to be in another place far away from there.


    ¡ª Good evening, Lord Hohenheim ¡ª


    Greet Shiba shortly after stopping in front of an old bearded man dressed in a ball suit. He had a kind expression and was bald from the forehead to the nape.


    ¡ª H-Hello Mistress Salem, what a pleasure ¡ª


    He answered nervously.


    ¡ª I would like to present you my most present discovery ¡ª


    Said the doll-looking woman. The old man took a look at Kiki and shrunk his expression holding his chin for a second.


    ¡ª Hello, Miss... ? ¡ª


    And he left an opening for Kiki to present herself, the girl looked at Shiba, and the woman smiled back at her.


    ¡ª Jun-a, Park Jun-a ¡ª


    She said, feeling like using his family name was the most appropriate thing to do at the time. The man''s sight lightened then, and he made his next question to the woman.


    ¡ª May this be the younger child of the Park family? ¡ª


    Shiba smiled politely


    ¡ª That''s right my Lord, this year we have two of them ¡ª


    Both laughed as if it were a joke. Shortly after that, the conversation deviated to a sort of unflabbergasting flirting ritual, one in which Shiba seemed to be greatly skilled.


    Somehow for Kiki, it wasn''t a surprise, the woman, dressed in one piece of red silk and overthrowing her in height by two heads had all the looks of a fem fatale. With white-snowed silky skin and big blue-eyelashed eyes, she had both the feats and feels of a vogue model, something that her talent with Allure could only enhance, making her look like a Greek muse or a Deathly offspring of the sea. It would be almost unfair to stand them both aside and compare if Kiki would had matter anything about it.


    When Shiba finished with her first victim, she searched for another, and then another, till they got tired. Over a thirty-minute rush, they''ve run into four conversations, including a group of ten. That last one specially, stressed out Kiki enough to ask for a break. Shiba agreed without complaint.


    ¡ª I get it now, we''re making relationships ¡ª


    ¡ª Not only that little puppy ¡ª


    Joked the woman drinking from a cocktail, they were sat aside in the Hallroom french stylized windows.


    ¡ª We''re showing the world that you''re here, and you have enough influence to get yourself in this event ¡ª


    Stated Shiba in her place.


    ¡ª I still don''t get why this is so important ¡ª


    Shiba looked at her carefully, almost with pity, then she bit her lip.


    ¡ª Do you know why this Tournament is named the way it is? ¡ª


    Kiki raised an eyebrow


    ¡ª To be honest, I overlooked it ¡ª


    ¡ª The Fae and the Human share this uncaring love when it comes to family matters... the bittersweet truth about the way human love is experienced ¡ª


    The woman''s face turned sad as she talked


    ¡ª First times take the most of us, first loves, first kiss, first... first child ¡ª


    ¡ª ... ¡ª


    ¡ª And there are only a few things a Fae parent can give to its newborn... one of them, is the Arts of the Fae, which is usually inherited by every firstborn ¡ª


    In their Family, Kiki wasn''t that, very much like Park wasn''t it either, even thou, Kiki was able to see it. That was one of the reasons why she felt so often reluctant to him. In a world where power was able to obliterate with a touch, through sheer raw strength of will she stood where she was now.  Part of a big family, yet barely gifted enough to stand in that hall. Allure and her Katana, that was all she had, even the Sympathy strengthening her body when she fought was a hoax, a lie. She had to discover the difference between gift and talent. And she knew part of that was his family''s fault, including Park.


    ¡ª This tournament began as a way for the displaced child to win a ticket into our schooling course, one that cannot be afforded nor is granted to everyone ¡ª


    Shiba placed a hand on Kiki''s shoulder


    ¡ª For you to win this Tournament will not only grant you the support that you''ve always needed, but it''s the very reason why this Academy does it in the first place ¡ª


    Kiki thought about for a moment, as she finished her grape juice.


    ¡ª I don''t want to be chosen by another person, Shiba ¡ª


    Said Kiki when the time came, her eyes were stuck at the floor. Shiba looked at her as she had looked Soujiro, many years before.


    ¡ª Don''t worry, I''ll spend every cent you earn with this tournament for you ¡ª


    She joked from her side of the room.

 Chapter 31: What they know

    ¡ª Speak now! or I¡¯ll make you regret the moment you step in this place for the first time ¡ª


    Threatened Krahen, covered in his black cloak, prowling around the room.


    ¡ª I don''t have the intention to say anything more ¡ª


    ¡ª You filthy tricksters, you''re just like your mother ¡ª


    Looking at his side, tied up in the Headchief''s chair, standing in the middle of the room, Park gave a look to the all-covered in scars man, and he felt true hate.


    ¡ª I''ll let that comment slit through, cause I''m merciful ¡ª


    Polite, yet menacing, that drew a dispiteful expression in Krahen''s face.


    ¡ª Don''t mess up with me, Kid ¡ª


    They were both alone in the Headchief''s room, all the way up in Wanderlicht. The hour was ten o''clock.


    ¡ª I''ll ask you once more, what did you take from the Library? ¡ª


    Park, still weakened from his wounds, felt an air breathing out of his body, like life escaping from his longs.


    ¡ª ... ¡ª


    ¡ª Where did you hide it!? ¡ª


    ¡ª ... ¡ª


    ¡ª You little shit ¡ª


    There, when Krahen had taken hold of the boy, grabbing him by his hair, the door opened itself hasty and loud.


    ¡ª It''s enough ¡ª


    Said the deep voice of the old white-haired man. It was Charles, dressed in his gown clothes. The professor''s welcoming stage was still taking place in the Cochlea Hall downstairs.


    When the man entered the room, Krahen froze in his place. Instead, a hateful look kept shining in his eyes.


    ¡ª I trapped him sneaking in the room ¡ª


    Charles threw a sight to the slanted eyes boys, dressed in line and bleeding from the place Krahen had struck him in his forehead when entering, he looked tired and beaten.


    The old man approached him slowly, as he raised a big, powerful hand.


    ¡ª Answer ¡ª


    He said, making Krahen let his grip go on him.


    ¡ª Why didn''t you come back after the fight? ¡ª


    Park looked at him from the only eye he had left, the blood had stained the patch covering the other.


    ¡ª You don''t trust me, I could have died if I came here weakened ¡ª


    The old Ardeen raised an eyebrow


    ¡ª And look what you have made ¡ª


    Park then looked at himself, dripping from the side of his head, a few drops of blood mixed with sweat had stained his clothes.


    ¡ª I didn''t come here for myself... I did it for a friend ¡ª


    The look in his eyes said it was true, at least partly, thought Ardeen the III.


    The man turned his back there, and gesturing a hand movement that neither Park nor Krahen was able to see, the strings that tied the boy were cut. Krahen prostested in the place.


    ¡ª But ¡ª


    ¡ª Both silence, you''ve already caused enough troubles under this roof, my roof ¡ª


    He said, turning himself again.


    He looked angry but contained.


    ¡ª I know how you found it ¡ª


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Spoke Charles, looking right into the eyes of the of the boy.


    ¡ª And I also know what you brought with you from there ¡ª


    There Krahen''s anger vanished from his face.


    ¡ª And In spite of all your efforts, I even know how you did it ¡ª


    Then a similar change took place on Park''s face, he lost every bit of confidence he had until then.


    ¡ª How... ? ¡ª


    He stopped himself in the middle of the sentence.


    There, at that moment, he knew it. There was only one way someone could find out about his ways.


    ¡ª You can Tell ¡ª


    He said it without thinking, the words just escaped from his mouth, and watching the surprise on his face, a deep laugh, like a growl escaped from Charles''s beary mouth.


    ¡ª You say it as if you were the only Loras out there ¡ª


    Park regretted saying it at the very instant he did


    ¡ª But, they told me... ¡ª


    His face went black, straight up to the ground.


    ¡ª They ¡ª


    Ardeen asked, a strong look on his face.


    ¡ª They told me they had killed them all ¡ª


    When Park raised his head, his face was filled with grief and pain. Charles knew why, much like Krahen, they both knew the boy''s family history pretty well.


    ¡ª And till the time comes, they must keep thinking they did ¡ª


    His words, weighting not only true but trust sent a message to Park, one that in the obscurity of his thoughts he was able to see like a dim light, far away in the shadow valley of his plans.


    There, Park''s breathing turned heavily again, leaning weakly his body to a side, till he fell from the chair to the ground.


    Krahen was the one to catch him before his body touched the floor


    ¡ª What the heck is happening to him? ¡ª


    The old man stepped front, looking down at him. Pale face, sweating heavily, and looking sick, the man could tell in a breeze.


    ¡ª I think we already know where he''s hiding that goddam thing ¡ª


    Krahen looked at him


    ¡ª The kid just cursed himself out of a whim ¡ª


    Suddenly, a wave of pain stroked Park''s body, that twisted in Krahen''s hands. Horrified, the man looked at the boy''s lost eye and felt something dark, malicious, and alluring. Charles spoke him out of its allure.


    ¡ª Call Loy ¡ª


    Said Charles, but before Krahen could react, Park held him with a shaky hand.


    ¡ª No ¡ª


    He said


    ¡ª Everyone but him ¡ª


    His eyes talked what his words couldn''t tell. Charles read him instantly.


    ¡ª Okay ¡ª


    The man conceded.


    ¡ª But we have a lot to talk about then ¡ª


    Meanwhile, downstairs in the Cochlea Hall, Kiki stood behind Shiba''s provoking silhouette. In a second round of greetings, this time the witch was talking with two men. As she did, Kiki was pulled out in front of them by her.


    ¡ª I''d like to present this fine young lady, surely you''ve heard from her ¡ª


    ¡ª Nice to meet you ¡ª


    Said the first one, offering a hand that, out of reflex, Kiki lend to him. He kissed it without touching her with his mouth in a fine gesture.


    ¡ª My name is Loy ¡ª


    He said.


    He was a young handsome man around thirty, apparently surely fewer years than he actually had. Tall, thin, and with a tattoo-covered shaved head, he was dressed in a combination of chinos, a white shirt, and a monk cloak that made him look both elegant and modern.


    When both crossed their eyes, Kiki was able to see something strange in him.


    ¡ª And he is... ¡ª


    Said Shiba with a carefree face


    ¡ª ...John ¡ª


    Carrying a short glass, filled with a golden liquid and a big chunk of ice, the man barely looked at her as he nodded with his head.


    ¡ª Hey ¡ª


    He said, looking across the hall into another group of guests.


    He was a tall, blond, shaved man with an uncared look, surely more attractive than he seemed at first sight, wearing a combination of jeans and a simple white shirt with rolled sleeves. The strangest thing about him was his sunglasses, which he had stuck in his face even when they were inside, and in the middle of the night. It sincerely made Kiki think he was a freak, though she could say the same about everyone in the room.


    ¡ª I''ve heard great feats about your time during this summer introduction course ¡ª


    Said Loy as soon as he could


    ¡ª They said you were between the firsts of your class, a rising star between the freshman class ¡ª


    There John looked at the girl


    ¡ª Have you thought about getting into the mentoring program? ¡ª


    There Shiba stepped in between the two


    ¡ª Very nice of you little Ham, but get your claws away from the girl ¡ª


    A smile politely crowned her face with sympathy


    ¡ª She has been mine from the very moment I kidnap her out of her room two weeks ago ¡ª


    The man gave her a look from behind his rounded glasses.


    ¡ª Oh, so that''s the way you did it? ¡ª


    Shiba smiled


    ¡ª I think I must improve my recruiting methods then, I might be turning soft ¡ª


    The man gave her a daring look.


    ¡ª What was your name again? ¡ª


    Asked John out of his silence.


    Kiki felt his eyes over her and realized the sudden change in his attention spawn. An eerie feeling ran through her skin.


    ¡ª I''m Park Jun-a... ¡ª


    Then she added


    ¡ª But everyone calls me Kiki ¡ª


    Somehow, she felt inclined to trust that to him.


    ¡ª Park ¡ª


    He said, crossing his arms over his chest. Then, he gave a look to Shiba over her.


    ¡ª Keep an eye on her ¡ª


    Shiba felt it in his voice, as always, he was talking too straight.


    ¡ª I am, from now on ¡ª


    Rising her chin, proud. That was probably the closest thing to a flattery that man would ever say.

 Chapter 32: Shrouded in Dreams

    That very same night, Oliver woke up in the middle of a dream, all sweat and breathing heavily on his bed. He ran to the mirror and looked at the scar on his neck. It was hurting, and in the middle of the dark, he could swear, something was looking at him.


    He had dreamed about Schram, and that was the third time that week.


    Since Park, Kiki, and he had defeated the creature, he had started Nightwalk again. Only this time, he knew it wasn''t a game.


    It happened a week before, Oliver had suddenly woken up thirsty, it was already four in the morning. He went barefoot to the kitchen and poured a glass of water from the sink, the heating was off, and everything felt sharp and cold. When he crossed the doorframe, he watched himself looking through the window, the blurred silhouette of the Academy in the distance. The scare pulled him out of his sleep state, and thinking everything would repeat itself he looked at the find, to find his body comfortable sleeping under his sheets. He was watching just a memory stored in the room. A relief breath came out of his ghostly lungs.


    The next morning he had talked with Park about it, somehow he was the only one he thought would understand it. To his luck, it was that way and after a long talk describing Oliver''s short experience on it, Park gave him only one piece of advice.


    "Just don''t get out of your body, keep sleeping and ignore it, we''ll handle that later"


    As plain as that, it was Park''s solution to the Nightwalking problem. Oliver took it as a rule without arguing, after all, the last thing he wished was to end up in the same situation again.


    But that night, while looking at himself in the mirror, Oliver realized he was in fact having another Nightwalking dream. The feeling of lightness, power, and beyond understanding gave him a vertigo sensation. He sat at his desk for a moment and watched his own body sleep peacefully.


    Then, he had an idea, one of those ideas that lead you to crazy things, the same type of idea that saved his life more than one time in the past months, an idea made for opening doors. And getting close to himself, he touched his sleeping body with a doubtful hand.


    There, he found himself in another place, another time, inside his own dream, the very same dream he had before waking up. Oliver was in the forest beyond the backyard of his house in Hollow Creek, the one that had belonged to his father and grandparents before him. And there was Schram, sitting in the middle of the crater he had created during the fight, the one that had opened the umbrella of trees during one of his growls. The moon was full, and the night lightened in blue.


    ¡ª What took you so long? ¡ª


    Said Schram, mimicking an Oliver''s version of the past. They were both looking the same as if Oliver had never gotten him out of his body in the first place.


    ¡ª You ¡ª


    Oliver said stepping back, there was fear in his eyes, hatred in his heart.


    ¡ª ... really here? ¡ª


    ¡ª I never went out, nor then or now ¡ª


    Smiled Schram from his place, letting out a lazy yawn.


    ¡ª To be honest, it''s a comfortable position, thou it lacks mobility privileges I would love to have ¡ª


    Oliver stood blank for a second.


    ¡ª You''re... not a dream, aren''t you? ¡ª


    Schram rolled his eyes.


    ¡ª You''re a little bit slow today, Oli ¡ª


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Both stared at each other carefully for a while, then, Oliver asked.


    ¡ª What do you want? ¡ª


    He stepped front again, Schram moved his hand, and everything went dark.


    Suddenly they were in another place, another time, it was the top of the Wanderlight Castle, the Headchief''s office, the old Ardeen''s Academy House. There, Krahen, Charles, and Park were having a talk.


    ¡ª They call themselves the Counter Stream, the Last fort of Humanity, the Threshold of Light ¡ª


    Said Park in aguish, while Krahen treated a wound in his forehead.


    ¡ª A Threshold for Light, huh ¡ª


    Charles said critic while scratching his beard, he looked thoughtful and angry at the same time.


    ¡ª You should have told us before ¡ª


    Added Krahen, looking at the boy with his always despiteful eyes.


    ¡ª There''s no one to trust, nor should you trust anyone ¡ª


    Repeated the boy, Krahen was able to recall the boy''s mother in his voice.


    ¡ª No one should charge with another one''s curse ¡ª


    The boy looked at him with his only remaining eye.


    ¡ª Nor then, nor now ¡ª


    He said, then, Charles stood in the middle of the room.


    When Oliver realized what was happening, he found himself sitting on his both around the corner of the room. Schram was doing something similar, above one of the bookshelves on the opposite side. Due to their sudden apparition and the lack of reaction in the room, Oliver soon realized that they were witnessing a conversation happening in another place or time.


    ¡ª What you took from the other side of the Library, or whom to be precise... ¡ª


    Added Charles in monotone.


    ¡ª I don''t think you, nor they, know what it really is ¡ª


    Park looked at him with ease


    ¡ª I know ¡ª


    ¡ª No, you know what happened the last time someone tried to use it, but the real nature of that thing... ¡ª


    Said the old man looking back, straight to Schram''s eyes in the top of the shelves.


    ¡ª It''s better locked in a cage and far away from any hand ¡ª


    There, Schram raised his hand again, and a darkness-like fog revolved around them.


    When Oliver opened his eyes, they were in his room again, and Schram was sitting next to his sleeping body, while Oliver watched them from the windows frame. He felt his heart bumping inside his ghostly chest.


    ¡ª I want revenge ¡ª


    Said Schram quietly, while caressing his fingertip on the sleeping body''s neck.


    ¡ª And you will help me to have it ¡ª


    Suddenly, the scar shone red, and Oliver felt a burn on his ghostly neck.


    ¡ª Even If I have to become a curse in the process ¡ª


    ¡ª What!? ¡ª


    Oliver screamed, falling prey to the pain, into the floor.


    ¡ª Even if I have to consume you or him, or anyone in the way ¡ª


    Schram stood in front of both.


    Oliver, reduced by pain in his room.


    Park, struck again in the Headchief''s office.


    Schram looked with pity at both the children under his grip and said.


    ¡ª I will have my revenge against those who dared to use me for their affairs ¡ª


    When Oliver could stand up, he was alone again in his room. His body was still sleeping peacefully in his place, and the heating was still off. Everything felt sharp and cold under his bare feet.


    The moon, full again in the sky lightened the silhouette of the Academy at the other side of the bay.


    It was the night before the Opening Ceremony, and he would have to fight against the unknown that very same day.


    So that night, when Oliver went inside his body, he couldn''t sleep again. Instead, he rolled over his bed thinking about what America and Park had taught him the past few days.


    He went out that night and standing in the parking lot nearby, he looked at the gift Park gave him with awe. It was a sheathed Katana, just like the one Kiki had wielded already so many times in front of him.


    He thought about it for a second, it was clich¨¦, but he loved it. There was something special about them, the edge, the cut, the power to wield them. The only idea of a sword was powerful enough to encourage him, to have one for himself, felt both something to wish for and something to earn.


    He knew it, even if he had wielded it already a few times that same week, he hadn''t just earned it yet. But he would do it, eventually.


    So that night after looking at it for a while, he unseath it. Almost ritually, with care.


    Unlike Kiki''s sword which looked real from the tip to the toe, Oliver''s sword wasn''t a conventional one. The edge, finely craved in wood, came from a tree whose name he wasn''t able to pronounce yet. And its grip, strung in read tread, mimicked a regular katana''s look. The whole compound looked menacing and extremely well made, the type of thing you would hang on a wall... instead of wielding around against other things. Yet, that was the purpose of the very weapon.


    When Oliver held it inside his hands, he imagined a stream of energy crossing the darkness, through his body, unto the edge. There, a light ran across its edge, and through the hexes engraved on it. There were six or seven, making a runic pattern, a sympathy-linked chain of them.


    There, in the middle of the night, Oliver wielded his sword again, and again... and again.

 Chapter 34: About the A.M.A.T and its Agents

    Looking at the stained red leather hardcover of the book inside the contention chamber, Specter remembered the first time he had read it. It was a June afternoon and he was waiting for the last drop of coffee to fall into his after-afternoon caffeine shot. As he watched the glass half empty in front of the coffee machine, he saw one of the Revisionists get close.


    He was on the Library''s mid-floors filling out paperwork till that moment, it was... one of those days.


    ¡ª Excuse me, Agent, could you take a look at this? ¡ª


    Said the girl, a pair of black eyes looked at him behind the thick glass of her glasses.


    ¡ª Sure, what''ve you found? ¡ª


    She took the red leather book from under her arm, grouped it with other similar three, and lent it to him. When Specter held it in his hands, he felt enticed to open it and read.


    ¡ª Impossible ¡ª


    He thought


    ¡ª It''s... allure? ¡ª


    That thing, he had only felt it once before, already more than ten years ago.


    Watching it behind the containment glass that afternoon after all of what had happened, made him think. What would have happened if the Revisionist had approached another Agent?


    ¡ª There''s no way that could happen ¡ª


    Said the black-suited agent in front of him.


    ¡ª I swear, he''s a little brat, it reminds me of you ¡ª


    Raising an eyebrow the young-black haired, slanted eyes boy turned around. The two swords, tightly belted around his chest, made him look threatening.


    ¡ª I''ll have to give my little siblings a visit sometime ¡ª


    Said Park Jun-Ichi.


    ¡ª You should ¡ª


    Answered Specter.


    That same afternoon, after Specter had come back from Hollow Creek, he had landed at Washington''s airport to find the older son of the Park family waiting for him. What came first as bad news, became truly frightening when he and the other two first-grade female Agents drove him blindfolded out of the town. After a two-hour ride, when they finally stopped and Specter was able to see again, he found himself facing the entrance of a sort of military assessment at the foot of a mountain. A third Agent was standing at the door, waiting for them.


    ¡ª Is he inside? ¡ª


    Asked Park to the one doing guard, it was a young strong-looking male, all shaved till the tip of his head. He had a little friend''s face and answered by just nodding with his head. He was reading a newspaper.


    ¡ª All right, so let''s get in, you''re coming with us ¡ª


    Said Jun-Ichi, the three of them got through a thick door made of steel and descended through a complex system of tunnels and hallways, till they got into what seemed to be an anti-bombs refugee. The hall was completely empty, and only a chair stood in the middle. An older man than the four of them was sitting on it. He extended one hand asking for it, and Specter gave him the book. Both stood looking at it under a warm light, already contained inside a glass box, pretty much like the one that Specter had used for Oliver.


    The other four agents remained one in each corner of the room, four of them, boxing the two in the middle. Specter had a bad feeling about all of it.


    ¡ª Agent Specter, I have a question for you ¡ª


    The man in front of him must had over forty years, of grayish hair unfolding over a military undercut, a few inches larger than it should.


    ¡ª Why did you give me back the book? ¡ª


    He asked under a tired pair of eyes


    ¡ª Excuse me, sir? ¡ª


    Specter replied, the man looked at him whimsically.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡ª I''m asking you why didn''t you keep it for yourself ¡ª


    Specter froze at his spot and thought about it, he didn''t want to take too long.


    ¡ª I... managed to think you would do a better use of it than me, sir ¡ª


    ¡ª Didn''t you think we would take it from you anyway? ¡ª


    Specter swallowed in his spot


    ¡ª I did, Sir ¡ª


    Unlike he or the other three, whom''s information was clearly delivered through a badge hanging around their neck, the man in front of him was a blank sheet.


    Shrouded in darkness, the A.M.A.T commanding pipeline was divided into three tiers. At the top of everything, the Administration Board also called "The Staff" ruled everything, commanded by a Head Master, they would be the ones making the big decisions and leading the most dangerous operations. Under them, there would be the Moderation Agency or "The M.O" filled with Revisionists like the girl of the library, whose main task would be the reviews of every book in the library, and field agents just like him. These field agents would split further into Third, Second, and First Grade, depending on their achievements and expertise. And lastly, there would be the Supporting Operatives or the "S.O." mainly made by training agents, volunteers, or regular collaborators.


    Specter himself had once started as a collaborator, quickly becoming a Third Grade Agent. Once there, it took him about eight years to rank up to 2nd Grade, and he had been stuck there since then. Throughout all of that time, he had met a few First Graders like Smith or Jun-Ichi, and none above them. But he had his suspicions about who they could be, or why it was so impossible to meet them in person. When he saw no badges of the man in front of him, Specter guessed the type of person he was talking to.


    ¡ª Agent Specter, are you conscious of which type of book are we talking over? ¡ª


    Specter looked him in the eyes


    ¡ª Sir, if you let me argue... ¡ª


    ¡ª Go ahead ¡ª


    Specter looked at the book behind the glass


    ¡ª This must be a type of Origin Story, some sort of Stand-Alone telling ¡ª


    The man looked at him with his gray eyes.


    ¡ª I might be guessing here but, due to its content... I think it may be the beginning of a sub-plot inside a Canonical Plotline ¡ª


    The man laughed at Specter''s answers, throwing a look at the other side of the room. When Specter turned back, Jun-Ichi was laughing too.


    ¡ª I''m sorry if I''m making no sense Sir, but... ¡ª


    ¡ª Not at all, Agent ¡ª


    The man coughed off his laugh.


    ¡ª It''s just the first time I hear a Second Grader talking about Origin sub-plots Stori-lines ¡ª


    ¡ª Excuse me, Sir? ¡ª


    Specter felt he was being diminished


    ¡ª Don''t quote me on that, Agent ¡ª


    There, the man extended his hand again, right over the contained book. Specter took it after a second of doubt.


    ¡ª I''m Special Agent McKeen, Head of the Staff''s Second Unit ¡ª


    Specter didn''t know what to think about it


    ¡ª I''d like to make you an offer ¡ª


    Walking over the tunnels, all the way up to the top of the mountain, they stood at a warfare facility in the snow. Looking through the windows, after walking over the almost empty hallways, Specter was able to see a line of somewhat troopers running in the middle of a blizzard. There must be around fifty of them, counting everyone he had seen till that moment. Watching from the cafeteria, as the other agents made a meal for themselves, McKeen approached him.


    ¡ª Most of them wouldn''t make it to the end of the year, Agent ¡ª


    Specter remembered his training times, more than ten years ago, after deciding to become more than just a collaborator.


    ¡ª Every day that goes by is harder to find good agents ¡ª


    Forty percent was the average rate of success for all new training agents. The very same one new agents had of either dying or becoming discharged by wounds the first two years after beginning their career.


    ¡ª Expertise in Storytelling matters, you would guess, it''s both a rare and precious skill to find in an operative ¡ª


    Specter looked at McKeen


    ¡ª You''re being promoted to First Grade, Agent Specter ¡ª


    Specter sight became darker


    ¡ª Can I speak clearly, Sir? ¡ª


    The man raised an eyebrow


    ¡ª Allowed, Agent ¡ª


    ¡ª Are you inviting me to join your unit? ¡ª


    McKeen looked at him straightly


    ¡ª No, I want you to run it ¡ª


    Specter went blank


    ¡ª Run it, Sir? ¡ª


    The man turned back and saw the other four Agents gathered in the room.


    ¡ª You may not know this yet, Agent, but it takes something more than just a Grade to ascend the latter ¡ª


    The man continued


    ¡ª You stumbled across an artifact that no one could ever know existed if you decided to keep it, one that would give you access to a lot of power ¡ª


    ¡ª It was my duty, Sir ¡ª


    ¡ª Yet, I wouldn''t trust that duty to everyone in this unit ¡ª


    Said the man looking at the shaved-head agent, dining all alone in one corner of the room.


    ¡ª You see, every good unit is made of the same elements, more or less crafted in different fabrics ¡ª


    Then he turned himself again and saw the troops disappearing in the blizzard.


    ¡ª A Good Soldier to call, an Ace or Wildcard to answer, a Shield to protect them all, and a Leader that guides ¡ª


    Specter tried to discover who was who in the room, but still unable to find them all, he asked himself who would he be in that regard.


    ¡ª And why me? ¡ª


    ¡ª To be honest Agent? we don''t have that many people to choose ¡ª


    Specter felt disappointed somehow


    ¡ª Due to the nature of our job, one must put his hand on everything he founds ¡ª


    McKeen put a hand on his shoulder


    ¡ª I''m moving up the latter Agent, I need you to get quickly on your boots ¡ª


    Specter nodded, standing firm on his feet.


    ¡ª I''m sending you to your first mission, don''t mess it up ¡ª

 Chapter 35: Rite of Passage

    It had started in the autumn of 1840 when the school was well-established in the Fae community, and almost two hundred years later, the Rite of Passage kept been both part of the welcoming of a new year and the bar with which their new students where measured.


    Every time year in Warderlicht the same conversation taked place during the Board''s come-back reunion. The idea of re-branding the Tournament floated in the air till someone mentioned the Rite of Passage, then the snake bit its tail when someone mentioned the tradition and how it had been on his or her year. Every single time, that same conversation spawn a stream of memories recap share session between the former students, of which the Board was always proud to find most of its members.


    That year, when the Board approached the Location of the Tournament theme, everyone looked at Ardeen with awe, till he raised his hand as he did every year. For him, as it had been for his father before him, that had become something close to a duty, that felt more like a compromise.


    It wasn''t a matter of choice anymore, far away from the usual walk to the Hauptigesquare Garden, for most of the students, what happened the First Day of Schhol was more than a tradition, a myth. The type of things kids whisper to each other after receiving the admission letter, after a "Did you know that...?". It had been like that forever, and except for counted occasions, it would be, it had became the Academy¡¯s own bar. One carried every year by Ardeen.


    That way, the beginning of the new school year was celebrated through it¡¯s first week, going from the Rite of Passage, through the Second Son¡¯s Tournament, and the Fairy¡¯s Weekend.


    Whilst the Rite of Passage serve to present the Academy and one to each other, the Tournament was meant to gather a few between them in order to test them. Proved in such matters as raw Skill, sheer Will, and Wit, and encouraged with status, housing privileges, and sponsorship rewards, it¡¯s purpose was to proof what that year''s freshman had to offer. A demostration that ended that same weekend, with the Fairy¡¯s Fair, a place for older students to show off their work during the past year, and captivate freshman into their nets.


    So every new year, the First School Week¡¯s organization became one of the Board¡¯s main concerns, as the Tournament¡¯s Location was Charles, a sort of ruthless entertainment, one they should bring to shore.


    That morning, after Krahen had unchain the Rite of Passage ceremony, conduction the stream of uniformed students from Wanderlicht to the Garden, Charles laughed for his insides.


    The reason of Cahrles laugh was standing in the Wanderlicht perimeter fence, it was a black-suited man facing against the stream of uniforms, looking oddly out of place, messy and tired. Charles couldn¡¯t hold it¡¯s fun. That was the second time they had seen each other.


    ¡ª You''re late, Agent, I thought we''d had to start without you ¡ª


    Specter sighted letting out a breath polluted by coffee.


    ¡ª No one came for me at the Airport, I had to cross the whole country only to fill in a form and... anyway ¡ª


    ¡ª I thought you''d be fine by yourself since you found us so quickly last time ¡ª


    ¡ª Those were... different situations... I hope you didn''t mean to start without me ¡ª


    Said Specter raising a tired eyebrow.


    ¡ª I heard you''ve been promoted, Agent ¡ª


    Said Charles letting one of his hands fall over Specter''s shoulders. The thing was so big that almost made him fall.


    ¡ª Your partner Smith didn''t make the best out of our relationship ¡ª


    And for a second, Specter''s worst fears came true. That was it, finally the old man had rebelled himself, even if precisely at that moment didn''t make sense.


    ¡ª I hope you don''t make the same mistakes ¡ª


    Then he saw the look in Ardeen''s eyes, which was a very consciously made threat, he could read. Yet precisely because of that, Specter was able to guess something.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    As the old man went further, behind the stream of uniforms, followed by the rest of the professors, Specter thought about their situation.


    Broadly speaking, the Academy was one of the few groups operating legally and independently from any other constraints. Apart from The Fae Folk, or the Hunter Association which had existed for centuries before them, there were only a few more operating at daylight. Any other Organization, Cult, or Sect was purposely hidden and worked as a sort of masonic-private cult for its members. All of them, almost without exception, had te custom of falling short on morally ambiguous business, being hence actively hunted by the A.M.A.T and its books.


    Since its foundation, and as it grew into a whole government Agency, the Academy had been known for its collaboration with the Protocole over the years. How that actually worked, was always a mystery, but Specter was starting to understand it.


    There, Specter knew that the man known as the most skilled Alchemyst in the country and its army of highly trained teachers maybe wasn''t the A.M.A.T best ally, but as the A.M.AT was neither the best guest in the house, nothing good would come out of a war between them. It was a collaboration made out of a secured mutual destruction.


    ¡ª Take it easy and don''t be chasing cars, dawg ¡ª


    Said a voice in the stream, when Specter turned down, he found one of the teachers standing aside. It was Carpenter, walking at his own pace.


    ¡ª If you don''t want to get hit by ¡ª


    Something in him hit familiar Specter, but he couldn''t recognize what.


    ¡ª Who says it? ¡ª


    ¡ª Someone who knows ¡ª


    ¡ª Knows what? ¡ª


    And Carpenter smiled at him


    ¡ª What the plotline speaks out, pal ¡ª


    Specter thought, could it be? there, he got hit by one of the uniforms dancing around. It was Kiki.


    ¡ª You ¡ª


    She said, eyes wide open, alluringly quiet.


    ¡ª Park girl ¡ª


    Then he turned around, but the man had followed his way. Specter remained doubtful.


    ¡ª Don''t call me that ever again ¡ª


    The girl spoke herself


    ¡ª Excuse me? ¡ª


    ¡ª It''s Kiki ¡ª


    She insisted


    ¡ª Why are you here? it''s Park again? ¡ª


    Specter had to shake his head for a moment


    ¡ª No, it''s something completely different, it''s a coincidence... I think ¡ª


    But he didn''t believe what he said, he just hadn''t proof of anything else yet.


    ¡ª That sounds unreliable ¡ª


    The girl answered


    ¡ª But I''ll let it slit ¡ª


    Then, she kept walking her way


    ¡ª Wait! ¡ª


    Shout Specter out


    The girl stopped and looked at him straight.


    ¡ª W-Where''s the Ceremony? ¡ª


    She looked at the stream of students walking around her


    ¡ª If you can''t figure it out, then I''m not sure you''ll get around with it ¡ª


    Specter realized then how tired he really was.


    ¡ª Just follow me ¡ª


    Said the girl, turning herself around.


    The Hauptigesquare Garden as its name implied, was a big square in the center of the Campus, surrounded by some of the most precious, exotic, and a lot of times valuable showoffs that nature could do. At least in that place. Its value aesthetic nonetheless, was its location, one that Ardeen had considered for that year''s Tournament.


    Edged on the East by the Library, an immense building of more than four plants, plus two underground. And the Literature Faculty on the West, a moderately smaller building with three levels and almost half of the traffic. The Hauptigesquare Garden was a nature hallway between spaces that separated the Campus itself in two, leaving the areas you would use out of classes on the East side, Dormrooms, Stores, and Recreational Spaces, aside from most Faculties, Classrooms, and Administration buildings on the West side.


    Originally, the idea had been to make it a useful space for the Bending Faculty, but when the Library took over its neighbor in both size and conception, it became necessary to move Departments to fit a Literature Faculty. It had been a years-long process thou in which the Garden grew to become twice the size it was originally intended to.


    Helped by the Bending students across the years, the Garden was a green-covered yard filled with all kinds of fruit-bearing trees, Squirreling around themselves in impossible ways, mixing colors, flowers, and scents impossible to find anywhere, they sat through a rug of thick grass, feed by a water stream system that flowed from Lacrimosa, a tiny artificial lake set near the Library.


    That day, as in every year, the Rite¡¯s location was a mystery, yet, the meeting point had been set in the heart of Huptigesquare, where the old Willow stood, next to Lacrimosa''s Lake.


    When Oliver stepped in the stone path that ran aside the main road, under the bridge, and into the Lake. He exhaled a big chunk of air.


    ¡ª There''s no way I can remember this place, it''s too big ¡ª


    ¡ª Everything in here is, believe me ¡ª


    Answered America.


    ¡ª It''s beautiful... but hope you don''t ever invite me here ¡ª


    ¡ª What are you talking dude? this is already my favorite place here ¡ª


    Surrounded by uniforms, the two suddenly stopped as the stream around them did.


    ¡ª What''s happening? ¡ª


    Asked Oliver


    ¡ª We''re already here, look ¡ª


    It was Shiba Blackwood, standing in the middle of the Lake.


    ¡ª Ardeen Academy for the Extraordinary welcomes you, future promises, to our Campus of Wonders! ¡ª


    She said.


    ¡ª Now, as our new year starts, we''d love to be amazed by what our future holds in store, so regarding that... Let the Rite of Passage begin! ¡ª

 Chapter 36: Leap of Faith

    It was an eerie sensation, looking at the woman standing in the middle of the lake, a thought-provoking idea assaulted Oliver''s mind. The very same old tales that he had already listened to so many times at church came back from his memories shaped in a strange way.


    Of course, he should have made it clear already, that such an act was little in comparison to what he had already seen. Yet, he couldn''t help but wonder, how was she able to do it? through which sort of Sympathetic process the water or the female had to go through to be able to perform the miracle? and most importantly... did this mean that Jesus also knew how to use Sympathy? maybe it was just him, who had too much of a curious and unserious type of mind. Maybe it was a completely fair question.


    The truth was one no matter the less, he was there to learn that sort of thing, thought Oliver.


    ¡ª Guys, you''re here ¡ª


    Said a familiar voice from their back. Almost immediately, both America and Oliver turned around.


    ¡ª I thought you wouldn''t make it ¡ª


    He said smiling behind his glasses, his left eye beneath a lock of hair.


    ¡ª Park ¡ª


    Answered America, Oliver searched around with his eyes. There was no sign of Kiki around. He wondered why.


    ¡ª Look ¡ª


    Park pointed out with his head, Blackwood kept talking from the center of the Lake.


    ¡ª As every year, we''re happy to welcome a new generation of students, eager to cultivate wisdom, skill, and awareness about this world''s dim light ¡ª


    As she walked calmly toward the crowd, reaching the zenith of her allure, Oliver started to feel dizzy.


    ¡ª Hey ¡ª


    Said America


    ¡ª Are you ok? ¡ª


    Oliver looked at her, eyes loose and wavy stand.


    ¡ª Remember what I told you, hold it tight ¡ª


    Making a gesture to her waist, Oliver remembered the big chunk of wood that he had attached and called a sword. Then he put his hand on top of it and breathing in, activated the Hex. There, something inside the sheath shone.


    ¡ª Ok ¡ª


    He said as he remembered running into the woods behind his house at Hollow Creek.


    Suddenly a wave of strength filled his body, his muscles got tense and his senses turned so sharp that the light, sound, and crowded area started to bother him.


    ¡ª Better now? ¡ª


    Oliver nodded his head, he felt more like himself now.


    ¡ª For more than three hundred years now, this Academy has taken pride in teaching generation after generation of bright minds, and outgoing people, to go beyond the ordinary and forge stories worthy of living ¡ª


    The woman kept walking, till her feet, bare and nude, touched the ground gracefully.


    ¡ª Making no exceptions on Old or New, Fae or Not, Gifted or Worked Through, we take an oath on every new student, a promise for the future, that they may have what is needed to change those stories around them for good ¡ª


    She said while leading herself into the crowd, which opened a way to let her dive in.


    ¡ª This journey in which we ship ourselves, of course, isn''t free of hardships, fireproofs, and challenges that will put the very fabric of your self, as well as ours, under test, being every new threshold a way into the forge ¡ª


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    One by one, the stream of uniforms flowed around her, as she moved to an invisible point in the middle of them. There, surrounded by the look of hundreds, she stopped her speech and gave an eye to everyone in the room.


    Big black baggy eyes masked with red and under a long pair of eyelashes lurked into the crowd searching for something. Something more ethereal rather than psychical.


    There, as she did it, Oliver could swear she stopped and looked at him for a second.


    ¡ª A commitment to greatness, that is what you''re being called to, a step into the fire, to go from raw potential, to cut edging beings, today and here ¡ª


    He held his sword firmly, feeling his strength would leave him if he didn''t do it.


    She raised her hand, smiling to the crowd, and as she did it, Oliver felt how a hand took him by surprise.


    ¡ª Move! ¡ª


    Said Park steady from his back.


    Suddenly, an explosion of light and heat stole his attention entirely, from the place where Blackwood was a second ago, a big fire the size of a human stood. In the middle of it, the witch, her face distorted by the flames still showed her smile, much more eerie than before.


    ¡ª S-she just... explode ¡ª


    Oliver said, letting the surprise pull out the obvious from his lips.


    ¡ª Well, they did it big this year too ¡ª


    Answered Park, America looked at him with a mixed bag of feelings.


    ¡ª Dude, you''re so weird ¡ª


    ¡ª Thank you ¡ª


    He answered as Blackwood came steaming and completely unscathed out of the fire.


    ¡ª Now fellow students, it is your turn to step in, would you dare?  ¡ª


    She lent along her hand as an invitation, holding everyone''s attention.


    Then, the same stream made out of chit-chattering, whispers-filled mutter started. First barely perceptible, then so loud that the crowd ran out of silence. Astonishment, Wonder, Disbelief, what was under the scope was no unknown thing, but rather the weakling of fear, doubt itself. There, before Oliver could spill his own thoughts out, America said it first.


    ¡ª Their doubting ¡ª


    Oliver looked at her face, she was dead serious now, probably thinking the same thing as him.


    ¡ª Aren''t you too? ¡ª


    He asked


    ¡ª I mean, I don''t even know how she''s able to walk on water, I can''t... why should I assume I''d be safe like her if I jumped into the fire? ¡ª


    America looked at him


    ¡ª What a good talker you became all of a sudden, what happened before? ¡ª


    Oliver swallowed


    ¡ª I... I mean it''s logical, she''s asking crazy things ¡ª


    Then, both remain quiet.


    ¡ª She said there would be fireproofs, last year there was something like this... but it was a cliff instead ¡ª


    ¡ª A cliff? ¡ª


    Oliver asked


    ¡ª Yeah, a sort of leap of faith, don''t make me remember it ¡ª


    He stood there filled with questions, and then he thought of asking Park.


    ¡ª What do you think? ¡ª


    But when he looked behind, the boy had disappeared.


    Instead, he felt the movement around and found him sneaking through the crowd while excusing himself all the way to the fire.


    ¡ª Holly crap ¡ª


    Oliver said, reaching America''s shoulder.


    ¡ª Wha... no, he wouldn''t ¡ª


    She answered as soon as she saw him, rolling her eyes up.


    ¡ª Move! ¡ª


    She screamed, pushing aside the two students in front of them, a couple of boys a few inches taller than her.


    ¡ª Wait, what''s happening ¡ª


    Said Oliver, while following her through the crowd.


    There, as the three of them moved upfront, the crowd started to shake, nervously inside their uniforms, and the mutter became exalted and filled with contempt. Someone from the front line screamed something, that echoed in the last lines, and when America and Oliver were able to see the fire only a couple of heads from behind, the only thing they could see was Park''s back diving into the flames.


    A thread of steam he left behind and his silhouette got quickly mixed with the flares. From the outside, the only sign of him was a blurred shadow inside the fire, and the splattering sound of the flames burning something.


    At that moment a heavy silence fell under the crowd, like a rain that muted every other sound, dense and hefty, to a point where it became unbearable. Then, weak at first, but growing like the fire did, a sound took over the silence. It was a laugh, it was Park''s laughing as he came out of the fire, steaming and unscathed. Blackwood laughed with him.


    ¡ª Of course, he would ¡ª


    Said America, smiling in relief next to Oliver. The two of them make their way through the last couple of uniforms and tackle Park as the crowd rumbles in joy.


    ¡ª You freaking dumbass, why didn''t you say a thing! ¡ª


    Said America


    ¡ª I want it to do it before everyone else ¡ª


    Park kept laughing


    ¡ª That was... something you know ¡ª


    Said Oliver on his spot, Park saw him with a glimpse of consciousness.


    ¡ª It should be that way always, yes ¡ª


    Then, a second silhouette came out of the fire, and while the crowd still celebrated the first one, a third one also did it.


    Suddenly, a few lines had taken place next to the fire, and taking turns student after student, everyone was crossing the flares threshold.


    The doubtful crowd from the start, had become a sort-of-pagan party, where in between laughs and jumps, courage songs of old were sung and words of cheers shared between fellas.


    The welcoming ceremony, as the young, beautiful witch had told, had already started.

 Chapter 37: Dont mind it

    It had always been that way, even when they both suffered from the same condition. The second and third child of their mother, who was second in a line herself.


    Their older brother had it all, a talent for sympathy, allure, and even strength, so they managed to take him right away. Park was blessed with the same unbelievable talent, and an allure strong enough to make him stand out. She had been barely touched by their allure, and strength was almost all she had left.


    Childs like her were the very reason the Park Family had always avoided having more than two kids, and preferably, one.


    It was the same reason for which most of the Ancient Families remained tight and knit. As their strength was intrinsically related to their members, avoiding having weaklings was one of their untold rules.


    She had been then, unwanted even before she was born, and used as a tool throughout her whole life.


    To see Park, coming out of the fire laughing, as she ran into it herself, make her remember who she had been all the time.


    ¡ª Sorry I held you back there, now you''ll have to wait the whole line ¡ª


    Said Specter watching the girl quiet, looking at the line of students waiting to jump inside the fire.


    ¡ª Don''t mind it... you needed help ¡ª


    She thought, a little bit regret.


    Then Specter''s eyes were stoled by the curvy silhouette of a woman, pale skin, black hair, thick lips, big eerie eyes. It was Blackwood.


    ¡ª Excuse me, Agent, may I have to warn you about the dangers of flirting with a student? ¡ª


    She was teasing him very clearly, he didn''t mind it at all.


    ¡ª Excuse me, ma''am? ¡ª


    Thou tired and confused, Specter was barely able to recognize her as one of the teachers standing next to Ardeen back in Wanderlicht.


    ¡ª Kiki, could I have a word with the Agent, alone? ¡ª


    Said Blackwood looking at her aside.


    ¡ª Shiba ¡ª


    Kiki whispered to herself


    ¡ªSure ¡ª


    She answered mindlessly, stepping quickly out of there.


    The witch looked at her as she left.


    ¡ª I think you have a fire to jump in ¡ª


    Without turning her back, the girl mixed herself in the crowd.


    A couple of minutes after, noticing the doubt on some of that year''s freshmen in front of the line, she had taken a resolution to skip the line and just get herself in. When she was about to jump, a hand took her by the shoulder.


    ¡ª Hey, thought it may be you ¡ª


    It took her a second to recognize him, and when she turned back, her eyes went immediately to the scar on his neck. It was Oliver, standing whole again on the ground and dressed in the academy''s uniform.


    Surprised by the fact, she almost fell backward. He stepped forward, and using the hand already on her shoulder, helped her recover her balance.


    ¡ª You ¡ª


    She said with a blank expression. Oliver smiled.


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    ¡ª Oliver, hope you haven''t forgotten it, you kind of.... ¡ª


    He paused, realizing what he was going to say, but he did it anyway.


    ¡ª ...made me lose my head a few weeks ago ¡ª


    Then both a little bit ashamed, stepped aside looking down.


    ¡ª How? ¡ª


    She asked the first


    ¡ª Me? I''ve been well, I guess, my house took the worst part ¡ª


    Then she refused with her head, looking forward, strengthening herself.


    ¡ª I mean how are you here? ¡ª


    Oliver''s eyes pop out


    ¡ª Oh, well... ¡ª


    Then he looked back at Park, sitting next to the fire, chatting cheerfully with a group, America between them.


    ¡ª That was Park''s idea ¡ª


    ¡ª Oh ¡ª


    Kiki seemed lost for a second.


    ¡ª And... how had you been? ¡ª


    ¡ª Fine ¡ª


    She looked at him and thought for a second.


    ¡ª I... heal fast, don''t worry ¡ª


    Then she realized, they hadn''t seen each other after the fight against Schram, and even since then, she hadn''t known anything about him. Only a conversation with Park about how he had ended the fight withstood between her and the feeling of remorse, a thin certainty that everything had worked well for Oliver and that he was far better without them.


    ¡ª Why did you come? ¡ª


    Then she asked, and Oliver couldn''t avoid feeling himself attacked.


    ¡ª I''m... sorry? ¡ª


    ¡ª After what you went through... ¡ª


    ¡ª Ah, you mean that ¡ª


    Oliver thought for a second


    ¡ª I think I may have a like for it ¡ª


    Kiki raised an eyebrow


    ¡ª I''m being serious! ¡ª


    He insisted


    ¡ª You''re a little bit crazy too, isn''t? ¡ª


    Oliver''s hand went through the back of his head, diving into his thick blond hair.


    ¡ª Well maybe, but it''s just better than spending the rest of my life working a regular job I guess ¡ª


    Kiki shook her head


    ¡ª You may end up having to do both if you think that way ¡ª


    Oliver''s eyes opened like plates


    ¡ª Are you serious? ¡ª


    Kiki looked at him and laughed, he was glad that she did, so he laughed too.


    ¡ª I''m glad you''re ok, that night seemed like... ¡ª


    ¡ª I know, it''s the scariest thing I''ve gone through ¡ª


    And for a moment, Oliver felt he was starting to understand her. Then she asked, looking straight at his neck.


    ¡ª Does it hurt? ¡ª


    ¡ª This thing? nah, it''s... ¡ª


    And with a shaky hand, she touched his neck. Oliver springs out of the surprise.


    ¡ª It looks too... alive, like a fire burnt ¡ª


    ¡ª Y-you think so? ¡ª


    He asked, looking straight into her eyes. There, she realized, as the Hex on Oliver''s sheat started to shine even stronger.


    ¡ª I''m sorry! I completely forgot to... ¡ª


    She said, going back a couple of steps.


    ¡ª That was? ¡ª


    ¡ª Sometimes it just... it comes by itself ¡ª


    It was Allure, Oliver realized, as they talked, it flew out of her, enticing him without knowing as the flower''s feromones did with bees.


    ¡ª I... don''t mind it ¡ª


    And for a moment he was able to understand, that allure was just another part of her, something almost as natural as breathing, something that probably other allure users shared.


    There, in the middle of their silence, America bumped into the couple


    ¡ª Everything ok guys? ¡ª


    She asked with an eye raised, there Oliver turned his face to her, all red from the shame.


    ¡ª Y-Yes, we were just... ¡ª


    ¡ª Just? ¡ª


    ¡ª Talking, right? ¡ª


    But when he turned himself back again, Kiki had left.


    ¡ª It seems to me like you''ve been planted, tiger ¡ª


    ¡ª Don''t ¡ª


    He replied, raising a hand in front of his face.


    ¡ª Fuck ¡ª


    America couldn''t avoid but to laugh for her insides.


    ¡ª Come one, you have a fire to jump in ¡ª


    ¡ª "Don''t mind it" ¡ª


    Said Oliver while walking away


    ¡ª So freaking clever, you captain obvious ¡ª


    ¡ª Come on! ¡ª


    Pushed America.


    ¡ª "I don''t care" ¡ª


    He kept saying for himself.


    The next thing he knew, he was the next to jump in the fire, a quick gaze into the crowd, a reflex of the natural fear of jumping into the fire, made him feel like everybody was watching him. He saw Park, America, and even Ardeen walking around. As he breathe heavily, he could even feel Kiki''s eyes looking at him somewhere there.


    ¡ª Come on, just do it ¡ª


    He encouraged himself, jumping in his place, he counted three, two, one, and he jumped inside the fire. When he landed again, he was in another completely different room.


    A figure stood in front of him, dressed in a black suit and showing a sleepless face, it was Specter himself, carrying a pen and a table in his hands.


    ¡ª Participant number eleven, Oliver Strange, has arrived ¡ª


    The tournament had begun, he thought for himself.

 Chapter 38: The Lucky Ones

    It happened around Autumm that same year, way after the usual deadline they had for issuing things in the matter. Charles had entered the room with a pile of files and steadfastly he went to the board and wrote the number 24, everyone looked stoned as he did. Then, when he had already finished, he stood firmly in front of the board. Almost like one of the gargoyles statues on the top of the Wanderlicht, till Krahen raised his voice.


    ¡ª What does this mean? I thought we were clear with the Tournament, this year we''re hosting twenty-one ¡ª


    Everyone knew it as he first began writing, but none had dared to say something. As always, probably because of their closeness, it was Krahen the first if not only to inquire about him.


    ¡ª Well, I have changed my mind ¡ª


    Answered Charles simply, before stepping in and start spreading a series of files through the table, one for each of the twelve members of the board.


    They were at Wanderlicht Professoriate''s Hall, all sitting around the big wooden table. A Dim Light illuminated the room, the very same that saw the tournament birth already so many years ago.


    ¡ª It took us twelve hours to get to that number, Charles ¡ª


    Replied Krahes.


    ¡ª Well, the newest three just came in yesterday, and I wasn''t going to say no ¡ª


    Loy laughed in his seat.


    ¡ª Who could argue against Ardeen''s word? No one in the earth, of course ¡ª


    Krahen threw a look at him.


    ¡ª Take a look, and judge yourself ¡ª


    When they started to read, the room went from discontent to a terrifying silence.


    ¡ª It''s this what I think it is? ¡ª


    Asked Blackwood quick


    ¡ª A Mare, that''s it ¡ª


    Answered Charles


    ¡ª Plus a Dreamwalker, and our Token of Dreams supervisor from this year ¡ª


    Said Carpenter, making all eyes fall over Krahen. The man coated in black raised his eyes from the paper, to find an audience of questioning eyes. His sight quickly bounced into Charles, skeptical.


    ¡ª And what''s up with the third one? ¡ª


    ¡ª It''s a Trump Card ¡ª


    Charles explained behind a smile.


    ¡ª You''re not thinking what I think you are, aren''t you? ¡ª


    ¡ª Krahen ¡ª


    Charles argued


    ¡ª What''s the motto of our Institution? ¡ª


    Behind Charles, the shield of the School was conveniently placed. The inscription behind it said in Latin: "Scribere la tua Fabula". Before Krahen could end up reading, Blackwood had stood out of her seat.


    ¡ª Excuse me ¡ª


    She said before leaving the room, heading towards her new apprentice nursing room. Then Carpenter exhaled, throwing his glasses over the table.


    ¡ª It seems like we''re going to host a Canon Event during this year''s Tournament ¡ª


    With the files still in his hands, Loy watched the unaware expressions across the table, mostly sponsors and new-entry professors.


    ¡ª What a drill, and we haven''t even had our first class yet ¡ª


    He said.


    When Oliver woke up after jumping into the fire, the twenty four students were all there. Coming from different places, backgrounds and reasons, they were about to be put to test expecting only one thing from then. To show that they were more than ordinary, that they were extraordinary.


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    Looking at Specter sight of judgement over his head, Oliver stood up and asked with a familiar tone.


    ¡ª Eleven? ¡ª


    ¡ª Place yourself in the line boy, were about to start ¡ª


    And he saw how a few last students walked by, giving him a contemt look that he wasn''t able to understand.


    Catching quickly, Oliver stood up his feet and walked till he saw the white line drawed in the floor, placing himself randomly behind it, as everyone else.


    ¡ª You''re on my place ¡ª


    Said a voice behind him, when he turned around, a dark sinned boy with hair cutted at razor lenght gave him a downlook. The boy was at least a head taller than him.


    ¡ª I''m sorry ¡ª


    Oliver said, pushed away from the student''s way. When Oliver tried to search for another place, a familiar skirt by the end of the line cought his attention. It was Kiki. He went almost running to her.


    ¡ª What the hell!? ¡ª


    She said, seeing him coming from far away.


    ¡ª What are you doing? ¡ª


    ¡ª Hey ¡ª


    Answer Oliver


    ¡ª What? ¡ª


    ¡ª How what? don''t run! can''t you read the ambient? ¡ª


    There Oliver looked around, a couple student had turned around to see him, and consequently her.


    ¡ª Somehow is so thick you can cut it with a knife, yeah ¡ª


    ¡ª You dumb... now they know we know each other ¡ª


    Oliver''s eyes opened wide up, he had realized it as soon as she said it.


    ¡ª Oh... well, it can''t be that bad isn''t? ¡ª


    ¡ª It could had been better ¡ª


    She argued


    ¡ª What''s up with the numbers? ¡ª


    He asked quickly, Kiki raised an eyebrow, right before doing the same with her hand. A number one was drawn in her palm.


    ¡ª Haven''t you realice yet? ¡ª


    Then, Oliver did the same only to found an eleven drawn on his.


    ¡ª Holly.... when? ¡ª


    ¡ª The fire ¡ª


    She said, throwing a look at the line, everyone was already on their place.


    ¡ª Move, find number next and stand next to it ¡ª


    While pushing him away, she said.


    ¡ª And don''t talk to me again ¡ª


    Oliver''s expression went down after hearing it, then he realized what she meant.


    The next thing he knew, was that number ten was a girl, black braided hair, almost as short as Kiki, dressing a long-skirt variant of the uniform, and almost as pale as Blackwood. She looked fragile, countrary to the boy he had bumped into, a few positions ahead.


    ¡ª Hey ¡ª


    Said Oliver, taking his place next to her, still a bit shaky.


    ¡ª I''m Oliver, hope we have a good... whatever this is ¡ª


    But she didn''t even turn her back, Oliver thought, that was way too common between the Fae people. Then Specter began talking.


    ¡ª Now, I''m going to be brief because I''m tired, and this is not the show from upstairs ¡ª


    Apparently, the dark stoned chamber they where in, was located in some place behind the Hauptigesquare Garder.


    ¡ª Welcome to the 274th Edition of the Second Son''s Tournament, if you''re here you''re one of the 24th lucky ones who had the chance to particicipate, or prove themselves through this honorable traidition ¡ª


    Read Specter monotonely from a paper in his hand.


    ¡ª You''ll find two things had change since you entered this room, the first one ¡ª


    He said


    ¡ª It''s a number in the palm of your hands, that''ll be your participant number during the whole Tournament, one through which you''ll be identified at every moment. It''s on you hands so you don''t forget about it, but you should memorice it and keep both eyeas and ears on it, it may be useful ¡ª


    There he changed pages.


    ¡ª The second one, is that all of your weapons or alike had been temporarily taken, till the end of the first stage of the Tournament ¡ª


    At that moment, a couple gasps and courses where heard thorugh the room. Oliver, that wasn''t yet used to carry a weapon didn''t realice till then, but as he looked into his wasit to find nothing, he understood the discontent in the whole room. He was defenseless without it, or almost.


    ¡ª Keep the calm, please ¡ª


    Said Specter before one of the students steped front.


    ¡ª What does this mean? Do you understand what you did? ¡ª


    Blood hair, fancy look, the raging boy seemed more upset than it should.


    ¡ª The jewerly that you took had been on my family for generations, it''s value it''s m... ¡ª


    Then, all of a sudden, he was again in his place looking disoriented and confused.


    ¡ª What... what it the hell has happ... ¡ª


    He steped forward again, and somehow he reapeareda way behand the line, were Oliver had spawn a few minutes ago. He touched his head, and watching the line, he ran again into his place, filled by shame. Again, he looked strangely unawere of what had happened, this time even more than before.


    Then Oliver was able to see a dreamcatcher hanging from Specters neck as a sort of pendant.


    ¡ª As I was saying, welcome to the 274th Edition of the Second Son''s Tournament, you''ll find a number on the palm of your hand, keep an eye on it, it may be useful in the future ¡ª


    Repeated Specter, with his eyes fixed in the script on his hand. The speech continued uninterrupted.


    ¡ª Following the next room, you''ll have two hours to prepare youself for the first stage of the Tournament. There you''ll find food, water, protection and medic suplies for the rest of the day. Starting today, you''ll be examined in Raw Skill, Wit and Individual Performance, expect to be challenged both mentally and physically ¡ª


    There, Specter got quiet, watched his wirstwatch and kept reading for almost a minute. Then he spoke out while turning his back.


    ¡ª That''s all, see you at eight o''clock ¡ª


    It was half passed five when he left the room.


    ¡ª I''m taking a nap ¡ª


    He said, before disapearing into the stone threshold.

 Chapter 39: The Hunt Game

    They were in a room taller than open, longer than wider, that could be described only as the midway between a room and a tunnel.


    Inside of it, a series of steel hangers and a wooden table barely held the equipment and supplies Specter had told them before.


    Bare and gritty, they had taken everything they could, till they striped the hall naked, waiting in a callow mood.


    When the redhead jumped on top of the supply stand, as they had been calling the table, there were only fifteen minutes left for the hour set to the beginning of the next stage.


    ¡ª Hear me out, everyone ¡ª


    He said, calling everyone''s sight onto him


    ¡ª There is a rumor running out there about this year''s Tournament ¡ª


    Then, a silence took the room.


    ¡ª It''s said that this year''s tournament would be an Elimination Game ¡ª


    A few whispers filled up the silence, and the boy''s foxy sight started crawling around the room.


    ¡ª That means that this year there would be more than one winner if not many of them ¡ª


    There, everybody looked at each other, doubting but especially, hoping that his words were true.


    ¡ª You don''t know me yet, no one does, but during the next days... you will ¡ª


    Shady, his voice became rougher as he spoke.


    ¡ª Cause I''ll be the only winner from this year''s Tournament ¡ª


    And as if a light had been taken away on a breeze, suddenly the mood changed to a darker one. Even more thicker than it was the moment before. When Specter entered the room, the boy was still on top of the table. The Agent looked at him harshly.


    ¡ª Who are you? and what are you doing? ¡ª


    Fully committed to his teacher role, the voice came out of his mouth judgemental.


    ¡ª My name is Riot ¡ª


    Said he, simply getting out of the table and walking again into the crowded room.


    Specter stood there asking himself why everyone looked at him in such an eerie mood. But he immediately decided to don''t mind it.


    ¡ª Ok, we''re going to leave that aside for now ¡ª


    Taking a look at his notes, the Agent walked into the center of the room and searched carefully the floor, standing on top of a stoned circular tiles pattern.


    ¡ª Now, raise your hands if you feel unable to continue ¡ª


    He stopped for a second and looked over the top of their heads, continuing his reading way before anyone could raise a hand.


    ¡ª Right, so let everyone know that there will be no time off till the beginning of the next stage ¡ª


    There, he might have done a false step, cause one of the tiles of the floor moved under his weight, making the whole room elevate with them.


    ¡ª Oh, so that''s what it does... Anyway, is there any question? ¡ª


    He asked, as the roof opened, showing a thousand stars illuminating the night sky.


    ¡ª What... was that from before? ¡ª


    ¡ª Clearly, an asshole ¡ª


    Answered Kiki to Oliver, as they ascended through the tunnel.


    ¡ª But... why? ¡ª


    Kiki sighed and looked Oliver in the eyes. The boy was fully clothed with armor, iron breastplate, gauntlets, and a helmet that only had a thin slot for the eyes.


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    ¡ª The point of this Tournament is to show your strength to others, Oliver ¡ª


    Said the girl taking the helmet off Oliver''s head in a quick move


    ¡ª Hey! ¡ª


    He protested.


    ¡ª Listen to me, you''re not going to get to the end if you go like that ¡ª


    She was serious, which made Oliver listen.


    ¡ª This is a challenge for yourself ¡ª


    She said, right in time to hear the voice of the crowd coming from up the ground.


    ¡ª I need to show them, and myself that I''m not less than Park, or anyone else ¡ª


    She said looking up to the torches of light spilling over the platform.


    ¡ª Two years ago, they had a Last Man Standing game during his freshman year''s Tournament ¡ª


    Oliver got quiet


    ¡ª He was the Last Man Standing, and I can''t expect less from myself ¡ª


    ¡ª Hold on ¡ª


    Oliver asked immediately.


    ¡ª You mean that something like that is possible? ¡ª


    Kiki watched him with a frown


    ¡ª To beat everyone at the Tournament? yes, there are four types of games in the Tournament, and that is the hardest one ¡ª


    There, as the platform stopped abruptly, the lights of the torches and howl of the crowd blinded them.


    Holding a hand in front of his eyes, Oliver threw a look into the crowd, all sat on wooden stands. They were in a space similar to the Hauptigesquare Garden, the lake, willow and everything else seemed to be there, only different, a little bit off. Torches of every imaginable color hung in the air, and circles over circles of sparks, similar to the ones Park used for his Hexes covered the ground, now made of sand like in a baseball field.


    When Oliver looked front, the sharp sight of Ardeen III gave him a look back. The white-haired man stood in the middle of the crowd filled with both students and outsiders alike looking at them as a judge from a stand. Around him, sat under a roofed section, were the rest of the Professoriate and other members of the board. The purpose of it was to let them watch and surely comment on what they''d see. Oliver felt shiverings running through his body.


    There, as the bearly man raised his hand, a tremor shook everything, from the field under the participant''s feet to the stand in which the crowd sat. And they listened to him.


    ¡ª Welcome to the 274th Edition of the Second Son''s Tournament ¡ª


    He said with a dry voice, muting the audience.


    Oliver noticed instantly, it was Allure, but not like the one Kiki or Blackwood used, it felt strange, it felt odd.


    ¡ª As in every year, we gather here a tiny portion of the new entry students, they, carrying this year''s will, are tested in order to prove their courage, skill, and wit ¡ª


    As he talked, Oliver approached Kiki.


    ¡ª Is that... allure, right? ¡ª


    Kiki gave him a surprised look.


    ¡ª Can you feel it too? ¡ª


    ¡ª It''s not like yours, or that teacher... ¡ª


    Kiki thought to herself, turning back to Charles


    ¡ª It''s like is coming from him, not ''out'' of him ¡ª


    She said as Charles continued his speech.


    ¡ª This year, 24th students will participate in a Hunt, where only a few ones would come back grown, from their cub''s skins to a Tiger one, proving themselves worthy among their peers ¡ª


    There, the crowd howled, like receiving a familiar champion, a cheer that even some of the twenty-four shared.


    When Oliver looked at Kiki, she had already an answer prepared


    ¡ª The Tiger''s Hunt, that''s an old child''s game ¡ª


    ¡ª I don''t know it ¡ª


    Answered Oliver quickly


    ¡ª It doesn''t matter, here it comes ¡ª


    Then Specter stood in between them and Ardeen, who took the crowd Howl as an opportunity to come back to his seat.


    ¡ª All right, then ¡ª


    Started the Agent while clearing his voice.


    ¡ª This year''s Tournament would be an Elimination Game, the Tiger''s Hunt would be divided into three stages, after which the winner''s crown would be shared among those still in the hunt ¡ª


    The eyes of the crowd got fixed on each one of the 24th participants.


    ¡ª Each stage would have its own rules, that would be laid down for everyone at the start of every new stage ¡ª


    The Agent kept his sight fixed on his script, as the same sort of Sympathy that had boosted Krahen voiced before.


    ¡ª General rules are simple, participate with sportsmanship for both your peers and those watching, malicious behavior spotted of any sort would be punished with expelling or worse, and of course... killing is completely out of the rules ¡ª


    The air froze as Specter pronounced his last words.


    ¡ª Apart from that, let us begin with the first trial ¡ª


    There, after a wave of Ardeen''s hand, the circles on the field started to shine again, much like it had happened before out of their sight, the Hauptigesquare Garden reshaped itself under his will.


    What had been before a recreational Park mashed with history and museum-like sculptures, was now folded over itself in a thousand diamond-like structures that reflected light from the torches, stars, and those reflecting the lake. Suddenly the space in between the Stands and the Field multiplied itself, and they were on a space as big as two Roman Colossiums.


    ¡ª The first Stage would be Surviving Trial, the goal of this stage is to get as many points as you can, being one the minimum to pass, with no roof ¡ª


    The Participants, spread across the field during Ardeen''s feat, looked between amazed and frightened at the ground behind them.


    ¡ª During this stage, the only way to get points is by hunting Preys, the points distribution is made at random, which means that one Prey can drop either one point, many of them, or none ¡ª


    The attention then flipped to the edges of the field, where the light of the torches didn''t reach.


    There, from the nightly dew, a silhouette appeared panting between the shadows, then another came, and another one. They were all full grown-up, stripped tigers, big enough to overthrow an adult Visson with ease. Gazing at them, Specter keep speaking with his voice amplified.


    ¡ª Points will be indicated through strips, each strip worth a point, now, without further ado... ¡ª


    Raising his hand, the Agent let it drop with a tired eye.


    ¡ª The First Trial... has officially started! ¡ª

 Chapter 40: The First Trial

    Fifteen minutes, that''s what it had taken them, fifteen minutes to beat creatures four times their number and twice their size.


    As the clock ticked on top of the Proffesoriates stand, Oliver ran through the field, not from one of the big, theatening creatures. But towards one of them, hasty and panting, only to see how a rain of flares obliterated it before his eyes.


    When he stopped, abrased by the heat and blinded by the light, his hears capted a couple footsteps. When he was able to open his eyes, the boy was already over him.


    ¡ª Move out, scum ¡ª


    He heard the readhead said quietly as he passed by. Not proud, neither hateful, just diminishing. At that moment, Oliver felt a whole world separed people like Riot and him.


    It had happened in a blink, from the announcement to the moment the creatures had entered the field. It must had been a hundred or more of them, coming out from the darkness, like a pack stalking on them. The image of the very first one was already burned in his head, much like it was now the floor under his feets.


    There, while watching the Tiger panting into the field, Oliver remembered a school trip he did when he had twelve years. Growing up the way he did, he had had very little opportunities to watch such an amazing thing. Behind the bars of a natural reserve, the enormous creature looked mighty, fierce and dangerous, so much that he spended the whole next week dreaming about it. That day, without any bars to hold it, it looked even more menacing than then.


    And it didn''t took it too much to become precisely that, maybe out an urge, but probably rather more because of it''s nature, Oliver saw how the eyes of the beast got fixed on it''s prey, him. A taunting feeling of murder, mixed with the anxiety of hunger, was what Oliver noticed in the eyes of the creature as he realized he was the prey the beast had selected.


    There, looking at the tiger swooping, when everything seemed to be doomed, was when he realized the distance between his world, and the world of the Fae.


    It was as quickly as switching a light, a straw of sparks, and then it''ll rain fire. Even when he didn''t believe it at the start, even more with Kiki''s opinion on that side, Riot had set himself for standing out of the crowd. To be the only winner in an elimination game. The only man left after the hunt. And alreaady know the rules, hat could only be made in a few reasanoble set of ways.


    That was how Oliver got to the same conclusion than Riot, a thing that sooner than later, as the redhead unleashed a rampage of fire across the field, everyone had to realice too. It all went down to a simple prime, if the goal of the test was getting points from a hunting pool, then hunting more than once would reduce others chances pass. That way, as more as you hunted, less would be those in the next stage, and the next after that. Looking the first beast reduced to a burning coal, next to nearly a dozen of them follow, made born in Oliver a deeply rooting fear.


    By the moment he had taken conscious over the fact that upon the initial challenge, to act with wit and quick was part of the test and how. The fear that he may be already late for that struck him out of nowhere, leaving him paraliced.


    ¡ª Hey! ¡ª


    Said a familiar voice shaking him by the shoulder.


    ¡ª What the hell are you doing? move! ¡ª


    It was Kiki, completely covered in sweat and with a couple black hairs stuck on her face.


    ¡ª Your hair ¡ª


    Answered Oliver


    ¡ª Eh? ¡ª


    ¡ª You''re sweating ¡ª


    Oliver said, raising a hand.


    ¡ª What the hell are you talking about? ¡ª


    Then he was striked again by her words.


    ¡ª I... I''m sorry, everythin is happening too quick ¡ª


    Then she took the hand he has raisen and looked it up, drop it down, and did the same with the other one.


    ¡ª You... haven''t you got any point yet!? ¡ª


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    Then Oliver saw her right hand, the one holding his, and noticed a few lines running through her skins. There where four of them, and they seemed imbued with an outwordly scent, like something was burning inside of them.


    ¡ª I get it now ¡ª


    He said, making her confused.


    ¡ª Shit ¡ª


    She bited her lip, thinking.


    ¡ª Just follow me, okay? we''ll do it like in your backyard, you hear me? ¡ª


    Then Oliver watched her with wide open eyes


    ¡ª Y-yes, thank you ¡ª


    She buffed out.


    ¡ª Thank me when you had gotten a point God dammit ¡ª


    And so that way, she started to run, fast, and then faster. Faster than it would be humanly possible. There was when Oliver realized his first mistake. He hadn''t learned anything from his past experiences. He felt dumb, and then, he thought in the only Hex he had time to draw while waiting in the underground. It was in the base of his wrist, a circle containing the Strenght rune, overlapping a star made of two triangles, a black and a white one. Then, the Hex started to shine.


    And all became clear, they were running through the west side of the field, far away from the flames. First overwhelmed by the clarity, but then sharpened because of the Hex''s effect, Oliver was able to see the three that had grown in the middle of the field. There, a thick cloud of dust stood, and for a second, Oliver saw two people fighting inside.


    The place, initially filled with chaos had become somehow a battlefield, one so difficult to understand that only sympathy users were able to read. And he wasn''t able to read the half of it.


    ¡ª What''s happening ¡ª


    Asked Oliver, alarmed by the vision in front of them.


    Kiki stopped, searching for an invisible point in the middle of the ground, and spotted something in the run.


    ¡ª Those two are fighting against each other ¡ª


    Answered Kiki


    ¡ª Those two? ¡ª


    ¡ª The Fire guy and the Tree''s one, can''t you see it? ¡ª


    There, Oliver tried to sharpen his vision and remembered what Park had taught him about the Hex on his wrist.


    They were standing outside Park''s cabin in the woods, waiting for America to bring back provisions, Park standing in front of the diamond shape he had drawn on the floor.


    ¡ª This is the Runnic Diagram, a thing that every Sympathist should know by heart ¡ª


    He said while drawing words in each of the extremes of the diamond.


    ¡ª Life above all, Death goes down, as Nature is always right, only the Spirit is left ¡ª


    ¡ª A Poem? ¡ª


    ¡ª An easy way to reflect contrast ¡ª


    Replied Park, as he kept drawing on the flour.


    ¡ª The four pillars of life, each represented by a unique Rune, you can combine them, add, and even creature your own, as long as you know the rules ¡ª


    Then Park suddenly stopped and pointed at Oliver with the stick in his hand, the dirt blew off from writing on the ground.


    ¡ª Remember the fight against Schram? ¡ª


    Oliver nodded carefully.


    ¡ª The thing you used to boost yourself¡ª


    ¡ª The strength Rune? ¡ª


    ¡ª Yeah, never use it like that again ¡ª


    Oliver face turned blank


    ¡ª Know how your Hexes work before you use them, you were lucky ¡ª


    There, as Park drew another symbol in the floor, he turned back smiling.


    ¡ª What''s that? ¡ª


    Asked Oliver, changing the subject immediately, the black-haired boy had drawn a few symbols next to the diamond, which he then proceeded to mesh in a sort of star shape.


    ¡ª This my friend, is what we call a Witch Mark, a Hex that encompasses the four types of Runes, used for centuries as a way to identify and condemn witchcraft users ¡ª


    Oliver''s skin crawled as Park drew a last symbol in the center of it, making it more similar to the strength rune he knew from Arwan''s guide. The same Hex he wore now during the Tournament.


    ¡ª It''s all sorcerer''s main boost, it should make you able to see, tackle, and endure things most people can''t; wear it everywhere ¡ª


    Then Park raised the sleeve of his white shirt, the same Witch Mark was there, first in the line of a canvas filled with unintelligible symbols, barely visible as translucid marks through his arms.


    There, standing next to Kiki, Oliver was able to feel the energy flowing through his body. It was an odd feeling, yet not so different than the one he had while fighting Schram in the woods.


    His head felt light, and his body strengthened, yet there was something clearly different about it. He was able to feel something floating in the air, making it thick and almost tangible. Something like pressure, which source stood clearly in the distance, deep inside the dust cloud, coming from those two.


    Almost immediately after he was able to feel those two, he was able to feel a few more "pulses" in the area, at least a dozen in the stands area, and a couple more within the field. One of them was Kiki.


    ¡ª I... I can feel them ¡ª


    ¡ª And how not? they''re oddly strong to be here ¡ª


    There Oliver thought about it.


    ¡ª You scared me for a second ¡ª


    Kiki said, right before turning herself back, something had caught her attention in the middle of the fight. A panting sound in the distance, and then a couple of silhouettes turning their back in the middle of a run.


    Oliver was able to feel them before they appeared, and suddenly the figure of a long-skirted girl emerged from inside the dust. Running with a mad face and holding her braids with both hands, it was the girl that had stood next to Oliver in the underground, this time running away from not one, but three beasts.


    ¡ª Here they are, finally ¡ª


    Said Kiki, as if she was waiting for it.


    ¡ª Number ten ¡ª


    Answered Oliver, trying to reach his sword to find nothing.


    ¡ª Oh shit, how did you...? ¡ª


    Kiki was standing aside, her both hands raised in a martial position.


    ¡ª At the count of three, I go left, you right, you hear me? ¡ª


    Oliver froze at his spot. Then his words came out of his mouth without thinking.


    ¡ª Y-yeah! ¡ª


    He said, having no idea of what to do next.

 Chapter 41: True Strenght

    A week, that was the frame of time that Park had set for Oliver to learn the principles of Sympathy, the very same ones that most in the Academy had spent a life to learn. A reckless task, for who had recklessly entered into the Dim Light, the place where reign the Fae.


    ¡ª You have been using it since the start without knowing it¡¯s true nature, there for, your weak understandment of the basics has grant you little Strenght ¡ª


    Said Park holding the wood stick in front of the Runes diagram drawn in the ground.


    ¡ª Do you remember the first time you used the Rune? ¡ª


    Oliver thought about the first time he used the Rune, following Arwan¡¯s guidelines.


    ¡ª I almost injured my shoulder¡­. I remember, it was an overwhelming strength, but not enough to fight Him¡­. Schram ¡ª


    ¡ª And then? ¡ª


    ¡ª I started to test more Runes, in more ways, till I discovered the Absortion Rune ¡ª


    Park smiled from his place


    ¡ª Along with Hex-linking, that¡¯s actually a rarity¡­ but the only reason a took you serious too ¡ª


    Oliver felt both flattered and underestimated.


    ¡ª It may surprise you, but even the Rune you call ¡°absortion¡± it¡¯s not really what you think ¡ª


    Park pointed at the diagram


    ¡ª The strength Rune belongs to a sub-class inside the Life Rune, and it¡¯s one of the first applications a Sympathist learns ¡ª


    Oliver watched as Park draw the word in the ground, and a line connecting it to the Life side of the diagram.


    ¡ª Where do you think the ¡°Absortion Rune¡± belongs? ¡ª


    Asked Park, making Oliver wonder about it. In his eyes, there was no connection between the concepts layed down in the floor with the Absortion he knew. Perhaps, if Arwan had explain it further in his guide, he would had an idea.


    ¡ª The Life one? ¡ª


    Guessed Oliver.


    ¡ª Buzz ¡ª


    Replied Park suddenly hitting Oliver¡¯s head with the stick.


    ¡ª Hey! ¡ª


    ¡ª What you know as ¡°Absortion¡± it¡¯s actually a subclass of the Death Rune called ¡°Null¡± ¡ª


    There Oliver thought about it.


    ¡ª Although it¡¯s name refers to the action of nullifyin something, it actually works by conducting the Essence of that something back to where it belongs, the Dim Light ¡ª


    ¡ª Essence ¡ª


    Oliver pronounced by itself.


    ¡ª That¡¯s it, the very thing of what everything it¡¯s made, a flame, a tree, a God, or even you and I ¡ª


    ¡ª So, it¡¯s like¡­ the soul? ¡ª


    ¡ª Bingo! ¡ª


    Said Park.


    ¡ª To treat with Essential things you¡¯ll have to study more about the Spiritual Runes, but there¡¯s something like a rule of thumb for it. Everything has an Essense, and inside this Essense things like memories, physicality and nature are engraved. One can change a few of this at a time, giving the right circumstances, but it never changes completely ¡ª


    ¡ª That seems¡­ complicated ¡ª


    ¡ª It isn¡¯t, once you get used to it, just don¡¯t try to stop a bus praying, that works better with curse type objects ¡ª


    But Oliver remained confused.


    ¡ª Anyway¡¯s, what you did with Schram technically speaking was an advanced use of the Null Rune, we talk about it that time int he woods, do you remember? ¡ª


    Oliver memories about that where already foggy, yet one thing he knew, none of Arwan¡¯s lections had seem so insightful as that conversation.


    ¡ª Kind of, I remember the Hex-linking, the Holders, and the Meta-body storage thing¡­ ¡ª


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    ¡ª The Totem-Holder pairs, what allowed you to Hold the Essense of Schram¡¯s attacks to use them against him¡ª


    Oliver raised his shoulders


    ¡ª Luck? ¡ª


    Park buffed


    ¡ª Or skill, we¡¯re still unraveling that, but so far, Strength without control, and a complete waste ¡ª


    Oliver stand up, shaking the dust off his clothes, he watched both his hands and asked.


    ¡ª So, what do you suggest? ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯ll teach you the right way to use a Strenght Rune ¡ª


    There, in the middle of the tournament¡¯s field, Oliver took a deep breath and felt his heart pounding in his chest. As Kiki jumped to the left, he ran through the right, quickly leaving behind the two participants in their ran away.


    ¡ª Now! ¡ª


    Screamed Kiki, stopping in front of one of the three beasts.


    When the tiger-like creature charge against her, she throw herself out of the way with a strong leap, hitting like a train to the one in the middle. The body of the creature bend itself in a weird twist colliding with the one far at the right,when Oliver realized, both where falling upon him. He raised his hands, and prayed that the whole thing would work. When he received the whole burden of muscles, claws and fangs with a stroke of his arm, aiming one of their sides, he felt how the ribcage of one of the creatures shattered under the strength of his fist, and both where expelled in the opposing direction. The boy gazed at the feat unwordy, looking at the Witch-mark shining in his wrist.


    ¡ª Till now you have been ¡°pushing¡± with Strenght, like a kid without any idea of what his doing, therefor, the amount of Strenght you¡¯re actually capable to aling into your attacks it¡¯s greatly underused ¡ª


    Had said Park


    ¡ª From now on, think about it like a stream, hold it like a water tap, and release it only when you make contact, with a fist, for example. ¡ª


    Tha explanation alone made Oliver remember a whole bagage of martial arts movies.


    ¡ª I can¡¯t teach you martial arts in one day, but the science of this is alike, integrate your mind and body into your movements, and you¡¯ll get better sooner than later, Sympathist make great body fighthers after all ¡ª


    After that instruction, Park had commended him to do a hole in the ground only by punching it. When the night came, the whole was big enough to fit the wooded cabin both where staying in. And the still unhealed wounds in his knuckles stood as a witness. But punching the ground was far different than trying to punch tiger-like faenic creatures. To start, the ground couldn¡¯t bite your head off.


    When Oliver tried to found Kiki, she was already standing on top of the third creature.


    ¡ª Watch out, it¡¯s not over yet ¡ª


    She said, throwing a look to his right.


    There, one of the two beast left was standing, looking at him mancing, with a hunter attitud. Yet, now, the view of the beast didn¡¯t look as astonishing as the one laying next to it, lifeless. For Oliver, to think that he was able to take down such a creature, was impossible. Yet, that was the type of person he had become, a Sympathist, they called it.


    ¡ª Do you need a hand with that? ¡ª


    Asked Kiki from her place, already crouched, like the beast. Ready to attack.


    ¡ª I¡¯ll do it myself ¡ª


    Answered Oliver.


    How often did it happened? that a boy mostly raised inside books, series and stories of figures fighting against the most incredible beings ended up becoming one of those figures. Surely, to face that fact, was an enemy as big as the creature in front of him. For such a problem, it¡¯s solution was straightforward. To fight the beast, was to defeat it¡¯s unwillingness to believe, having proof himself worthy already.


    ¡ª Just a little courage Oliver, that¡¯s all it takes, right? ¡ª


    Said the boy to himself, his mind set on the image of a stream, his fists the tap that hold the energy from being released. And he felt again like in the forest, fighting Schram. His body filled with strength, his head light, his eyes focused. But there was something different from that moment, and he wasn¡¯t able to recognice if it was because of the Witch Mark, or his new set of mind. But he felt in control, he felt that he understood. So when the creature jumped towards him, Oliver¡¯s feet where able to react. He was like a deer, out in the field.


    The dust flew from under the beast claws, removed by it¡¯s enormous body, that twisted over itself to reach him one more time. Oliver jumped again, and being out of its reach, tried to amulate Kiki, charging against it with his own body. The got expelled, and rolling over its back stood annoyed a few meters ahead. He had to wait the right moment to release the streamin halt.


    ¡ª Do it quickly, we don¡¯t have that much time ¡ª


    Said Kiki, with a provoking smile in her face.


    Oliver then took cover, as the creature jumped over him, and he rolled through the ground. The creature was fast, but he probably was faster, something he still had to find out. So it became a bet with himself. As Park had stated, the Witch Mark worked as an enhancer for Sympathist. The question was, how far went that? the bet was simple, either he would be faster, or hard enough to endure one of the creature¡¯s attack. So he squared himself up, holding the stream inn his right arm. As soon as the beast charged, he answered back.


    The beast jumped, and Oliver sneaked under it again, but maybe more intelligent that it¡¯s nature may advert, the beast twisted like a whirlwind and reached him with his fangs. The boy scaped, barely by an inch, enough to touch the beast stomach, and release the long-contained stream. A rain of papers, tiny strings of fiber bend and crashed, fell over the boy¡¯s head as a result. The very essence of the beast, just folded paper.


    Panting after the interchange, Oliver saw both the other creatures in the sides, also gone. The mystery of why there where no corpses in the area, even without someone trying to solve it, got an answer. This creatures where made of something else.


    ¡ª Not bad, but still a bit stiff ¡ª


    Said Kiki approaching


    ¡ª And you also open your guard like A LOT ¡ª


    Then Oliver watched his left arm, stained red by blood.


    ¡ª Shit, that¡¯s not good ¡ª


    ¡ª I¡¯ve seen worst to be honest ¡ª


    Said Kiki taking Oliver¡¯s right arm


    ¡ª Look ¡ª


    There where now two stripes across his forearm


    ¡ª You¡¯re already in ¡ª


    Kiki smiled


    Then the earth moved under their feet, and a sounding call reverb inside their minds. It was no quake, the changing of the field under them.


    ¡ª What happens? ¡ª


    Asked Oliver.


    ¡ª Well, I¡¯d say the true fight is about to start ¡ª