《To Kill Eternity》


 Part 1: Light Path- Chapter 1: Epilogue of Peace

    It began on an autumn night, somewhere moonlight could not reach. No one knew what it was. No one cared.


    Within a poorly lit room that seemingly expanded nonstop, four hunters, cloaked in hooded robes, waited for their leader- the Singulus Digiti known as Primitos. Their eyes were fixed on the centuries-old round table , their patience tested- a test introduced innumerably thanks to his habitual tardiness.


    "He died, didn''t he?" asked Tetrax, adjusting her mask.


    "Highly unlikely. Still, I''m beginning to favor that scenario." Trexon replied with the voice of a hungry wolf.


    "Please inform me why he''s our leader again." Tetrax added, sighing.


    "He was the first to have been chosen, and he can, arguably, easily kick our butts."


    "Yet he still cannot be punctual for once. If the matter he mentioned is that important, surely it would be sensible to arrive on time?"


    "No use complaining now. We know too well that old habits die hard. For the time being, let''s just wait, and think of something...not him." Deuza said, his fingers tapping the tabble.


    The room fell back to silence, once that was even graver and more solemn than before. Each individual in the room sank deeply into their own world. Thoughts of doubt and anxiety, of fear and betrayal harmonized with each other perfectly, ready to morph into an overflow of chaos.


    For centuries, generations of the Singulus Digiti Order had protected the realm of Halcyons, albeit in secret. The tradition of secrecy had never been broken, for a reason unknown. It was this tradition that smeared the reputation of the order, causing most of the hunters to isolate and resent it, considering it an apathetical group full of condescending elitists. The truth: the order revelled in secrecy, looking upon itself as a hound lurking the abyss, not a peacock sitting on a throne. Primitos, Deuza, Trexon, Tetrax and Pentos were the names of the hounds, created partly for the purpose of masqurading the true names.


    The creaking door pulverized the mass of thoughts, winning the attention of every person at the place. They all turned their heads to look at their leader, who was standing in quite comfort, his hand folded.


    "Isn''t it so nice to get together once in a while?" His voice, modulated, yet musical, as if moonlight was singing.


    The leader''s  ice-breaking question was met with an universal cold-shoulder treatment. He had expected this, but he knew the piece of information he was about to disclose would offset the negativity surging within his peers. With that in mind, he gracefully found his way to his rightful seat- the center of the round table.


    "Primitos, your unpunctuality will be discussed much later. Setting aside our exasperation of immense proportion, all of us here are longing to hear the news which incites from your part so great an eagerness. Please make it quick, to compensate for the precious time you have laid waste."


    "Thank for the quick opening speech, Deuza. Now, as you wish, I will get to the point: Our greatest enemy- demon lord Samundo- has returned."


    None of the hunters shuddered, or even moved an inch of muscle.


    "What a surprise. Should we buy him a welcome-back-for-the-who-the-heck-knows-how-many-time cake? This is your precious piece of information?" Trexon rested his head on his hand.


    "I''m with Trexon. I mean, come on, the great demon lord comes back to destroy the world, can your news be original for once? And here I am, expecting you''ve confirmed the existence of Hexa, or at least announce that you''re going to resign. Now that would have been of prime importance. And of immeasurable joy too. The latter news that is."


    "Sharp tongue as always, Tetrax.  However, I have a reason to believe that this time is going to be much different. Samundo is planning something big. Very big. If we underestimate him, the price to pay will be of unthinkable scale."


    "Last time he was here, one-fifth of China was obliterated. The time before that, Alaska nearly sank.  This time, it is going to be the world, isn''t it? Again, what a surprise." Trexon slouched on the table.


    "Yes, it is going to be the world. And more than that, every realm within our scope of knowledge is now also at stake. Not only Earth, but every layer of existence surrounding it will vanish, if Samundo succeeds."


    "Wow, that''s frightening, but still not a surprise. We all know that destruction is in his blood, and the extent of that destruction is hardly ever beyond imagination. Even if Samundo plans to destroy the whole Solar System, I will not bat an eye."


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    Others nodded at Trexon. Time after time, Samundo''s return birthed new waves of doomsayers and new ways to end all realms on Earth, each time more or less creative than the previous. Halcyon ( or as some would prefer, Halcyons) - an amalgamation of hundreds of different realms-suffered the most. Since the day demons'' presence were made known, it had always been considered The Great Wall, the shield that stood between Samundo''s army and almost everything else. Hunters along with other species had done a good job protecting the shield. Time after time, they unfailingly vanquished Samundo. There was simply no reason to believe this time would be any "different".


    "How can you be so sure of this... difference?" Deuza asked, his fingers pressing against one another.


    "I have a credible source of information. It was about 3 days ago when the message reached me.  The messenger informed me of Samundo''s scheme. He''s looking for two ancient artifacts: The Pillars of Light and The Key of Darkness. I know it sounds stupid, but hey, before this, he has never  sought to use something rather than his overwhelming army to kill all of us. This time he''s serious."


    The others seriously doubted Primitos'' statement.


    "Does anyone besides us know of this?" Tetrax asked.


    "The Council; M.O.M too. Their intelligence bureaus work with greater efficiency than ours." Primitos leaned back."They have become quite bored of Samundo. He''s still the greatest threat, but to them it''s rather ridiculous that someone returns from oblivion for the 20th freaking time. Rumor has it that the last time he got banished, people actually waved at him saying that next time they would prepare a cake."


    "So... what will we do to give him a warm welcome then? Not baking a cake, obviously."


    "Nothing. I just want to warn you. It''s not like we can just charge at him. None of the demon hunters will support us; they favor the Council. Besides, the nineteen times before it was not us who vanquished him, but someone, or something else."


    Tetrax and Trexon sighed simultaneously. The two did not hide their bitterness: the supposed strongest demon hunters could not lay a finger on Samundo even once. Always, the hidden heroes killed the demon then vanished. Still, since the heroes did not step forward to take the credit, most hunters assumed the Singulus Digiti defeated the Demon Lord. The order did not bother rectifying the lie: it needed whatever scraps of respects it could garner from the Hunter community.


    "What a waste of time. Even without your warning, we could have heard it from somewhere else later. This kind of news spreads far and wide, you know?" Tetrax said.


    "I''m aware, but the Elder insisted on making me summon all of you. He said that he wanted to be sure."


    "Of what?" Deuza raised his voice.


    "Of us."


    "What does that even mean?"


    Primitos shrugged off the question. He clapped his hands. "That''s it. Dismiss!"


    "All that trouble, all that waiting for this 10-minute get-together. Next time I shall send a cake in my place. I bet you all: Samundo''s 20th birthday will be just like the others." Trexon said, storming towards the exit.


    "Pentos, the meeting is over. You can leave now," said Primitos to the only figure in the room yet to utter a word.


    The figure did not move an inch, nor did it display any kind of reaction. The hunters felt a chill spreading throughout their bodies.


    "Pentos?"


    Deuza cautiously approached his comrade, one hand on his gun. He touched Pentos''s shoulder, shaking it slightly.


    The body fell to the ground lifelessly. The sound of cracking bones made the hunters cringe.  The cloak came off, revealing a face with mouth wide open, decayed teeth, skin peeled off, and two emtpy holes where Pentos''s eyes once were.


    "Now that''s a surprise." Trexon slowly shook his head.


    The others glared at him.


    "We are the only one who know of the time and place of the meeting, right?" Tetrax asked


    "Well, yes, I guess." Primitos answered, aware of the implication of his answer.


    The four stared at each other. That moment, a paroxysm of fear, doubt, and grief surged within each of them, distorting the ambience, converging with each other in a chaotic order.


    "So this is why he wants to be sure of us." Tetrax said in a dead voice.


    "Before someone in this room tries to pull a Sherlock Holmes on us all, let''s be serious now: which one of you thickhead killed him?"

 Chapter 2: The World They Live In

    New York city. Late August.


    Fall had dyed everything with a warm shade of apricot. Under the oak tree they had known since childhood, Hiatus Sovanno and Aria Tansine were waiting for their ever-tardy friend, Wander. Dry leaves crumbled beneath their feet, sunlight was dimming above their heads. They were halfway up Hunter Hill, their school lied at the top, while their town lied a few miles away from its base. Tasmanian oaks, redwoods, alpine ash and honey locusts sheltered the hill with their intertwined thick crowns, resembling an umbrella. As useful as it was, during fall, the umbrella discharged leaves after leaves, and young hunters sometimes have to put down their weapons and pick up the brooms if they played truant or were late for school . A leave fell on Hiatus''s head, vanquishing his patience.


    "Aria, we must not spoil him any longer. We need to get to school on time. He can get there on his own." Hiatus said, his thick eyebrowns- always being compared with  the hairiest tussock moth- compressed. They, along with his glares of flames, also shut the mouths of the hunters that ridiculed them.


    .           " We will not leave Wander behind. " Aria replied, fondling her hair. Her peers gave her various nicknames: Aria the Strawberry Binge Eaters, Aria the Book Recapper, but the one she liked the most was Bronze Wave. Wander gave it to her, after witnessing her first fight. He said her hair shone in battle. Hiatus agreed. This one remained a secret between them." We''re his friends."


    The two stood two miles away from school. They had no trouble covering that distance, but their friend did not have it that easy. Wander''s limited physical strength force him to lag behind them all the time.


    " That''s exactly why we must help him grow and improve himself. Waiting for him will just condition him to think that we will always be there, and he will never try his best. And  don''t say that he''s fine they way he is. The demons will show you the opposite. Your friendship will kill him one day." Hiatus said, frowning.


    " We''re novice hunters, Hiatus. Time for change is plentiful. For today, let him be late." Aria sighed. Her eyes followed a squirrel running by.


    " Time is never plentiful. He must change today!"


    "Come on, he''s trying very hard. Harder than any of us. Cut him some slack."


    "Slack? That''s it. I will leave you guys right now, right here. I''m going ahead."


    "Please do, no one''s stopping you," said Aria.


    Aria glanced at Hiatus as he walked away. She knew what was going to happen. Hiatus would stomp towards the school, then for a few minutes later would frustratingly walk back. He would pout, tell Aria " this is going to be the last time" and then wait till Wander arrived.


    It happened just as she had predicted.


    " Oh, hey, school is over already!" Aria said without looking at him.


    "This is so going to be the last time."


    Aria chuckled, thinking of Hiatus''s childish side. She had always liked that about him. She closed her eyes, enjoying the  gentle breeze caressing her face. She had once wished the wind would erase the freckles on her cheeks, and at times the wish returned. Nonetheless, the freckles did not dampen her contentment of life: she had a promising future, got along with her parents and had the two best friends she could ever ask for. The only thing that bothered her was Wander''s poor academic result, but there was still time for her to fix that, to make sure she could graduate with both Wander and Hiatus. Samundo would not return anytime soon, meaning they would not join a war, or suffer one. Aria never felt more sure about the peace waiting ahead.


    It was another 5 minutes before they saw Wander running towards them from afar, panting and sweating.  He smiled at Aria, and also at Hiatus, a little guiltily.


    " Sorry for making you guys wait." Wander said, wiping his forehead. His silver eyes were barely visible behind his bang.


    " Don''t worry, you''ve improved. You''re 2 minutes faster than yesterday."


    " Yeah, and will be 5 minutes later tomorrow, I bet," Said Hiatus as he went ahead.


    Aria notice how Wander stared at the back of his much admired friend.


    " He does not hate you, Wander," said Aria, patting Wander''s shoulder.


    " I hope you''re right. Let''s go, I''ve slowed you down long enough."


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Hiatus thought about Wander.  He loved his friend, but Wander''s incompetence annoyed him. He hated to see Wander being ridiculed by others,  yet he knew  protection would only halt his growth. Thus, Hiatus forced himself to be harsh, and struggled to resist spoiling Wander. Spoiling was Aria''s job: she managed to find excuses for Wander most of the time. Hiatus had tried to stop her several times, only to be shut down by her silence. Thinking about the two frustrated him, but also warmed him up.


    Running at his full speed, passing rows of oaks and redwoods, Hiatus soon caught sight of the place he loved to be at.


    The school the 3 of them attended was known as " Xixin Hunter Institution". It was an area of grand size, about 85 ha. There were 3 separate buildings on the campus, linked together by 8 bridges, surrounded by high fences and exotic trees called Green Firework. Each of them had 12 floors, and a bridge was built every 3 floors. People named the first one " Scientia"- where students focus on researching into Demons, History, Runes and many other studies. The second one, Afflia, served to facilitate students'' socialization. If the school received a visit from others, students would be gathered here and, most of the time, forced against their will to communicate with strangers. The last one, Marsianos, named after the god of war, presented the students with the chance to hone their combat skills. It was the most popular building, considering the blood-thirst of soon-to-be hunters.


    The school adopted a harsh daily test for students. If they wanted to go to school on time, they had to traverse a virtual battlefield where various challenges awaited, ready to strike them down. Their life would not be in danger, but their attendance record certainly would. Hiatus and Aria unfailingly beat the test with ease, but Wander struggled. That was why he was late every day.


    "Xixin, Xixin, Xixin" Hiatus could already hear that  irritating sound coming from the school speaker. The principal- Dr. Xixin Howard Nate- was not egotistical, but he modified the bell that way to horrify the tardy. Rumor had it that at 2 a.m, the word Xixin would be distorted, resembling the sound emitted from a snake, killing anyone hearing it. Rumor also had it that those tried to sneak into the school at 2 a.m were expelled with no chance to come back.


    Hiatus safely entered the schoolyard, but there was no sign of Aria and Wander. . He shuddered thinking about what would happen to them: the gatekeepers of Xixin Institution kept in store all forms of punishment for late students. He stared at the 20-feet steel gate, then stared at Scientia. The yard was void of people: all students and teachers had begun their classes. He was about to pass the gate when a voice reached him.


    "The bell will ring soon. I don''t think you have the privilege," Miss Hannah- the History and Politics teacher- called out to Hiatus." I think it''s best you go back to class."


    " Miss Hannah, I..." Hiatus tried to find an excuse.


    " Go to class, Hiatus. I will be here, just in case," said Miss Hannah, pushing up her red glasses." It will be fine."


    Hiatus looked at Miss Hannah. He knew she could be trusted: Hannah had always been an ally of students. He had the feeling she knew what he was trying to do, and decided to help.


    " Yes, miss. I leave it in your hand," said Hiatus, heading for class.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Waiting for his friends in the classroom, Hiatus could feel his stomach burning from the heat of his impatience. He kept looking out of the window, then glancing at the room''s door, his feet tapping to a rhythm even he found tedious.


    Aria was on time. Hiatus was about to let out a sigh of relief when he noticed Wander was not behind her. He asked after the boy, and she shook her head in return.


    "What happened?" Hiatus asked, his eyes closed, his hands pressed against his forehead.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.            "He  stayed behind as a distraction, so I could get ay. A gatekeeper got him."


    "That idiot."


    The gossip emerged among the students. Those in the front rows turned around, while the ones in the back left their benches, running to the windows, brushing aside the velvet curtains to observe the school yard.


    "Wander is late again. That scardy-cat  is serious trouble. I wonder how they still manage to keep him in school." A girl said as she cleared the black board.


    " I''ve no idea why those two decided to befriend him. Maybe they want someone to be their background? Ha, he surely fits that role."


    " That wuss failed at anything remotely related to strength."


    This kind of malicious talk happened behind Wander''s back every day. Sometimes Hiatus and Aria marveled at the extent to which people could kept talking about the same topic over and over. They tried to shut people up, to no avail. They understood that unless Wander changed, hurtful words would never change.


    Wander  only appeared 10 minutes later, with Miss Hannah following behind. All students ran back to their seats as they walked in. The two both eyed at Hiatus and Aria, both smiled. One guiltily, one tiredly.


    Other students in class tried to hold back scoffing, they had witnessed this scene too many times.


    " Look, the princess has been rescued. Again."


    The sneering sentence compelled almost all of the class to succumb to their urge to laugh. The whole room was overloaded with noise as Wander walked to his seat with his head down and his two friends seething. Wander glanced at the two, signaling them to just let it pass.


    Miss Hannah slammed her fist on the table, immediately silencing the whole room. She stared at them with the most threatening glare she could make, mostly at Jonathan Miller- the boy who had just made the remark. After ensuring that she got the attention of the whole class, Miss Hannah began her lecture.


    "Today, we are going to learn about The governing body of the Demon Hunter world. Who stands at the top of our world? Who regulates it? What is the Council? Aria, I know you have already read the text book. So would you mind?"


    "I think I can only recap what I read in the book." Aria scratched her ear." The Council is a governmental entity with utmost power in the world of Demon Hunters. They represents the law, the force and the path. Established in the year of 415, they have always stood by Demon Hunters, guiding us through times of hardship."


    Miss Hannah nodded. She picked up a piece of chalk and draw a diagram.


    "Correct. That is the most basic definition of the Council , each and every one of you should remember that fact. I will elaborate on the Trinity System Aria mentioned: the Council represent the law- they build the legal system and ensure the delivery of justice, the power- all military power answers to them  and the path- each and every Hunter Government across the globe shall be harmonized and guided by the policies of the Council."


    " Miss, so the Council adopts totalitarianism. Is it not a little frightening?"


    " The Council does indeed possess total power and control, but within it exist a myriad of fractions with dissimilar ideologies and policies. They help to create what we call " chaotic convergence".  They shall try to pursue their own interest, and it seem that Adam Smith''s theory can be applied even in politics, for an invisible hand shall guide their interest towards a common goal: the prosperity of the Demon Hunter community."


    "But then we have the Chancellor, who stands at the top. A man with that much power in hand is a recipe for disaster, right?"


    " The Chancellor can suggest new policies, laws and principles, but it is not up to only him to decide where those will take effect. He will have to consider the Board of Makers, who will choose to be either for or against the proposal. He does not have that much power. He cannot even order the Unison Force to move, unless under extreme circumstances. Like when The Council is under direct attack and there is no time for vote."


    " And what about the government in each country? If the Council controls all, they are just straw puppets?"


    "The Council rarely interferes with the affairs of nations. In the ancient times, they used to consider every government just branches. But now, it ''s different. Their power is still nearly absolute, but their main job now is to mediate countries, not control them. Nations can declare war on each other and the council would not bat an eyelid, unless asked for. Besides, we have various representatives from all nations with the Council, they help to preserve the balance of power by influencing the council. You can say that nations'' government now partly controls the Council."


    " What about the Singulus Digiti? Are they under the control of the Council too?"


    The boy who asked that question got the thumb ups of others. The matter he just mentioned were of interest to every young hunters.


    " The Singulus Digiti? Well, they are a special case, but still, they are just a small size organization."


    " In the Histoire Lacrium Daemon, they are regarded as the true leaders?"


    " True leaders do not abandon us in time of need, keep themselves hidden from us and make no contact at all." Miss Hannah frowned.


    " Then what is their purpose?"


    "They are just there, doing whatever they want without others knowing. Demon Hunters can live well without them."


    "But at least is it true that they are the most powerful Demon Hunters? More than anyone of us?"


    "Well," Miss Hannah replied with hesitation." There is no proof, but indeed, it is very likely that they are the most powerful Demon Hunters, if not on par with various powerful beings scattered across the realms.


    "That is so cool! They must be the one who defeated Samundo before!"


    Small discussions popped up and filled the room with noise.


    " Now, now, that is not true. There is no proof of that claim. We don''t know who defeated Samundo."


    " But many hunters were there when he was banished?"


    " We were there, but we saw nothing. The battlefield always got covered in a dense layer of smoke. When the smoke vanished, Samundo was also gone. We never knew how he was defeated."


    Miss Hannah flipped through the text book. She paused on a page and showed it to the students." This is a picture of 16 years ago, the last time Samundo appeared in this very city. All smoke. "


    The students squinted.


    " So, we have no account of his appearance?"


    " No. We don''t know how he looks like."


    " Who knows, he may look like us." Hiatus said, staring out of the window.


    Some students shivered. Miss Hannah shook her head.


    " Everyone, even if he returns, he has nothing to do with us. We are just students, the responsibility is not ours."


    Miss Hannah smiled."Aria is right. Enough with Samundo. You guys will all have turned 100 by the time he returns. Now, we go back to the Council and the Singulus Digiti..."


    The class once again was filled with noise. Anything power-related could entice young Hunters. The Singulus Digiti had always been an extremely controversial topic, for both the young and the old. Hannah knew that too, so she did not try to stop the students. She vaguely remembered experiencing the same feeling when she was younger. The Singulus Digiti never failed to associate themselves with the childhood of every young Hunter.


    The rest of the period was spent on talking about the rising influence of the Council and the decreasing importance of the Singulus Digiti. The students asked questions after questions, since their curiosity for the power struggle between the two entity proved to be quite unrelenting. The period ended on a quite energetic note.

 Chapter 3: For us, what to come

    Sparring session was a must in the curriculum of every Hunter school. It was the more prominent equivalence of gym class in Human world. Some physically superior students would shine and crush the weaker ones. Some not so gifted would be subjected to humiliation from their peers. Paradise for some, Hell for many others. Still, the majority of young hunters favoured the session with its being the only time when they got to wear armor and wield weapons. After the Red Incident in 1996, the Council had limited the availability of weapons. Adult hunters, apart from those who work for the Unison Force and the local arm forces, could possess only one weapon at most.


    The young Hunters of Xixin Institution knew too well that during class like this, there existed four individuals they absolutely must not provoke. Normally, the gap in strength was not very significant, but in some cases, it was overwhelming.


    Aria Tansine was one of those. She got 1st place in an international competition a while back, making her name famous worldwide. She was an ace, the arguably best student of the Institution, and definitely among the best of her generation.


    As a result, sparring lesson bored her to death, since no one wished to fight her, and the teachers deliberately left her out, lest they would be held responsible for the critical injury of some students. Thus, Aria must spend time doing what she had always hated: gossiping. She sat in the corner of the gymnasium with a group of friends, a few feet away from the arena at the center. Aria constantly shifted her attention from her friends to the shiny wooden floor.


    "The Hamilton School is coming to New York this month." Karen, a boredom-prone girl in the same class with Aria, nonchalantly announced the news to others.


    " Hamilton School? That renown school for Summoners? Why?" A girl asked.


    " They want to have a friendly competition with our school."


    " Principal Xixin and Principal Hamilton are best friends, and rivals. This is just another occasion for them to compete." Aria said, her eyes following the swords of other students.


    " That''s odd. A Summoner and a Hunter can be best friends?"


    "Apparently. This time, Mr. Hamilton will be accompanied by the best of his apprentices. Some are globally famous, like Aria."


    The girls simultaneously glanced at Aria, evaluating her reaction.


    " Hey, if it''s true then good for them. I don''t mind." Aria replied with a shrug.


    The glances persisted for a while before the conversation could continue.


    "We can expect a big event next month. Many people will be there. It is a fight between Hunters and Summoners after all! I bet the people from the Council will be here too.  And maybe, even the Hottie Trinity! The Captains will be here!"


    " No way! Really?" The girls asked simultaneously, then start emitting sound they did not know they could make.


    " Quiet, you lot! Karen, get your butts up the stage right now!" Their instructor Aidan said. His voice came from a speaker.


    " Oops, busted. You girls stay fun. I''m up," said Karen as she dragged herself towards the stage.


    The girls stayed quiet until they knew Aidan had stopped staring.


    " Aria, why do you and Hiatus befriend Wander? Is he not like super lame?" A girl asked in low voice.


    Aria received the stares of others again.


    "He isn''t lame. And there is no reason why. We just want to." Aria said, frowning.


    " Don''t you think it is a little cruel to him?"


    "What do you mean?" Aria sighed.


    " Well, if I were him, I would definitely be devastated being constantly left behind by my best friends."


    The girls did not stop glancing.


    " Wander is not like that."


    "Yeah, I guess. But still that''s a probability. We all know weak ones can do dangerous things. Wander may resort to dangerous methods to get stronger.  Worst scenario he may attempt to turn."


    Turn- Demonization- an irreversible process caused by the abuse of Demonic Form- was one of the most abhorrent thing a Hunter could commit. Any Hunter who turned would be sentenced to death, no exception. Demonization was an insult of the highest degree to all Hunters.


    " That is not funny." Aria stressed every word, glared at the girl who just spoke. The terrifying glare made her apologize immediately.


    Aria shook her head, trying to rid herself of the words previously said. She believed today would not be any different from yesterday, or the day before that. After school, her two friends and she would either do some group study, hang around the malls or simply watch TV, enjoying themselves.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.            The conversation strayed to other topics, less personal, less infuriating to Aria. The class elapsed tediously, it was seemingly just another boring day.


    It was supposed to be like that, the class ending with no incident. However, that day, the peacefulness was disrupted by a huge sound originating from the other gym stadium. Students and teachers looked at each other in confusion, and seconds later, every person exited the stadium and headed for the source of the commotion.


    It was Wander and Jonathan. Aidan forced Wander to spar against the worst opponent ever- his bully, Jonathan Miller. There was blood all over his unconscious body. Hiatus rushed to Wander''s side with a frightening look on his face. Aidan was yelling at Jonathan. Hiatus glared at them both as he ran past them towards the infirmary with Wander in his arms. A trail of blood followed him.


    Only Aria and Hiatus were allowed to enter the infirmary. All other students were forced to go back to their classrooms. The whiteness of the infirmary stung Aria''s eyes; she knew nurse Matilda went to great length to keep the place clean. The old nurse kept everything in order: she categorised needles, bandages, pills, blankets by shapes and colors. Principal Xixin greatly favoured her, mostly because she once kicked a room designer he hired out of the infirmary for failing to meet her standard, saving him a great deal of money.


    " Will he be alright, Mrs. Matilda?" asked Aria, holding Wander''s hand.


    " Yes, he will be okay. Don''t worry. Who or what did this to him?"


    "Jonathan Miller. That muscle head used claws on him." Hiatus replied.


    "Miller? That blond kid ? And claws? He can do that already? I swear, kids these day, big muscles. Brain? Not so much. Make me miss the days when that boy Jade protected the school with his bags of candies" said Matilda as she shook her head violently." I have applied  medicine to his wound, it''s going to close soon. May take a while for him to regain consciousness though."


    Aria and Hiatus thanked the nurse and she smiled in return.  Apparently wanting to leave the kids alone, she told them she had some business to attend to, then quickly left.


    Aria turned to Hiatus. "Why did Mr. Aidan do that? Why did he force Wander to...this?"


    "That sadistic garbage just wanted to see his students suffer." Hiatus clenched his fists." I tried to talk him out of it, but Wander... he wanted to try. Idiot, he should not have done that. Going against Jonathan. To think that guy can already use claws"


    A hunter''s body transformed throughout their life. The stronger they got, they more demon-like they became. They could grow claws or horns, change their eye colour, gain additional arms. No one knew the zenith of a hunter''s demonic form.


    " Not the time to be impressed. Wander tried to push himself. Is it not what you want?" Aria almost raised her voice.


    " Not like this! Stupidity and effort are 2 different concepts!" Hiatus''s thick eyebrowns compressed.


    The room fell into  a brief silence, except for the breathing sound of Wander. The smell of disinfectant made Aria drowsy. She stood up and proceeded to close the curtains.


    " Hiatus, Wander needs us. Maybe even in the future. We must not abandon him." Aria said, her hands holding onto the rough fabric. She wondered why she told Hiatus the obvious.


    " Of course. But I know what will happen.  For now, he will let us help, in the future, he will refuse. There is nothing we can do for him in the long run."


    " We can stay by his side." Aria averted her eyes from Hiatus.


    " That is if we can. With your talent, do you really think you can stay with him at least once a month? You will ace the Penultimate Act and then the Apprentice Trial. Heck, you will become one of the few to get a Demon Arm. Aria, you will not get stuck in this city, you will be out there, to lands you do not even know of. And I? I will...definitely not be here."


    Aria could not find any appropriate answer. She knew Hiatus got a point. Maybe more than a point.


    Patience was one of her virtue, but even she sometimes felt lost when it came to Wander. He just could not be any more helpless. It hurt her a lot to admit that her friend lied at the very bottom of the Hunters. Aria felt angry and frustrated, it was as if nature mother decided to savage his genetic traits as much as possible on purpose. She suddenly thought of- the words she heard earlier and wondered if she was indeed cruel.


    " What will happen to the three of us?" Aria just blurted out the question.


    In return, Hiatus just looked at her with sadness in his eyes. For the first time, Aria doubted her plan.

 Chapter 4: Divergence Point

    Wander went straight to his house after he woke up, without bidding Aria and Hiatus goodbye. The two did not even see him leave.


    Their friend failed to show up for school the next day. The teachers announced that his request for a long leave had been allowed, so he would not be present for at least 1 week.  There was no nasty talk, at least in the presence of Aria and Hiatus, since other students feared for the fate of their mouths and teeth  if they made any dirty remark. The two seemed really willing to use their fists any moment. Even Jonathan knew that everything had a limit, and it would be more than foolish of him to mock Wander in front of his best friends.


    Visitation was out of the question: Wander wanted some time alone and he made his point very clear. Miss Hannah was asked by him to specifically tell Aria and Hiatus not to come to his house. The two acquiesced with much frustration. Miss Hannah asked after Wander sometimes, but only received Aria''s and Hiatus''s shaking heads.


    The case of Wander soon died down, since the students of the Xixin Institution were about to welcome the most celebrated event of this semester: the arrival of the Summoners.  The Summoners were akin to the Hunters in terms of duty and purpose, but their methods differed: while the Hunters majorly relied on physical strength, martial techniques, demonic nature to fight and little on magic, the Summoners emphasized the use of arcane arts and magecraft. Their most overwhelming power, though, was their innate ability to summon Familiars- powerful beings from another realm. This ability granted them the name Summoners. One could have supposed that the two species would be on good terms with each other thanks to their common purpose, but most of them felt nothing towards the other besides mutual hatred and contempt. Rarely existed a friendship between individuals of the two species. And even rarer was a life-long one such as that of Principal Xixin and Principal Hamilton.


    The Hamilton School''s arrival transpired on a peaceful autumn day in the most tranquil manner possible. No limousine, no trumpet, no orchestra, no crackers. Lines and lines of summoners wearing white uniforms hovered in the air, killing any sound in their vicinity apart from the angelic voice coming from one of their students. They leisurely passed the gate, their formation being parallel lines. The quite sacred atmosphere rendered all the hot-headed Hunters speechless, and their gazes fixed on the march of their rivals. Principal Xixin also looked much more polite and sophisticated than usual in his vest, bowing to Principal Hamilton, who responded also with a bow. The two principals'' appearance bore some striking similarities, the deep wrinkles, the bright, mischievous eyes like those of foxes, and the trimmed moustaches.


    " Did they plan to look the same? Hey Xixin, I think we should trim our beards like this! Ho ho ho!" Hiatus whispered to Aria, his fingers stroking his imaginery moustaches.


    Aria and Hiatus were selected to participate in the ( quoted from Principal''s word) " a glorious theatrical once-in-life-time production of pure genius". In reality, all the selected individuals just had to draw swords simultaneously and yelled "hah" out load, before sheathing their swords and "hah" again.


    " For God''s sake, at least we don''t have to yodel." Hiatus murmured to Aria.


    " You know what is worse?"Aria whispered. "Xixin, Xixin, Xiiixiiiiin."


    Hiatus nearly burst out laughing, but managed to hold back. Beside him, Aria was considering a final push, but then discarded the idea out of mercy.


    All the students were startled by the loud voice of Principal Xixin as he approached his friend.


    " Hamilton, long time no see!" said Principal Xixin, hugging Principal Hamilton. "Thank you for coming!"


    "Of course, that is the least I can do for a friend!" Principal Hamilton replied, before changing his loud voice into a whispering sound." Money from the ticket profits, 50/50, that''s the deal."


    " Oh, you still got it in you, Hamilton! How kind, how humble!" Principal Xixin patted on his friend''s shoulders.


    The two old man shook hand, before introducing their best students to each other. The touching reunion effortlessly turned into a show-off, and students of both schools that day learned not less than fifty names for international contests and competitions, enough for a life.


    Afterwards, Principal Xixin and Hamilton quickly headed for the former''s office to discuss the upcoming versus battle game, while the students were left to their own devices in the Afflia building, ready to initiate their own discussion, but possibly with swords and wands, not words.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Fortunately, there was no such discussion, only an awkward silence. The both sides decided to hold a stare contest, with the losers being those who stared longer. The two species sat across each other with a long desk separating them. No one dared to touch the food and drinks placed on the desk. They did not even dare to leave the benches they were sitting on. Most of the hunters and summoners either glanced at their friends or gazed at the outside through the circular window running on the walls, from which sunlight entered.


    To the Hunters, their rivals resemble the stuck-up rich kids they saw on television. Expressionless, aloof versions. On the part of Summoners, Hunters were also expressionless and aloof, also resembled people they saw on TV, just not as well-dressed as them.


    Every student was ready to run out of the auditorium, when a voice emerged.


    " How do you find New York?" Aria initiated a conversation after 10 minutes of increasingly burdening silence.


    That sentence earned her the looks of everyone.


    " It is very hectic and dynamic, noisy, but acceptably so. Oh, and I am Jake Malton, very nice to meet you." A summoner with smiling eyes replied, extending his large and firm hand to Aria.


    "I am Aria Tansine, very nice to meet you too. Please, I would love to hear about Hamilton School.  Maybe you can shed some light on that matter?" Aria said, taking Jake''s hand.


    " I certainly can." Jake answered with a smile.


    Thanks to Aria and Jake, the auditorium became much more lively. Both sides were still a little reserved and diffident, but they managed to overcome the barrier and strived to communicate, hoping to dissolve some misunderstanding and prejudices. Small talk started to emerge everywhere, covering all kinds of topics. Summoners and hunters shook hands, laughed and at times sat in awkard silence. Of course, a few did not join and only watched others with eyes of disdain and pursing lips, leaning back against the wall.


    Jake and Aria decided to talk a little more, even though their mission to enliven the place had ended. They positioned themselves near the entrance, where they could see everyone.


    " I have read a lot about you, Aria. You have made quite a name for yourself. I suppose it would not be too wrong of me to assume you are the best student of the institution?"


    "No, you''re not wrong. I am the best."


    The unexpectedly blunt answer of Aria surprised Jake. He had expected an attempt on her part to appear humble by answering the opposite. His question was a trick one, for if one chose to be humble, one implicitly said the guest was wrong. The opposite meant that one was arrogant. He wanted to bother Aria a bit.


    "But our school does not just have one best students. In this school, there are at least 2 more students who are my equal." Aria added, smiling.


    " And who is that?" Jake asked, raising his eyebrows.


    "Now that is unfair. Why do I keep answering? I suppose it would not be too wrong of me to assume you are the trickiest individual of Hamilton''s school?"


    Jake chuckled when faced with the slightly sarcastic tone in Aria''s voice.


    " Ha-ha, you can say that I also lay among the best. Ok let''s play a game then, we will take turn to name our equals. How about that?"


    Aria shrugged. " Sounds good to me. As the host, I will have the pleasure of playing first. Though I do not mind giving that privilege to you."


    " Oh no, you first. I would not dare abusing my stay."


    " Okay then. Uhm, the first one I want to mention is my best friend over there, Hiatus Sovanno." Aria pointed to Hiatus.


    Jake turned his look to a boy sitting a few meters away. A very tall, muscular boy who appeared to be sleeping. The type whom Jake believed he could be friend with.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.            " Hiatus''s strength did not show on papers or in scores. As his friend, I can assure you that it would be in your best interest not to underestimate him and to send your best candidate against him, unless you long for defeat."


    Jake nodded and stared at Hiatus for a while before starting his turn.


    " Let me introduce you to Victor Axiel,"  Jake pointed to a boy sitting very far from him and Aria, among the groups of summoners who avoided conversations with hunters.  " Years ago, he wasn''t the brightest student, but certainly the grumpiest and nastiest one. Now, it has changed, sadly the " not the brightest" part only. Do not let that seemingly shy and nerdy face fool you. He is a very nasty individual. A lot of us fear him. He is very strong for a Summoner his age, already able to summon a level 6- a feat not a single summoner his age can achieve. Let me tell you, only a handful of summoners can do what he can do. He is the future candidate for the " Regis Magus" title, the summoner  of a level 7 Familiar."


    Aria had heard of the "Regis Magus" title before. High Grandmaster Vivien Iridis held the title, even though she could not summon a level 7. Her political influence earned her the status.


    " Quite frightening. And obviously you are better at describing your comrades more than I am. No one has ever summoned a level 7?"


    " Never before. They are legendary. Can you believe it?  All this time and no one has ever succeeded. All of a sudden summoners who can pop up all over the world. But hey, no more extra information. Your turn." Jake jerked his thumb at Aria.


    " Alicia White... Ah, she is not here. Anyhow, she is from the Eson Halcyon, that Avalon --ish land, and I heard that she''s aristocratic. I have fought her once, in secret, of course, and it was a draw. She is extremely skilled, and her use of the sword is superior to me. And once again, her true ability is not reflected on paper."


    " I see. Hey, you are not lying to me right. What with the " not reflected on papers"? Both of them?"


    "You have no idea how faulty the classification system of this school is. I swear on my honor, I did not tell a lie." Aria replied as she looked straight into Jake''s eyes.


    Jake was startled by the sudden stare. He scratched his head.


    " Okay, if you say so. My turn. The next one is...me!" Jake pointed at himself. " Well, I am not as powerful as Victor, but I possess 2 level 5, also quite a feat. I also have mastered the Earth school  of magic and let me tell you it is very difficult to master a school. Oh, and in your word, I am also the trickiest." Jake finished his sentence with a grin.


    "Now that is just grossly unfair. I already knew about you, so you must tell me about someone else. "


    " I tell you quite a lot about myself, aren''t I? I think that will suffice. Your turn?"


    Aria rolled her eyes. "I think our little game should end here. I don''t want you to reveal to me you have split personalities and describe to me each one. "


    " Come on! It''s getting fun!"


    " Nah, I''m good. I''ve kept you occupied long enough. Some girls over there are checking you out, maybe you should go there and tell them about yourself.  At least they care."


    " Ouch! That hurts."


    Aria just smiled in return, then walked away from her new tricky "friend".


    After she was out of sight, Victor approached Jake and coldly asked. " Did you tell her a lot?"


    "Just enough."


    "Did you tell her about me?"


    "Yes, I did."


    "You fool. You should have kept me a secret."


    " Give me a break. You are no longer  the most powerful, Victor. You lost that title weeks ago. I kept the most powerful one a secret, so stop complaining. Now leave me alone, I do not want the girls to see me with you. It is going to repulse them, the moment you open your mouth."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The Principal  Office.


    Xixin checked out the piles of books his old friend had brough him: thick books with leather covers and a fair share of dust. He glanced at his custom-made desk, annoyed as he thoughr of all the cleaning he had to do later.


    " Samundo is coming back." Xixin said, nonchalantly, as his eyes rested on the volume 1 of Histoire Lacrium Daemon ." Or should I say, has already come back."


    " Hmm, so it had been revealed to you too.  Should we buy him a cake?"  Principal Hamilton replied as he sipped his tea. " Maybe it will convince him to stay dead this time. He may just want a cake."


    That joke had gone bland many years ago. Both of them wondered who started it. Both of them believed that person had died for a few centuries.


    Samundo''s returns, as excessive in number as they were, did not qualify as common occurrences. Most of the time, it took nearly a century for the demon lord to come back. Even the shortest interval amounted to 80 years. Halcyon dwellers enjoyed the peace inbetween those returns, while making preparation for the next war. A few generations were lucky enough to never encounter him. It was a long dreamt dream of various individuals to bestow that luck upon the future. Slowly they deemed it improbable.


    " Do you find it strange? He returns too quickly.  Sixteen years, a record. Why the haste? How does he even return at that speed? I have the feeling this is going to be the final battle. This time, if we defeat him, he''s going to stay dead."


    " What makes you think that? I lost count of how many people had uttered the same thing, but they were wrong. Don''t get your hopes up."


    Xixin turned to his friend, his eyes narrowing.


    "The conflicts, they are reaching the climax. All conflicts in the world."


    "Which conflicts?" Hamilton stirred his tea as he said. He raised his almost non-existent eyebrows.


    "Halcyon is being stirred up by hundred simultaneous events. The Council is enforcing its grip on the whole Hunter Community, accompanied by the complete disappearance of the Singulus Digiti. The Familiars will pick the new Eternalia Regis a few years from now. The candidates for that title Regis Magus too. M.O.M informed me of the increasing number of apocalyptic prophecies from various species. Something big is happening, don''t you think?"


    "They happen because they happen, that''s all. It does not necessarily mean something big is going down. Xixin, our students, their futures are bright. With this event, a new chapter will open for both hunters and summoners, we should focus on that. Remember the Cold Decades? Our friends killed one another even without Samundo. He is the least of our problem right now. We have nothing to do with that beast." Hamilton said, his eyes closed." I just hope this time the contest will transpire peacefully."


    Xixin looked up at the ceiling, where his beloved crystal chandelier slighly swung in the air.


    "Don''t jinx it, Hamilton. You suggest the contest, shouldn''t you be more confident? Let''s just assume it will be fine. At least we know no demon can infiltrate this place, thanks to you. Ah, and I have been tempting to ask: What happened to your head?"


    " What with it?"


    "That burn above your ear, leaves a mark."


    " I have that?" said Principal Hamilton as he walked towards the nearest mirror. "I do."


    "You don''t know where that''s from?"


    "No. I have never seen this mark before." Principal Hamilton touched the mark, frowning. " This is bizarre."


    <hr />


    Everything starts now.

 Chapter 5: Things seen in the forest that day

    Chapter 5: Things seen in the forest that day


    The Xixin Institution laid not very far from a forest called Mirilad. It was said to be the most serene and tranquil forest in all Halcyons with its only inhabitants being wild animals and birds. Mirilad was there just for the sake of being there, left undisturbed for years, its overwhelming army of trees challenging city lights and skyscrapers. Hardly anyone  bothered trespassing the forest, since to them, tranquility did not equal enticing mystery.


    The other reason: New York Halcyon was a places filled with supermarkets that sold exclusive goods, amusement parks with infamous X games like free-fall waterfall and hi-tech shops sponsored by CyTech Coporation. The summoners, following the recommendations of their new hunter friends, left Mirilad out as a point of interest. Most of them.


    Two weeks following the summoners'' arrival- the institution cafeteria.


    " Let''s explore it." said Jake Malton." It''s going to be fun."


    The suggestion was met with empty stares from both Aria and Hiatus.


    " Why is this guy sitting with us?" asked Hiatus without stopping chewing his slice of bread.


    " Oh come on, you guys are cool. I just wanna be friends. Who knows, in the future, we may become like the Principals!" Jake said, eyeing the students-void cafeteria, the neatly placed plastic chairs, the bored cook with his headphone on, the janitor mopping the floor.


    " One more reason to not be friends." Hiatus sighed.


    " Hey, don''t be like that. Let''s me join you. Three is better than two, right?"


    Aria shook her head. " Sorry, but our little circle is already completed. We  have Wander."


    "Who? Another famous person I haven''t heard of?"


    Aria and Hiatus glanced at each other.


    " Are you talking about that Wander? Loser Wander?"


    The question was replied with cold silence. Hiatus kept chewing his bread. Aria  looked down.


    " Oh, ok, I guess.... Uhm, I''m sorry for being rude. I heard it from some... Yeah."


    Aria glanced at Hiatus.


    " Hiatus," she once again broke the silence. " The forest, it seems like a good idea."


    The other two looked at her, their eyebrows raised.


    " What got into you, Aria? You are not exactly the adventurous type." Hiatus said in a low voice.


    " I think it is time for a change?"


    A grin took over Jake''s face as he let out a sigh of relief.


    " Come on, it is going to be fun." He smiled at the grumpy new friend . "I mean, we will only explore the outer part and not venture too deep into Mirilad. It is safe!"


    " Famous last words." Hiatus replied nonchalantly. "Let''s go, then."


    " Hyped! Wait, I need to tell my friends to take charge in my place." said Jake in a joyous tone as he rushed towards his fellow summoners.


    Hiatus stared at the summoner. He put his slice of bread down.


    " Okay, Aria, what are you scheming?"


    " Just go with it, Hiatus. I really want to explore Mirilad. And this is a good time to gain firsthand knowledge of a Summoner.  I want to know them better. May help correcting some prejudices."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The three arrived at the edge of the forest 15 minutes later. The trees of Mirilad did not seem as intimidating as the ones shown in horrow movies. They were about 10 meters high with thin crowns. Trees in the outer area grew a few meters apart, leaving lots of open spaces for trepassers. Sunlight was streaming through the gaps among magenta and merigold leaves, and birds were tweeting on the branches.  Their schools were just a few miles behind and still visible from where they stood, making them feel safe.


    "This isn''t ominous at all. What will we do once we are in the forest?" asked Hiatus.


    "I don''t know. We can look around, observe natural life forms, and if we are lucky enough, we may run into a hidden treasure, just like in those role-playing video games!" exclaimed Jake.


    "The same type of games where people die because they venture into uncharted territory thinking it will be fun?"


    Hiatus grinned as he saw the confuse look on Jake''s face following Aria''s question.


    The forest certainly did not live up to its reputation. It was full of life, of sound, of vibrating wind. Hiatus, Aria and Jake deliberately stepped hard on the ground, loving the sound of dry leaves crumbling like cryspy fried chips. In its own sense, Mirilad was more hectic and radiant than various metropolises. The inhabitants of the forest did not fear the presence of a higher life-form, they actively approached the three without hesitation, eyes glowing with unguarded curiosity. They seemed to have gotten used to outsiders. Squirrels ran to Jake as he handed them chestnuts. Couples of deers stared at the three from afar, tilting their heads from left to right. Jake was the most excited, due to his quite nature-theme upbringing typical of every Summoner. He enthusiastically used his magic to impress the animals and his two less impressionable companions. Aria paid much more attention to the diversity of vegetation. Her inquisitiveness, and partly her appetite too, compelled her to try the taste of some strange fruits, which could have seriously upset her whole digestive system without the interference from Jake. There was not much for Hiatus to do, aside from standing still and appearing less grumpy so as not to frighten the birds perched on his body. The latter he managed with much difficulty, but for the grosbeaks and confused pigeons he tried his best.


    " It is not so bad right?" Jake asked Hiatus, and received a shrug in return. Hiatus''s apparent comfort with his winged friends was more than enough of an answer for Jake. As of Aria, it could not be more obvious, the girl actively collected as many plants as possible.


    " I think so far we are pretty fortunate to find these.... living treasures." said Aria." Do all summoners experience this regularly?"


    " Yes, we put lots of emphasis on being in touch with nature. It boosted out magic, somehow, and our understanding of this world."


    " We love nature too." Hiatus grinned. " Birds, stags, deer, worms, all food."


    " Just ignore Hiatus. We never put that in practice." Aria rolled her eyes.


    Jake nodded, but still gave Hiatus, and even Aria, a cautious glance.


    " Wander, how did he become your best friend?" Jake asked, scratching his head.


    " Actually, the right question should be: how we became his best friends. He gave me cookies, strawberry one. And we became friends, simple as that. The " best friend" part just followed.


    " And Hiatus?"


    " Tell him nothing, Aria." Hiatus said, trying his best to keep his body still as he did.


    Aria chuckled. " Hiatus was the unsocial kid. Before he met us, he was with...another. Anyhow, Wander and I treated his wound when he fell from an oak tree. He was shy at first, but then days later asked to play tag with us."


    " Shy, he?" Jake glanced at Hiatus.


    " Haha, yeah. He changed." Aria gave a brittle smile. " We changed."


    For a while there were only the chatters of the squirrels.


    " Ah, this looks good!" Aria said, collecting a fleshy star-shape ruby red fruit.


    " Its name is Pig Star. The pigs like it, hence the name. Ah, sorry, that is rude."


    " It is. Who came up with the name?"


    " Lacrium, who else? The "old jolly nerd" named almost everything in Halcyon. If he was still alive, he would have trademarked everything."


    " Summoners idolize him, right?" Aria bit the Pig Star.


    " Not only us. He''s worthy of idolization. The Leonardo DaVinci of Halcyon."


    After having sated her curiosity with the plants, Aria turned to Jake and asked him questions regarding summoners'' education. She asked him about the stadiums of Hamilton School, about the staffs of summoners, about their training methods.  The conversation was fluid, but Aria noticed Hiatus was remaining silent for too long. She shifted her attention to him, and saw the a frown of disturb on his face.


    " Are you okay?" Aria asked. "Hiatus?"


    Hiatus gave no reply. He was lost in concentration. His sharp instinct warned him of something foreign, and he was trying to catch the source of the unknown. Aria and Jake, whose instinct was outmatched by him, sensed nothing, and to them he seemed to be in a trance.


    All of a sudden, the birds flapped their wings in fright, the animals moved their feet in fear and the plants shook their leaves. Hiatus drew out a blade, much to the surprise of the other two.


    "You brought an weapon out of school? You could get expelled!" Aria yelled. " And why are you drawing that out? Don''t tell me you just found out about your psychopathic self? Come on, Jake is much more likely to pull that one trick!"


    "I am still here you know." Jake pointed at himself.


    " Shut up, you two! Can''t you feel?" Hiatus whispered.


    " Feel what? The love tonight?" Aria said, shrugging.


    " There is a demon in this forest." said Hiatus in his low voice.


    Both Jake and Aria shuddered.


    " No, it can''t be. This area is protected by the more advanced spell. Principal Hamilton casted it himself. No demon could¡ª "  Jake could not finish, since from within the forest, a dense demonic miasma was unleashed into the air like a shrieking wind freezing his body.


    Aria could not move, either. She was paralyzed by the unexpected overwhelming presence. She never truly faced an adversary that could seriously threaten her life.


    In contrast, Hiatus was calm and collected, he gave his order.


    " Aria, activate your demonic form. Focus on the feet. You will have to be really fast to get out of here. "


    "I can fight!"


    "Yes you can. But not here, not now. The Demex of that thing is too strong. If a Demex causes paralysis, it means the demon can kill you. You will run, right now."


    Aria stared at Hiatus, lost for words. She inhaled deeply, then nodded." Understood. And I assume you will stay?"


    "I will. I can hold it back."


    "What about me?"asked Jake.


    " Were you paralyzed?" Hiatus raised his eyebrows.


    "I''m out of here then."


    Aria went into a trance for a brief moment, and her body started to undergo transformation.  The skin on her leg began to burn, revealing a new red layer resembling iron as the ground under her feet was crushed due to the weight.  Despite Jake''s constant refusal and complaints, she carried him in her arms, nodded at Hiatus then leapt off the ground towards the Xixin Institution.


    Hiatus was left alone the forest, and within him grew the seed of anxiety. The Demex of the Demon got to him and for an infinitesimal period his spirit succumbed to the intimidation, but his experience assisted him and kept him on his two feet. He wondered if that hostile creature was Samundo himself, but realizing that the scale of power did not match the standard of the Demon Lord. Nonetheless, he deemed the enemy dangerous and possibly lethal, and so with caution he marched in the direction of his adversary.


    The forest turned dead following the appearance of the demon. All sound was killed, not even a gush of wind. All animals broke down from the paralysis, some were gasping for breath. All birds had their wings clipped and laid immobile on the ground. Hiatus had born witness to similar scenes for many times, but previously, a whole dozen of demons was needed to impose the same effects, this time, there seemingly existed only one.


    As Hiatus chased the demon further into the forest, strange footprints were more frequently sighted. He examined those, and frightened to realize their owner must be at the level  of a steel demon- the second most threatening level.


    " The size, the pressure it caused, the traces of tissues, no doubt, it is a steel"


    An overwhelming fear surged within Hiatus. He shuddered considering the possibility of this creature preying on humans or inferior hunters. Furthermore, he just could not comprehend why a demon of such great prowess could find its way into Mirilad. The forest, and the whole Halcyon, was placed under principal Hamilton''s spell. Infiltration was impossible.


    Still, that by no means amounted to the most terrifying fact Hiatus noticed. Right after the discovery, another Demex crept up on him, but his previous contact with it rendered him quite immune to its effect, and he resumed to his chase.


    The demonic aura was instable, phasing in then phasing out from his sense. At times it burst out, only to immediately diminish right afterwards. Hiatus must make the best use of his ability to hang on to the trace of the Demon.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.            The inner area of Mirilad was a gloomy place, dwelled by the most ancient of arch-trees, forbidding the sun to illuminate its scenery. Hiatus started to see more and more of unrecognizable animals and insects, which all shared the same fate with their outer side counterparts. The dimming light enabled Mirilad to strikingly resemble scenes taken from the most bleak and bloodcurdling movies. The Aura became increasingly intense, seemingly due to the fact that Hiatus was closing the distance.


    " Is it being afraid? Or excited?"


    Hiatus sped up, aiming at the demon. Then he saw it. Somewhat.


    Blending in perfectly with darkness, the demon''s body was humanoid albeit with claws. Its eyes were glowing red, immediately averted from Hiatus the moment they were laid on him. It was all a blur, and the only other characteristic Hiatus noticed was the dense layer of smoke enveloping its body.


    Hiatus drew out the dagger and went for a preemptive strike. His action startled the demon, causing it to let out an ear-splitting roar that pushed him back. It then returned to its getaway.


    " It''s experiencing fear. Did it see through my disguise?"


    For a moment, Hiatus considered letting it go, since it had no intention of harming him, but the thought was immediately rejected out of a sense of duty. Killing demon was a must for hunters, and Hiatus did not question that duty. With that in mind, Hiatus decided to end the chase, and if lucky, end the enemy simultaneously.


    In the hand of a master, even a stick could become a weapon. And so for Hiatus, the dagger was more than enough. He demonized his arm, transferred the force to the blade, tightened his grip. With a deep inhale, he thrust his arm forward, and before long the skin on his arm started to shed and his inner muscles became visible ; his arm extended to an unbelievable degree, stabbing the demon''s shoulder with the blade, causing it to stagger and collapse.


    Letting out a sigh of relief, Hiatus adjusted his arm, walking cautiously towards his fallen prey with the dagger dyed with its blood in his hand. The closer he got, the clearer it became. It was of medium side, and the smoke surrounding it was dancing erratically. Soon enough, the smoke started to dissipate, giving a better view of the demon''s skin and muscular system.


    Hiatus, however, had no chance to investigate them. Before he could fully see the demon, a blinding light enveloped him. The light quickly turned into darkness as he collapsed.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    When Hiatus woke up, Aria, Jake, and the two principals were standing near him. He realized he had been carried out of the forest, and was  positioned in Mrs. Matilda''s office. The shiny ceiling, the stingingly white curtains, the dense smell of disinfectant, and most of all, the " International Nurse" certificate placed beneath Mrs. Matilda''s portrait, all were trademarks of this place. He looked around in confusion and was met with eyes of concern.


    " Hiatus, can you hear us? Are you aware of your surrounding?" asked Mrs. Matilda.


    Hiatus looked around before replying. " I am more than fine, Mrs. Matilda. It''s just like waking up from a nap, my mind is perfectly clear."


    " What does 9 plus 10 equal to?" Mrs. Matilda insisted.


    " 21. Just kidding, 19." Hiatus answered with a grin.


    "He has no physical injury," said the old nurse, shaking her head at him." And apparently no mental one, either, besides from one he got before today."


    "Hiatus, please tell us everything that happened after Aria and Jake left you." asked Principal Xixin.


    Hiatus tried his best to recall everything. It was alright at first, but towards the end, his memory turned hazy. Everyone listened to the story with a look of concern and disbelief on their countenances. Principal Hamilton frowned at what he said, and was the first one to speak up right after Hiatus ended his narration.


    " I think your memory has been seriously damaged, Hiatus, for I am sure what you have just revealed certainly must have not transpired. There could not be any demon in the forest."


    " I know what I see, Principal Hamilton. It was a demon, I''m sure of my memory."


    "Hiatus," said Principal Xixin. " I think what Hamilton said is correct, your memory has been messed up. There was no demon."


    Hiatus frowned, turning to Aria and Jake. They both shook their heads.


    " Come on, you guys, you felt it too right? That Demex? If it is not a demon then what can it be?"


    " It is our experiment. I apologize, Xixin, for hiding it from you. Summoners have recently developed a new contraption allowing us to imitate the Demex, what you three felt must have been it. We were activating it, and the effects went overboard."


    " Now that is just nonsense. How the heck did you even bring that kind of contraption into this city without any one of us knowing?"


    Principal Xixin glared at him." Hiatus, watch your language, and Hamilton, I think you have a lot to explain to me later."


    " There are traces of that thing. The footprints, and the paralyzed animals too."


    "No such thing, Hiatus. We searched around, no footprint, and all the forests dwellers were doing just fine." Principal Hamilton said, shaking his head,


    " My dagger, I stabbed it with my dagger. There must be blood on it!"


    "We found the dagger, Hiatus. No blood."


    "And must I say how unbelievable this story is from the very start," said Principal Hamilton." You told us that the demon was a steel level, then how did you even manage to catch up with it, and even injure it with your dagger? The star of your institution, Aria Tansine, was paralyzed by it, and there you were playing the role of the hero. The Demon did not exist, Hiatus, and your memory is messed up."


    Hiatus could not reply, for if he were to answer Hamilton, things would get even more unbelievable. He could only ask another question.


    " But then why was I unconscious? If it was not the Demon, what was it?"


    "It was a kind of pollen we found in the vicinity of your body. It causes hallucination and possible loss of consciousness. It''s from the Syphilis fungus. You must have inhaled too much."


    Hiatus stared at everyone around him. He knew this discussion was not going in his favor, and ending it was the best choice.


    " I see. So that was it. I must have been confused. Sorry, I just... need to rest. I need to clear mind." He said, glancing at Aria,


    Mrs. Matilda was waiting forever for that sentence.  She quickly chased everyone out, telling them to stop the untimely interrogation.


    Aria returned a minute later, having picked up the signal from Hiatus previously. Mrs. Matilda was not amused, but let her in at Hiatus''s request. She sat down next to Hiatus.


    " Aria, you must trust me. The demon, it existed." said Hiatus with an insisting intonation.


    Aria pulled the blanket over him." Calm down, Hiatus. I trust you, I just did not want to alert people in that room."


    "Really? You do? And not alerting who?" Hiatus said, kicking the blanket.


    "Principal Hamilton, duh! He was hiding something, obviously. His story is much more of a mumbo jumbo than yours. No offense." Aria pulled the blanket again, glaring at him.


    " Ok, what is wrong with the story?"


    "That contraption! Really, how convenient for them to test it when we are in that forest, and how convenient that only the three of us felt it and no one else. And old man Hamilton is much suspicious, hiding the existence of that thing, if it truly exists, from principal Xixin."


    "But is it true that there was no trace?"


    Aria nodded. She pulled her chair closer to Hiatus and lowered her voice.


    "It is true. Not a single abnormality was found. I know what you are thinking, but principal Hamilton and the summoners did not erase the traces. There was not enough time. It took me less than 3 minutes at full speed to reach the Institution and another two to find and inform everyone. We got back in 5 minutes, and the summoners were lagging behind. The hunters were there first, Hiatus. We immediately searched for you, and the summoners arrived 4 minutes later. Ten minutes, Hiatus, for your story to happen, and for us to reach the forest. Who could have erased all traces, healed all the animals, chased after you and that Demon then knocked you unconscious during that while, and finally escaped and erased their own presence with us closely tailing behind? No one, Hiatus, no one that we know of. The summoners were too late, and we all know there was only that one demon, not to mention there was no way  the demons could heal the animals and the birds. And Hunters, last time I check, healing is not really our cup of tea either. One last thing, I was there too, Hiatus, I was there when you were found, and no blood was found on the dagger. Someone was there before us, faster than us, much faster."


    " You are beginning to make me question the credibility of my own story." Hiatus shook his head.


    " At first, I questioned it too. But I just know that the story of Principal Hamilton is full of holes and assumptions, not to mention his change of attitude. He was genuinely worried when he heard the news. But the a while later, he was so indifferent and cold. I find it strange."


    "Hamilton is hiding something. And I doubt the demon is all that he conceals."


    " Yes, I agree with you."


    " And there is one thing I''m worried about: the demon, it is humanoid. "


    Aria gasped, eyes wide open." A demonized Hunter?"


    "Very possible so. And the traces I found, its footprints, no presence of claws, not much difference in size and shape compared to Hunters. Not yet. "


    "That thing  transformed recently? But it was a Steel, how can..."


    "Aria, do you think one of us here at the institution was that Demonized thing?" Hiatus asked, clenching his fists.


    " No, I don''t..."


    "Aria?"


    "No, I.. don''t believe. Why do you ask?" Aria also clenched her fists.


    " I told you, that creature, it was afraid. I think it was afraid of its own power, like an apprentice Hunter could not deal with his new found power."


    Aria''s eyes slowly grew fixed on Mirilad.


    " Aria? Are you ok?" asked Hiatus as he noticed Aria''s blank stare.


    The voice of Hiatus brought Aria back to reality.


    " Yeah, I''m okay. I  don''t want to keep discussing this matter. Take a rest, I''m returning to class. I''ve been skipping a lot recently." Aria stood up, heading for the door.


    Hiatus stared at Aria. He nodded. " Okay, see you later then."


    " One more thing, Hiatus, I want to make sure of: how did you catch up with and injure a Steel Demon?" asked Aria, her hand lingering on the doorknob.


    "What? I..."


    Aria waited for a few seconds for the silence to sink in.


    " Forget it, you need a rest, not another question. Just assume I have never asked that."


    Hiatus cleared his throat as he watched his friend leave the infirmary. He turned his eyes on Mirilad, looming not so far away from him, harboring a demon on the loose.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The two principals entered the forest once more for the purpose of observing the contraption Hamilton mentioned. Hamilton walked in the front with Xixin behind him. He could felt the stare of his friend on his back.


    " The contraption- what contraption? That contraption. To imitate the Aura." the thoughts inside Hamilton''s head mingled into a pile of incoherency. Voices blew through his mind. "That contraption did not exist, no it did. But where? Where? Deep inside."


    Hamilton did not even know where he was heading, but his feet kept moving like someone was dragging them along against his will. Something was waiting for him there. He knew, but at the same time he did not.


    And there it was, the contraption, shredded to pieces, its parts scattered.


    "Is that it?" Xixin asked, frowning.


    " What is it? What is he asking? The contraption? I don''t know"


    "Yes, it is that contraption." Hamilton said.


    "I see. Why is it in this state?"


    "I don''t know."


    "You don''t know?"


    Hamilton shook his head.


    " I do not know anything" the voices whispered again.

 Chapter 6: Preparation for the contest

    As  a matter of fact, what happened in the forest was kept a secret by everyone involved. The  contraption was found and presented to people who needed to confirm its existence. Hiatus stared at it for quite a while, contemplating its dubious function. He wondered if Hamilton had this planned from the beginning. He grew even more suspicious of the summoner  and of Mirilad and intended to enter forest once more to continue his investigation, but access to the forest was no longer available. Principal Xixin had forbidden everyone from traversing Mirilad, and ordered dozens of sentry drones to make sure no one disobeyed. Young hunters and summoners laughed, frowned and pointed at the robotic security guards, only to be silenced when one robot transformed its arm into a 7-feet sword.


    Aria also had become more absent-minded after that day. She was frequently found lost in thought and when Hiatus called out to her, she always startled. He would ask her of her well-being, and she would answer that she was fine, only to repeat the same action later on. He was quite certain what she asked him earlier contributed to the condition. He felt guilty, but not enough to reveal to her the answer.


    The contest would take place in the mid of October, and September was passing in haste. Young hunters of the institution began to overlook various subjects and invest more time in sparring lessons. Miss Hannah was frustrated by their attitude, but she also understood them, so no extra homework was given. Aidan, on the other hand, took advantage of his class'' uprising popularity and put the students through a training course harsher than ever before. He yelled at them even more than usual for trivial things, gave more punishment and prolonged the time of his period. All students endured for the sake of the contest.


    Two days after the incident in Mirilad, hunters had their first midterm exam for sparring. Principal Xixin agreed to unlock the gymnasium on Marsianos 4th and 5th floor. Summoners also gathered to watch their Hunters friend perform.


    The gymnasium was a duplication of the Roman Colosseum, save for all the wires and screens and control panels surrounding the arena. Aidan stood behind a panel, speaking through a speaker.


    " Karen Spencer, stop talking and get on the arena, right now!"


    Every student plugged their ears as Aidan yelled.


    Hiatus and Aria sat near the arena. Watching their schoolmates fight was their hobby.


    "   Lead, Gold, Copper , Plantinum, Glass.- which level?"


    " Blue Platinum, sir." Karen answered, flipping her  platinum hair." Suits my hair."


    Two humanoid robots helped Karen put on a V.R.A- Virtual Response Armor. Done with their job, they quickly left the stage as a virtual Platinum Ursute- a demon with the head of a bear and an overmusculer body, its throbbing veins the size of a full-grown man''s thumbs, appeared on the stage.


    " Fight!"


    The Ursute bared its teeth, growling. Karen took one step back, lowering her sword.


    The two opponents charged at each other simultaneously. Karen''s sword ran through the Ursute''s leg, while its punch hit her shoulder. The V.R.A flared up, as its shoulder piece turned red, accompanied by a loud "bip" sound. Karen winced as she lost control of her arm.


    " Internal bleeding, dislocated shoulder, premature hyperventilation, potential consciousness loss in 5 minutes." The V.R.A notified.


    " And the best A.I award goes to." Karen rolled her eyes.


    Hiatus clicked his tongue. " Come on, you can do it."


    " Platinum Ursute, impressive." Miss Hannah said as she sat down next to him.


    " Miss, you don''t have a class?" asked Hiatus


    The teacher sighed." Aidan asked me to give him a full day. An exchange."


    " For what?" asked Hiatus.


    " I asked him to let Wander off the hook. Aidan was ready to fail him. "He shall not pass!" Can you believe him?"


    " I can. He just... Cut its other leg! He does not like Wander."


    Miss Hannah clapped as Karen cut the Ursute''s remaining leg. It roared, slammed its arms down and started to spin its body.


    " I''m worried about the three of you. Well, two of you. Aria is prepared for the next 10 years of her life at least. Hiatus, you are a good combatant, but you are not doing so well in other subjecs. You score a Steel on the lastest History-Politics exams, and I''m glad. But you are failing when it comes to other subjects. A gold on Demonology! At this rate, you can fail the Penultimate Trial."


    Aria exited her silent mode as soon as she heard the teacher''s last sentence. " He can''t. I will help him with other subjects. And Wander too. We will graduate together."


    " Good recovery speed, left arm functional, stabilized breathing."


    Summoners and hunters shouted, encouraging Karen. Jonathan shouted he loudest.


    "I have no doubt that Hiatus can do it. Though for Wander, it may take... more than your help. They boy is falling behind with more than 50% of the subjects."


    " He''s trying his best. I know it!" Aria''s eyes flared up." He wil become a good hunter. He will be."


    Hiatus leaned backs, his arms folded, his eyes drooped. He murmured." No."


    The Ursute''s spin attack reached Karen.


    " Mutilation. Damage beyond recovery. Death."


    ________________________________________________________


    Aria and Hiatus effortlessly passed the exam. The latter got a Steel, while the former got an Iron. Right after the exam, Aidan made all students train harder, since half of them failed.


    Practicing, though, was not the most exhaustive work during this period. The students had to help construct the contest arena, build ticket booth, decorate the school and advertise the contest. Principal Xixin placed much importance on the advertising part, and constantly reminded  his "dear students" of the meaningful purpose of kindling the friendship between the Hunters and the Summoners. Everyone, of course, was aware of the potentially "meaningful" amount of money this contest would generate. It would allow him to buy even more virtual demon models, and his students liked that. They wanted to see an Iron and Steel demon up close.


    Hiatus and Aria belonged to the construction team, and had to spend all of their afterschool time in Marsianos building a contraption whose function baffled them. Still they felt lucky, for many of their schoolmates had to learn flowery language for the sake of welcoming guests from other cities. Principal Xixin wanted them to talk like "true ladies and gentlemen."


    " I just do not understand," asked Hiatus, carrying a steel rod." Why are we the ones that have to handle all this... stuffs. Aren''t the summoners supposed to do the heavy work with their magical telekinesis?"


    Hiatus let out an "urg" sound from his throat as he glanced over the lidless cans of paint, piles of metallic grid, dozens of steel stanchion leaning against the wall and construction tools scattered on the ground.


    "Telekinesis is an advanced spell, Hiatus. In fact, from what I have heard, none of the summoner here can cast it." Aria answered.


    " The heck? Isn''t telekinesis the most basis spell?"


    "I beg to differ," said Jake as he approached Hiatus and Aria with Victor. "That spell is beyond most, if not all, of summoners, and  other arcane practitioners, one of the Deific Spells, contrary to the popular belief that lifting an object is the most basis of all. Wingardium Leviosa- more than just those words."


    "Okay, then at least you can, like, use wind or earth or something to lift these freaking huge poles and bricks up right?" Hiatus asked.


    " Yes, we can, hunter," said Victor, his nostrils flaring. " But our spell is not for such crude purpose. You hunters suit the job much better."


    " Yeah, whatever.  Can you be useful and contributing now? Or is that too crude for you?"


    "Good one, Hiatus." said Jake, smiling." What? You must admit he had a point, Victor."


    " You will not get away with this, Sovanno." Victor snarled as he walked away.


    Jake''s eyes followed Victor until he vanished into a crowd that was decorating the walls.


    " Thank you for chasing him away. I feel uncomfortable with him around. "


    "Is he like.. your friend?" Hiatus said, climing up a ladder.


    Jake shook his head. " Heck no.  He is one nasty dude, experimenting his spells on lots of animals, for no good reason. But let''s talk of him no more, I''m not liking it."


    " Sure." Hiatus shrugged."Aria, can you throw me that hammer? Aria? Hey girl, that nail is pretty much dead from all that hitting."


    " Is she ok? She doesn''t look well." Jake asked, staring at Aria.


    " She has been like this since that incident." Hiatus caught the hammer.


    Jake stared at the hammer, then glanced at Hiatus." Talking about that incident,  I see that you''ve recovered. You''re lucky, overexposure to Hyptilis fungus can have more disastrous consequences. I shouldn''t have suggested that trip to the forest. I put us all in danger."


    " Not your fault. It was my decision to venture further. Can you pass me that bottle?"


    "You have no idea." Jake cleared his throat, handing Hiatus the bottle."Hey, I... agree that a demon was in the forest that day. Now that I think about it, I have more reasons to trust you than Principal Hamilton."


    Hiatus did not reply. He just could not fully trust Jake yet. This might as well be a trap, a gimmick from Hamilton to make sure whether he had truly rejected the idea of a demon.


    " That machine, whatever it''s called, I don''t think we summoners invent it. The staff and the students of my school aren''t aware of its existence. Principal Hamilton did not keep secrets from that many people. Not this kind of secret."


    Jake continued. " My friends still don''t know about the Mirilad Incident, but they know about the machine. It is a tourist attraction now. Sadly it does not help much with the investigation."


    " Have you found out who destroyed that?"


    " No. The destruction was caused by a strong physical force, or possibly a air type-2 of magic. To be able to penetrate two layers of anti-magic protection, that magic user must have been powerful. In case a purely physical force destroyed it, we are clueless. We cannot deduce the anti-force characteristics of the machine from its remains."


    " You guys don''t notify the Round Table?"


    "Principal Hamilton deemed it unnecessary. He doesn''t want to deal with... Dessina." Jake shivered.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.            " Any more reasons for you to not believe your principal?" Hiatus glanced at Jake.


    " Yes, but it''s just a gut feeling. His behaviors these days are  untypical of him. I know he is old and all, but his age does not render him dull or senile. Yet recently he is always distracted and neglectful."


    " Are you implying he has been taken over by something, or he has just got really old?" Hiatus hit a nail with all of his strength.


    " I''m afraid the former is more likely."


    " When I look at the wrinkles on his face I''m afraid both is equally likely."


    Jake shrugged." I will watch him more closely. It''s not like there is anything I can do at the moment, but I want to make sure nothing escapes my sight."


    " You seem too invested in this stuff for a student you know?"


    " I learned it from my family, mostly my brother. And I think we all have that side in us, right Hiatus?"


    Having finished hitting the last nail, Hiatus climbed down the ladder. He looked at Jake as the cold expression on his face turned into a smirk.


    " I think you are right. We all have that side."


    The stare contest went on for a few seconds before Aria decided to disrupt it.


    " I''m done. I''m leaving first." said the girl as she put down a wrench.


    "You''re not feeling well?"  asked Hiatus.


    " Hiatus, for the 10th time of the day, I am very well. I just want to leave." Aria said, her voice gradually rising.


    " Okay, okay, please, do leave!"


    Aria sighed then walked away from the boys.


    "Something is bothering her." Jake frowned.


    " Please don''t make obvious statements."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Hannah''s finger traced the list of name. After a while, she looked up. " Mr. Xixin, all the invitation letters have been sent. We received immediate affirmative responses from 10 guests." said Hannah.


    "Is Veritas one of them?"


    " He is."


    "The other two?"


    "No."


    Xixin tapped on his desk."Shame, if all three of them are here it may boost the ticket sales. The youngsters are crazy about them. "


    " No summoners will come?" asked Hannah.


    "According to Hamilton, no."


    Principal Xixin''s office was a spacious room with little furniture, only an antiquated wooden office desk placed opposite to  the door, a few comfy chairs and a huge vintage bookshelf few meters behind the desk. Aside from those, scattering pieces of metals and broken weapons filled the room. To walk around the room without causing the annoying noise of metals banging against each other was a nearly impossible task. Perhaps it was his intention to use the mess as a kind of alarm or anti-thief trap.


    " So, about the security system, I assume you invite all the captains not just to attract young hunters, but also to use them as some kind of extra  measure? To have them here would be safer for everyone?" asked Hannah.


    "Yes, they''re competent warriors. But they are the last resorts: I don''t want to face the threat, I want to prevent it. Stop the demons from entering the contest is still the top-notch solution. "


    " The spell cast by Hamilton is not enough?"


    " No. After what happened, I don''t think it is enough."


    "You think there was a demon?" Hannah frowned.


    " Not really. It''s just... Hamilton is not himself lately. That worried me."


    " Then shouldn''t we call this off?"


    Xixin sprung up from his seat, startling Hannah. " Call it off? This is the most important phase of our dream. If this succeeds, other schools will follow our examples, young hunters and summoners will have a harmonious future, and no more Cold Decade, no more political marriages, no more weapon race, no more deaths!"


    Hannah stared at Xixin with eyes wide open. The principal, finally aware of his explosive reaction, sat down. " Ah, I mean, we invested too much money, we can''t call this off."


    Hannah bit her lips. She nodded, and changed the topic.


    "What is his excuse for bring that machine to our school without advance notice?"


    " Well, he said that he did not want anyone to find out yet about that demonic technology. Said it might cause serious misunderstanding. He never thought someone would be in the forest during the experiment."


    Hannah frowned at the principal. She did not want his friendship with principal Hamilton to be spoiled. The two had been one of the reasons Summoners and Hunters became much  friendlier recently. If even they fell out, the tension between the two species would undoubtedly increase. She recalled what happened in the Cold Decade, shaking her head.


    " Back to the matter at hand,  what shall we do about security? I doubt those sentry drones are enough. The school budget is insufficient for more purchases.


    " Maybe we should use our own resources?" Xixin smirked.


    "No sir, I do not think we should use students as scouts." Hannah replied in a robotic voice.


    " Oh come on, humans do it all the time."


    "We both know their scouts  don''t have to fight 10-feet creatures."


    "It will not be that dangerous of a job. We aren''t 100% sure that the Demons will attack.  Besides, they youngsters have been training all their life for combat, they''re ready. I bet they will be thrilled."


    " They are not ready." Hannah said, doubting herself as she thought of her students'' faces.


    " Remember how it used to be, Hannah? I joined the battlefield when I was their age, and you killed your first Demon when you was 14! Are you underestimating them?"


    Hannah was annoyed when Xixin mentioned her first kill. She hated to argue, and she knew that the principal had already made the decision before he even mentioned it. His sparkling eyes made hers roll.


    " Let''s just put our faith in them then." she said, sighing.


    " Excellent, can I trust you to pick for me the members of this patrol team?"


    " Yes, yes you can." Hannah rolled her eyes. " And by the way, for all the extra work, I want a raise."


    " You can''t be serious."


    "Yes, yes I can."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Afflia- the most expensive building of the Xixin Institution- was not restricted to being a place for socialization or for solving external affairs. It could also serve as a kind of 3-star hotel for honored guests of the institution. In fact, 9 out of 12 floors of Afflia served this purpose, and during this time, the summoners were its temporary occupants.


    Inside Principal Hamilton''s room, students were gossiping until he ceased writing his paper and turned his attention to them.


    " We have already set up three new layers, sir!" said one student." You can be at ease, sir, there is no way the demon can infiltrate the institution without us knowing.  They cannot even enter Mirilad!"


    " Good job. I am proud of you." said Hamilton in a dull voice.


    " Sir, is there anything else we can do? You still seem dissatisfied."


    " No, I''m just tired." Hamilton rubbed his eyes.


    " Sir, maybe we can give you a check-up? Just a simple spell and..."


    " No, no, I don''t need that. Just buy me some painkiller." Hamilton waved his hand.


    " Sir, you have always promoted the use of therapeutic spells..."


    "Can you just buy it?" Hamilton said as if he was shouting.


    The students were startled by his outburst. They quickly left the room. Some unlucky ones got the job of buying the painkiller.


    Hamilton lied in his bed and tried to clear his head. The headache emerged and worsened after that Mirilad Incident. Just a few days before he was just fine. He struggled to recall what happened a few days back and a few weeks earlier. The memories insides his head became so blurry.


    " Good morning, Hamilton. My name is...."


    He could not remember the name, he could not even remember who said that sentence. Something had become very wrong with his memory.


    " Principal Hamilton!" a student barged into the room yelling. "The contraption..."


    Hamilton did not even need to hear the rest. He already felt what had happened to that..thing.


    "It''s gone, sir."


    " The students? The staff guarding it?"


    " Sir, no one remembers a thing."


    His headache just worsened.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Within Mirilad, a figure took out an orb, from which a robotic voice came." Did it reach you?"


    " Yes. It''s ready." The figure answered, smiling as the machine nearby emitted faint burst of Demex.

 Chapter 7: The Rising Tension

    To Hiatus, it was a normal morning like every other days, except for the fact that Aria was there before him. Usually, he would be the first of the three to finish the test, then Aria would  2 minutes later, and finally Wander. Hiatus suddenly realized he had not seen or heard from Wander for weeks. He wondered if Aria was being bothered by this fact. The girl was standing beneath the oak, staring into emptiness, her fingers curling her hair. Her usual stubborn cheerfulness was no more, replace by a silent graveness.


    Hiatus greeter her first, and she smiled at him in return. Today they walked much slower than usual, weighed down by their own uneasiness.


    " Aria, you have to tell me what is going on."


    " This again? Hiatus, my concern is nothing important." Aria said, looking down.


    "You expect me to buy that? It''s important enough to make you like this. You have had that dull face for days!"


    " Maybe it''s that time of the month, don''t you think?"


    " What? Ew, really, you go that far to make me shut up?" Hiatus winced.


    " Guys?"


    The voice of their long-time-no-see friend startled them both, and they turned towards him immediately. Wander''s silver eyes glowed behind his hair curls.


    Hiatus grinned, approaching Wander, punching his arm before putting on a serious face.


    He cleared his throat. "Where have you been?"


    " At home." said Wander, smiling." How have you been?"


    " Well, aside from all that extra training and extra preparation work, we are doing quite well. Right, Aria?"


    The girl did not greet Wander nor say anything to him. She just stood in silence observing him.


    "Did you get taller?" she finally asked, much to the surprise of Hiatus and Wander.


    "No, I.. don''t know." Wander stuttered


    Hiatus frowned."I think she''s right, you did get taller. Weird ,I used to be 4 inches taller. Now, only 2, about that. How did you do that?"


    "You have to ask? I''m a late bloomer." Wander forced a smile.


    " Well, good for you. Just don''t catch up with me too quickly."


    "I think we should talk while walking. We do not want to be late, right?" Aria suggested


    " Yep. Wait, Wander, you passed the test with that little time? Wow, you really improved."


    "Ha-ha, I guess." Wander scratched his head, glancing at Aria and noticed that she was glancing at him too." Hey, after school, do you guys want to hang out?"


    "Sure, it''s been so long. Aria?"


    The girl stared at her friends for a while, then replied in the affirmative.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Dry leaves had completely covered Hunter Hill. On the way to school, Hiatus informed Wander of all the changes and events that had taken place during his absence, deliberately leaving out the Mirilad incident. Wander attentively listened while Aria had no reaction. Hiatus was not oblivious, he could feel that there were invisible walls among the three of them, as their conversation now consisted of  one speaker, one listener and one person with a whatever attitude, contrary to before while all three of them would talk and listen simultaneously. He suspected that something had happened between Aria and Wander behind his back, but resisted the urge to ask them directly.


    When they arrived at school, Wander seemed unfazed by all the grandiose banners, balloons, statues and other decorative ornaments meticulously set up by his peers. He just kept walking like nothing had changed, and ignored all the Hunters pointing at him, "introducing" him to the summoners. Hiatus glared at them, effectively shutting their mouths.


    " Monday, which classes do we have today again?" asked Wander.


    " Well, Historical Politics, and Sparring. Sparring for four period."  said Hiatus.


    " What? Why? Oh yeah, that upcoming contest. I already hate today." Wander weakly smiled.


    " Do not worry. The summoners will join us, so it will be much more fun."


    " I hope so. I don''t want anything happen during the sparring lesson."


    When the trio entered their classrooms, the presence of Wander immediately made them stand out.


    " Look who''s back?" Jonathan said with a smug. "Want some more, little Wander?"


    " Leave him alone, Jonathan. Keep your mouth shut, also. Help the world a bit." said Hiatus.


    " Ha, I forgot that he has the best bodyguards here. So scary, hiding behind your friends. Coward!"


    Wander frowned, but did not bother to retort. He silently went back to his seat and waited for the class to start. Miss Hannah arrived a few minutes later, surprised by his return and expressed her joy. She also congratulated Wander on his timely presence and asked of his health. Realizing that she was putting the boy under the spotlight against his will, she quickly started the lesson.


    Throughout the period, Hiatus observed his two friends. Wander was looking at the blackboard but his head was obviously up in the air. Aria was looking out of the window again. They just remained in that state for the rest of the period, isolating themselves from the atmosphere of the class. Hiatus let out a long sigh, feeling frustrated by the apathy of his two friends. At times, Miss Hannah looked at him, then glancing at his two friends. In return, Hiatus just shook his head.


    When the bell rang, every student enthusiastically left the classroom and header for the Marsianos Building. Noticing Wander''s hesitance, Hiatus patted his back and nodded at him. Wander nodded back, and the two headed for Marsianos.


    Upon arrival, they were overwhelmed by the shouting and the chatting. Most conversations involved praises for the stadium. This in-house structure on the 12th floor was  of 1.2 ha with one large arena at the center and could contain up to 5000 people. It was called Battleworld, and was the most exclusive area of the institution, only available for access when big-scale events took place.  Principal Xixin decided that he wanted the students to experience the arena firsthand before the big day, so Battleworld was opened a week before the contest.


    It took the two a while to locate their friend.  Aria was standing with Jake, inquiring into the contraption she and Hiatus helped build the other day


    "Aria, you will know it sooner or later. In fact, I think today you all will be introduced to it, just wait and see. Look, Hiatus is here. And ... is that Wander?"


    Wander was in the same state of confusion as Jake. He rarely saw his friends talking that intimately with anyone before.  Before long, the two was introduced to each other, and Jake shook Wander''s hand with much enthusiasm, saying he had been eager to meet Aria and Hiatus''s best friend.


    "I am very glad too. So you are Jake Malton."


    " Oh, you know me? Someone told me about you?"


    " Yes."Wander smiled as he said.


    " May I ask the name of this person?"


    " Sorry, but I can''t tell."


    "Ah, what a shame. Now one more mystery to tire me out."


    The four continued their talk by discussing the upcoming contest, until the voice of Principal Xixin echoed throughout the stadium, forcing them to stop and return to their respective seats.


    " Welcome to Battleworld, Hunters and Summoners! I must say that I''m very thrilled of your presence at this place today, because as you have known, Battleworld is only accessible when events of the highest importance and publicity take place. Therefore, you must know how much I value the upcoming contest to have this prepared for it. Are you impressed with this place?"


    The principal''s question was met with a loud cry from the audience, unanimously shouting yes.


    " Thank you, thank you. And now, to not waste our precious time any longer, let me present to you: The Shield!"


    All the metal pillars surrounding the arena emitted waves of lustrous light- illuminating the whole place. From the bottoms of these pillars, indecipherable symbols ( to most of the Hunters only) emerged and covered them, gathering at their tops to conceive light beams that shot at the sky, enveloping the whole arena in a glass-like layer. The whole stadium burst into a round of applause, and Jake threw a satisfying and proud smile at his Hunter friends.


    " I can feel his smile hit my face." Hiatus smiled, shaking his head.


    " This Shield, one of the most advanced and flamboyant area defensive spell, was developed by excellent students of the Hamilton School. It guarantees that all the destruction caused by battles will be contained in the layer, and instead of spreading to the audience, it will be consigned to the empty air above. Who knows, maybe after the contest, we will have a lot of free delicious fried birds, don''t you think?


    Awkward laughter surfaced somewhere then quickly died down.


    " Ok, no Xixin Fried Bird for any of you then. Anyhow, as you all know, Principal Hamilton and I have a little talk, and we decided that today Summoners and Hunters would join this sparring class together. Let''s just think of it as a rehearsal before the real thing. Now can I hear some passionate battle cry?"


    The principal''s request received overwhelming response, and the whole institution was drowned in earsplitting screams. The summoners even shoot fireballs in the sky for dramatic effects, and various hunters, eerily simultaneously, activated their demonic form, heating up, literally and figuratively, the air.


    " Oh my, this is beyond my expectation! Ok, so any volunteers?"


    The commotion vanished in the blink of an eye. No student was enough of a fool to show off their power to their rivals before the big game. And lots of them also suffered from crowd anxiety.


    " Oh my, this is within my expectation!" Principal Xixin grinned devilishly. "Well, as a wise man once said, when democracy fails, tyranny prevails!"


    The principal pushed a button, and the seats of the students emitted the "bip,bip" sound.


    " There will be two seats chosen. Two random lucky students will be testing the new system today. Brace yourself, my dear!"


    The seats in the stadium started to stop bipping one by one, accompanied by a sigh of relief from their owners. Those who had been safe gleefully looked around searching for the unlucky.


    " Hiatus, I think I am going to puke." said Wander, excessively sweating.


    " Wander, calm down. There are over  3000 students here. The chance of you being chosen is 1/3000. Do not panic."


    Despite Hiatus'' assurance, Wander began to hyperventilate and violently tremble. His heart beat so hard he feared others could hear the sound.


    " No, I cannot take this. I am leaving!"


    " Wait, Wander!"


    The moment Wander stood up, all the bip sound in the stadium disappeared except for the one from his seat, and the spotlight was on him.


    "Oh, my trap has¡ª" Principal Xixin could not finish his sentence. He looked at Wander in horror, as every Hunter who knew Wander well enough in the stadium.


    The stadium went silent. Wander fell back onto his seat, kicking it with his heels.


    " Stop bipping, you chair! Hiatus, I am really going to puke."


    "Calm down, Wander. Your opponent, let''s hope¡ª"


    The second spotlight appeared, and the chosen one was Jonathan Miller. He intentionally stood up. The crowd went wild.


    "That son of a... Wander, puke! Right now! Puke till you pass out!" Hiatus said in a low voice.


    " I can''t, I lost the urge. Is it bad if I force my finger down my throat?"


    " Just.. don''t. Ahhh, go there, to the arena, and give your best shot."


    " Hiatus, we cannot let him go there." said Aria." Use your finger, Hiatus!"


    "Are you even serious, Aria?" Hiatus said, showing his teeth.


    " Wander, step up! To the arena, now!" Principal Xixin said. Even he looked like he wanted to make Wander puke." Jonathan is not patient."


    Out of option, Wander reluctantly walked towards the arena as slowly as possible, trying to delay the inevitable. Everyone was watching. He looked back at his friends: Hiatus was giving him a thumb up. Wander nodded in reply with determination.


    " No, no, no, no." Aria violently shook her head.


    " You are making me more nervous Aria. Just be calm. Jonathan will not dare to injure Wander that much again, and Wander can surrender if.. when things get nasty for him."


    Hiatus had no idea what Aria was truly worried about.


    Jonathan and Wander stood on the arena, face to face. Their expression was contrary. While Jonathan was smirking with arrogance, Wander was frowning with anxiety. The former had his arms crossed confidently on chest, while the latter was fidgeting frantically.


    The difference in body language, in power, and the history between the two enticed the audience. They were ready to see Wander beaten to a pulp.


    " Ok, so I guess, this is it. The battle that we have not been waiting for!" Principal Xixin shook his head." Fight!"


    Jonathan charged at Wander.


    " I surrender!" Wander yelled. " I surrender!"


    The stadium, just seconds ago full of shouting, went silent . Everybody just stared at Wander with mouths still open.  Hiatus could only murmured "what", while Aria sighed in relief.


    The whole stadium then burst into a wave of brutal laughter. Hunters and Summoners alike pointed at Wander, disparaging him with the most vitriolic words they can think of. Principal Xixin still had his mouth open, failing to accept what just happened. Only after a few minutes could he agree to Wander''s plead.


    " Hey coward! Last time at least you did not run!" Jonathan shouted at Wander." How much more of a loser can you get?"


    The shield went down, allowing Wander to leave. He wasted not a second.


    " With no one to cower behind you show your true colour. Do not run, dog! Your wiggling tail is showing!"


    The audience laughed in agreement with Jonathan. The booed at Wander. Loud voices from the audience could be heard.


    " See, I told you all! He is a total loser! No that would be an insult to all loser."


    " What an embarrassment. Now the summoners see the our ugly side!"


    Wander walked with his head down, his whole body shaking and his fist clenched. He did not look at his two friends and immediately left Batteworld, leaving behind a ruckus of never-before-seen proportion.


    Hiatus was still speechless. He could not believe Wander could give up that soon.


    " How could he? Aria, do you..."


    Aria was no longer in her seat. She left during the commotion.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander dragged his body along the hall and down the stairs. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.


    Aria was waiting for him on the first floor. She looked deeply concerned, but not condescending.


    " Wander, that decision you made back there, it required a lot of bravery." She said, much to the surprise of Wander.


    " Really? You really think so?" Wander answered in relief. He was worried she would pity him, that she would say things like " It''s ok, I understand".


    Aria nodded. She approached Wander and signaled him to join her for a walk.


    The schoolyard was devoid of people, and Wander liked that. He only needed Aria. He was afraid because this morning she seemed so distant, but now she was truly being his friend again. He smiled at the idyllic falling leaves.


    " I''ve been worried about you. You''ve never been absent for this long. "


    " I''m sorry for not being in touch. I just needed some time alone." said Wander as he silently thanked Aria for not talking about what happened at Battleworld.


    " I know. I''m not guilt-tripping you. I just feel quite relieved right now, seeing you still in shape."


    " Well, I worked out indoor." Wander grinned.


    " And even got taller! Seriously, Wander, which brand of mild do you use? Talk, right now." Aria playfully raise her tone.


    " No, not milk! I am a late bloomer! Soon, the world will know of my beauty." said Wander as he spread his arms wide open.


    Aria chuckled.


    " So, you really are doing well, huh?"


    " Yes, I am doing very well."


    "Schoolwork?"


    " I will catch up in no time."


    "Compensative treat for Hiatus and me?"


    " This evening!"


    "The wound on your shoulder?"


    " It has already healed."


    Wander suddenly felt a chill sent down his spine. Something was wrong. He turned to look at Aria, and her cold eyes penetrated his soul. No more smiling, just an expressionless visage that frightened him more than the angry faces of anyone. Suddenly, at that moment, he understood. Aria had suspected everything from the very beginning.


    " What happened to your shoulder?" She knew, but still she asked.


    Wander was at a loss for word. He was sweating profusely,  even more than before. He was on the verge of crying.


    " Aria, I... The wound..."


    "Who stabbed you?"


    Wander could feel his knees weakened, he felt like breaking down.


    " Who stabbed you, Wander?" she asked with an even colder voice.


    Wander utilized every ounce of his strength to utter one of the names he had always liked to call out


    " Hiatus." He looked down, shaken to the core, ready for the dead silence that followed his answer.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    At first, it was numb. True emptiness. But then, Aria could feel something broken, then that feeling invading her whole body. The world around her crumbled, and she let out an inner shout. Finally, emptiness again.


    Her plans for the three of them to graduate together, all gone now. The past few days she had struggled to delete the worst scenario from her mind, and here it was, manifesting itself in front of her eyes, staring at her.


    She stared at Wander, feeling repulsive, feeling hurt, feeling betrayed. She inhaled deeply, her eyes closed, unable to think of anything to say. She bit her lips, and cried.


    Tears streamed down her face, and Wander noticed. He instinctively raised his hand in an attempt to comfort her, but rejected the idea, realizing he was the sourced of Aria''s anguish.  They just stood there for minutes, one crying, one not. Finally, Aria wiped her tears with her sleeve,  and raised her head.


    " Look at me, Wander."


    Wander of course could not deny the request.


    " You can die, right now. Do you know that? Just one test, and your head will fly off your neck."


    Wander could not reply.


    " My duty, and Hiatus''s too, as  hunters, is to kill you on the spot. You know that right?"


    Wander nodded. Demonization equalled death, ever hunter knew.


    " Then why are you here? Why did you not run away?"


    " I was planning to, today, after I hang out with you guys. I... want to see you guys and be with you before I leave."


    Aria shook her head, her face twisted into a grimace. She could already saw all the bad endings that might befall Wander.


    " You, you.. messed up big time! No, no, this is an irreparable mistake. Wander, you,.." Aria was seething. "You moron!"


    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry." Wander trembled.


    " Stop apologizing! I have to stay calm."


    Aria held her head with both hands. She felt like she could split her own head in two. It was always like this. People assumed she must be the most calm, level-headed of the three, while Wander was truly the one matching that description, too matching in fact. If anything, Aria knew her emotion outburst was not much behind Hiatus''s. She was just better at regaining composure. Wander, aware of that, just looked at her helplessly as she walked back and forth.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.            " Hiatus needs to know this" She finally said.


    " No, he can''t! He will kill me, Aria!"


    "This is not your decision to make Wander! You made one on your own and it was a terrible one! Hiatus will know of this, and let us pray he will only kill you when he knows!"


    Wander trembled violently, thinking of his other friend''s reaction.


    " Look, I will not let him kill you, ok? But he needs to know, we need him to help you escape!"


    Wander looked at Aria with eyes wide open.


    " Did you say you will help me escape?"


    "Yes! Oh demon, what the hell am I saying?" Aria walked around with her hands on her head.


    " But your duty¡ª"


    "I sure as hell know my freaking duty!" Aria yelled." But I don''t want you dead."


    Wander gazed at the upset countenance of Aria.


    " Thank you, Aria." He said, looking down at his feet.


    "Don''t mention it, Wander." Aria said without looking at him." No really. Don''t. Mention. It."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander and Aria did not return to the stadium much to the bewilderment of Hiatus. He asked himself if they were fighting outside.


    " That''s it. From today, no more hanging out, no more defending him. Yeah sure, he could give up, but not that soon! Urg, just imagining the conceited attitude of Jonathan tomorrow is enough to make me mad. Aria too and that cold face of her. What is up with these two, is it some kind of prank to find out who can make me madder?" He thought.


    " Hey, earth to Hiatus!" Jake popped up right next to him.


    " What the... Jake, how did you? You were sitting across the stadium!"


    " Do not mind that. Where are the other two?"


    " I don''t know. And I don''t care."


    " Still mad at Wander?" Jake asked, chuckling.


    " You''re really good at making too obvious statements, do you know that?"


    " Obviously. Ok, enough with that, I''m here to tell you about Principal Hamilton. Interested?"


    " Well, not the right time, but I really need something to distract me from the two idiots."


    The two left the stadium before commencing their conversation. The hall was empty.


    Jake looked around before speaking." As you can see, my principal isn''t here today. Currently, he is, I think and hope, lying in his bed struggling with his worsening headache. He refused to let us use healing spell, or any kind of spell on him. He resorted to painkiller!"


    " Am I supposed to feel offended?" Hiatus frowned, glanced to the right.


    " Yes, you are. For a Summoner to use human''s medicine before using spells! But that''s not the matter here. The point is, I think he''s under the effect of mind-control spells."


    " Proof?"


    "Only one, but not concrete enough. The abnormal black marks he had above his ears. It isn''t a skin disease, believe me, I checked when he was sleeping." Jake shivered. "It can be a direct-touch spell, running straight into the brain. When I asked him, he couldn''t account for the existence of the mark. He could certainly kick me out of his room for asking though."


    Hiatus rubbed his chin. " So, if what you said is true, then what can we do?"


    " We can tell Principle Xixin." Jake shrugged.


    "Good idea."


    " You were being sarcastic, weren''t you?"


    Hiatus nodded.


    "Who do you think cast this spell? If it truly exists."


    "Don''t know, but it must be someone extremely adept at magic. Mind-control, or other brain-related spells require significant skill and willpower. Even when one does succeed, the effects can fade away in minutes, even in seconds! The headache, I think it is a sign of Principal Hamilton fighting against the spell. He still cannot shake it off, so the caster must be really powerful."


    " Can it be the same one that had struck me down in the forest?"


    "Possible. It''s a good connection. Oh, and one more piece of news: The contraption- it is missing."


    "What? You are telling me all those guards and that thing still got missing?"


    "Yes, as I mentioned, very powerful being. It wiped out the whole building. The elevator got destroyed. The guards had their memories erased."


    " Wait a minute, how can it get into our school in the first place? The alarm did not even go off, right? I heard nothing."


    " I suspect it has already been inside the school from the very beginning."


    "It is a summoner then? I mean, a Hunter cannot use magic to that extent ."


    " Not necessarily, but highly likely. It could not have been a demon, since the protection spells prevent demonic infiltration. I just cannot think of other life forms, humans are not magic users or physical superior, and I think they are the only humanoid organism that can show up on the school campus without causing a ruckus. There may be others, but it is most likely one of our own has done those things."


    "Then is it still...here?" Hiatus frowned.


    " I''m not sure. I think the chances are that it is."


    `           " The demon I chased then, what is its connection to the thing we are talking about?"


    "I don''t know. And the demon, I''m afraid it is a turn."


    "So you have the same suspicion as me. I think it''s a turn too. It did not pass the spell, it was already inside!"


    " What we have here then: A turn and a summoner traitor. A couple. Do you think it''s Aria and Wander?"


    " That''s not funny, Jake. Aria is not a summoner. And need I remind you she was carrying you like a princess back to the institution when all that shenanigans were happening ?


    "Ouch. Right, I forgot that."


    " Besides, they aren''t a couple." Hiatus rolled his eyes.


    " Ooh, how do you know? Or do you want to deny that possibility?"


    " We are talking about Demon and a traitor here, Jake. Remember?"


    " Sorry, just could not help it. Still, I really think we should tell principal Xixin."


    " Let''s just keep it a secret first. For now we wait."


    "Just as you said then. So, end of my report. Let''s head back inside."


    " Yeah, let''s. Sit next to me, it lessens the probability of us being chosen as opponents."


    Jake nodded, smiling. Hiatus felt he began to warm up to the summoner.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The sparring class elapsed wearisomely for Hiatus that day. He did not volunteer nor get chosen, so he spent the entire class watching others fight. He looked over to Jake sometimes  and the summoner was always seen sleeping. Hiatus told himself to give Maria and Wander a piece of his mind this evening and was determined to find out whatever it was that had been on their mind.


    After the class ended, he bid Jake goodbye and went straight to the school gate. That was the usual place of rendezvous of the three, and this time was no exception.


    " Ready for my fury, you two idiots"


    Aria and Hiatus seemed quite nervous and unease when they saw him.


    " No sad face can save you today"


    When Hiatus was close enough to see their faces, he dropped half of his anger. Aria was frowning , staring at the ground. Her eyes had regain their spirit, only this time it was a fierce kind of spirit, not the cheerful one. Wander was no better. He seemed confused and scared but still tried to smile, which made him look miserable.


    " Okay, what''s now? Where have you guys been?


    " Out here, talking, a lot." Aria sighed


    Wander still smiled.


    "You guys, please, drop these faces and just tell me what is bothering you. I am dying to know here. And Aria, it isn''t that time of the month."


    " Don''t worry. You will know. Right, Wander?" Aria glanced at Wander.


    " Yes," said Wander smilingly.


    " You are creeping me out, Wander. Stop smiling."


    " Let''s go, then." Aria said in a tiring voice." where do you guys want to go?"


    " I want to eat some ice-cream, drink some smoothies and go to the amusement park." Wander suggested.


    "Hold your horse! What is this? We aren''t your guardians." said Hiatus.


    " Well, kind of." said Wander.


    "What does that even mean?"


    " Hiatus, just let Wander have this one."


    Hiatus stared at his friends and got a little freaked out by their unusual way of talking. He lost all of his anger.


    The hangout was unusually silent, but to this point, Hiatus did not know what was usual and what was not anymore. They did what Wander wanted to. Ice cream and smoothies did help smooth Hiatus''s mood further, but the others, not so much. Hiatus tried to make them laugh dirtying his face with cream but they only gave awkward smiles. The amusement park was no better, Wander and Aria did not bother pretending to scream.


    They left the park at 5.00 with moods not much lighter than before.


    " Worst hangout ever. Now, mind telling me what''s been going on?"


    Aria and Wander glanced at each other. They signaled Hiatus to follow them.


    The three ventured far from the amusement park. They arrived at an abandoned section of New York Halcyon- a narrow yard near Hunter Hill base, overgrown with vegetation.   This place led to their school, but it was a path no longer taken. The virtual test road had become the only legible road. Now, mushrooms  and grass had taken over; the only things left were a few eroded set of tables and chairs.


    Hiatus looked around, then looked at his two friends. They were staring at him.


    " This is freaking me out, truly. Before you two get any funny idea, I assure you others can find my body within a day."


    "Your body may not be the one they find" Aria sighed." Wander, I think it''s time."


    Hiatus looked at Wander and noticed his face ridden with anxiety and fright. He recalled the conversation he had with Jake.


    " Hiatus, I...actually...I am...."


    " Stop! Don''t tell me!"


    Aria and Wander were both startled by Hiatus''s unexpected remark.


    " Hiatus, no, I really need to tell you."


    " You don''t have to. Now I know, I know what''s up."


    " You do?" asked Aria and Wander instantly, their eyes wide open.


    " Yes," Hiatus deeply inhaled." Wander, how long has it been like this?"


    " More than a month" Wander fidgeted. "Shortly after my absence"


    " Wow, that long huh? Oh wow, you sure wasted no time." Hiatus nodded his head.


    None of them said anything for a while. Hiatus stared at the ground with a long face. Wander stared at him, sweating. Aria stared at both of them.


    " So, how do you feel about it?" asked Wander.


    Hiatus did not reply. He quickly approached Wander, looked straight into his eyes.


    " How could you Wander?"  He shouted." I can strangle you right now."


    " I''m sorry." Wander took a step back." I.. I just.."


    Watching Wander''s nervous expression, Hiatus burst out laughing.


    " Just kidding. I''m not so intolerant as to be mad at something like that."


    " Oh wow, you take this much better than I expected" said Aria, frowning.


    " Yeah, " said Wander as he let out a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to kill me."


    " Come on, I am actually happy about it."


    " You do?" asked Wander, grimacing.


    " What!? Hiatus, this is not something to be happy about!" Aria yelled


    " Nonsense, Aria. I guess things are going to be a little awkward among us from now on, but I am truly glad for you two. "


    " What are you even thinking?  He is a freaking demon now!"


    " Now, Aria, I... Wait, what?"


    The three of them stared at each other, none understood what was going on.


    "The heck you just said?" asked Hiatus in a chilling voice


    " Wander," repeated Aria with more hesitation."He had turned, demonized. This is not something to be happy about, right? Last time I checked? In this world?"


    Hiatus stared at Aria, then at Wander. He then burst out laughing.


    " Heck, you guys have a twisted sense of humor, do you know that?"


    " She is not joking, Hiatus. I have turned." said Wander. He bit his thumb. Dark green blood leaked from the bite, reflecting moonlight, glowing like a gem of jade.


    Hiatus stared at the blood while Wander stared at his face. Aria held her breath, trying not to make even the smallest sound.


    Hiatus opened his mouth, then closed it. He did not blink nor talk, just stared. He felt not a wink of emotion. He took a few steps back staggeringly, face twisted into a grimace,before bursting into laughters to the horror of Aria and Wander.


    "Dear god, you know what, Wander, I''m really happy about this!"


    " You..you..do?" Wander asked with a trembling voice.


    Without answering, Hiatus charged at Wander, punching him in the face multiple times as hard as possible, making him fall to the ground stunned.


    "You retarded pig! You imbecile! Fool! Do you even know what you have done? "Hiatus yelled, charging at Wander again, his hand demonized, his claw protruding.


    " Stop, Hiatus! He had enough!" Aria stood between him and Wander.


    " Enough? Enough?? He had committed the most despicable, repugnant and disgusting sin a Hunter can commit. He is even worse than that jerk Jonathan and that sadistic garbage Aidan now. Not enough, Aria!" Hiatus''s claw sank in Wander''s neck. He lifted his demonized friend up, ignoring the choking sound from his throat, his dangling and kicking legs.


    Aria yelled as she tried to push her friends away from each other." You''re hurting him. Look at your hands, Hiatus! Look!"


    Hiatus did as Aria said. His face immediately twisted into a frown, clearly expressing his disgust. The demonic green blood splatter all over his hands. He gritted his teeth, letting go of Wander.


    He looked at Wander. Under the streetlight, his friend''s broken nose and grazed lips were eerily visible. He did not bother covering the bleeding wound on his neck. His blood mingled with his tears. He was sobbing, eyes covered by hands.


    " I''m sorry. I really am sorry."  said Wander in a brittle voice.


    His apology echoed under the stars.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Aria did not know how much time had passed, She did not care much. She stared at the broad back of Hiatus who would not look at her or Wander. She stared at Wander who was lying on the ground, eyeing the sky. She sighed, let her head down as she held it with her hands. They were in a world of their own.


    " I am not demon." Wander finally said, with a clear voice." Please trust me. I did not sell my soul to Samundo or to any demonic beings. I turned because I wanted to."


    Aria and Hiatus did not reply, waiting for him to keep telling.


    " I did not feel the hunger or the thirst for killing. I''m still myself, you guys. My body may have been that of a demon, but my soul, it is still the same. You can say that I am still a Demon Hunter, but in an interminable state of Demonic Form."


    Hiatus scoffed. Aria glanced at him, silently telling him to stop.


    " A demon hunter? Saying that equals to telling us that you will commit suicide right now. Will you, Wander?"


    "For God''s sake, Hiatus. Stop!"


    " It''s ok. I deserve that. "


    "How did you turn, Wander?" asked Hiatus.


    " I.." Wander said "I am sorry, I cannot disclose that."


    " Are you serious? You still want to hide something from us? Even now?" Hiatus raised his voice.


    " I am sorry, but I cannot reveal that piece of information. For good reasons, trust me."


    " Let''s stop pushing him." Aria said, sighing.


    Hiatus crossed his arms, still looking frustrated, but quickly gave in to Aria.


    "I''m sorry." said Wander as he stood up." I completely understand your anger and your disappointment. You two have done a lot for me, and I am very grateful for being able to know you. I will leave, and will not trouble you guys any longer. Thank you, and sorry."


    Wander walked away from his friends with his fists clenched.


    " Where do you think you are going?" asked Hiatus


    " I will go home, prepare and leave New York tonight."


    " With that face and all those green blood on it? While don''t you scream " I am a demon" to everyone while you''re at it?"


    Wander could not find an appropriate response.


    " You are going to get your butt back here, and find a way to hide all those green blood on the ground together with Aria. I will go buy some band-aid, bandage, alcohol and other stuffs. You hear?"


    Wander stared at Hiatus, speechless.


    " You hear?"


    "Yes, I hear." Wander answered as he slightly nodded.


    Aria watched the boys, smiling meekly.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    When Hiatus was back, all the blood had disappeared, but the ground became much messier than before. He walked towards his two friends, whose complexion had got more lively. He handed the medical instruments to Aria, and sat down next to them.


    Aria carefully washed the wounds for Wander and cover them with band aids.


    " It will be alright, Wander." She said.


    Hiatus still did not look at Wander, but he slightly touch Wander''s shoulder with his.


    " You bought too many, Hiatus." said Aria


    " I hit too much, too. Cannot risk not buying enough, right? We don''t want a certain someone to be found out."


    Wander smiled, eyes got teary.


    "Thank you" He murmured.


    The three sat silently in the night.

 Chapter 8: Escape

    Later that night, Hiatus found himself unable to fall asleep. The bed felt rougher. He could not take Wander off his mind, and from time to time felt the strong urge to punch his demonized friend again and again. He failed to comprehend why Wander could ever manage to make that decision after all the lectures regarding the severity of Demonization. All the lectures mentioned the word "death" at least ten times and all ended with " never in this life of yours or the next one must you commit the sin known as Demonization". He turned on the bed lamp, reached for his cell phone  and called Aria. The girl picked up right after the first waiting sound.


    " I was about to call you. I cannot sleep either." said she.


    " Yeah, after that, I doubt we will be able to sleep well for the next few days. I still cannot believe Wander has turned."


    " I''m scared, Hiatus. What if he... lies to us, what if he is with the demons now?"


    " You are the one who said to trust him!"


    " Yes, but I..I just cannot stop thinking of all the scenarios possible, Hiatus. Wander, he said he turned few weeks back. Do you know what also happened a few week back, Hiatus?"


    " The Summoners arrived in our school."


    " Yes, and we all know Hamilton, I mean Principal Hamilton is hiding something, and he covered up that Mirilad Incident. He wanted to hide the existence of Wander! It is not a coincident that Wander turned at the same time the Summoner arrived!"


    " But..but I see no connection. Why would Hamilton want to do something like that?" Hiatus suddenly recalled the conversation he had with Jake." Unless he was controlled into doing that."


    "What do you mean?"


    Hiatus informed Aria of all the investigation Jake had done.


    " My god, this is worse than I thought. If even Principal Hamilton got manipulated... So, let me guess, the demonization of Wander, the manipulation of the Principal, the Mirilad Incident, the missing contraption, someone is masterfully pulling all the strings behind those events. For what reason? And who is this person?"


    " Jake said it is most likely a traitorous Summoner. The reason, unknown."


    " Hiatus, anyone, anything non-demonic can bypass the protection spell. And just a spell of appearance alteration, it is more than possible to sneak into our school. It is not necessarily a Summoner. However, what worries me more is the fact that someone possibly non-demonic  demonized Wander, and this person is likely to be on the side of the demons. If one traitor exists, then there must be others too."


    Hiatus shuddered at what Aria said. It was now his turn to think about possibilities he wanted to deny.


    " There is another possibility though: Wander is telling the truth, and he is still with us. Which means whatever caused him to demonize can be on our side."


    " It brainwashed Principal Hamilton. I will not trust it."


    " It''s not so hard to trust that thing. You manage to trust Wander, after all."


    " What is that supposed to mean?"


    " We should turn him in." Hiatus said, staring at the ceiling.


    Aria went silent. Hiatus had to move the phone away from him when she yelled at him a few seconds later. " Are you out of your mind? You want him dead? He is our friend!


    " Jake can replace him. I like that guy."


    Aria went silent again. This time, however, she did not yell when giving her reply. " You are kidding, right?"


    Hiatus answered, after a moment of hesitation. " Yes. Of course. I kidded."


    " You should fix that degrading sense of humour." Aria said before hanging up.


    Hiatust threw his phone on the bedside cabinet, then drew the curtain open. Today, he chose his friend over his duty, he abandoned an unquestioned value for a transient friendship; he broke his oath, and now he regretted it. He wondered which was more disgusting: regretting saving his friend, or betraying a hunter''s values. The light from the streetlamps streamed in through the window, illuminating the silver blade next to him. He stared in the direction of Wander''s house, his hand grabbing his sword. Moments of contemplation passed before he closed his eyes then released it. Night was cold.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander did not go to school the next few days. Most students at the Xixin''s Institution now held him in great contempt. Students who had once ignored all the nasty talk towards him now eagerly participated in it, and those who had always badmouthed him now even furthered the nastiness of their remarks. They did not know that Wander could risk fighting Jonathan, for only the tiniest scratch, enough for blood to leak out, would mean a death sentence for him. The teachers gossiped. Miss Hannah gave no comment. Hiatus and Aria could not protect him this time either, since the most plausible reason was not to be disclosed. As a result, now all the ridicule and derision took place even in their presence.


    Previously, the trio had planned to get Wander out of New York, or at least, out of the Institution and its Halcyon border at Aria''s house. Hiatus and Wander always insisted on coming to her place, since her parents prepared the most delicious pancakes and gateaux. One of their habit was hanging around in her full-of-paintings-and-trophies room, talking nonsense and playing tricks on each others. Never had they expected it would become a place for an illegal plan.


    "We are in the Halcyon New York. Put that strawberry cake down, Hiatus." said Aria." In the Earth realm, the respective location is Midwood, New York. Going south is ill advised since security there is extremely tight. They will test every person intending to enter the Human World, and you are obviously not qualified. The same case for West Side, so that leaves only two options: The north and the east- free of security. However, I suggest against going east. As you all know, that side is the direction of the Hunter Community with quite dense population. I don''t suppose it is a good idea to traverse such a crowded area, you run the high risk of being found out."


    "His demonization is still a secret, Aria. I don''t think they will notice him."


    " Nonsense! It takes less than one day for Wander''s family to notice him missing, then report it to the institution. From there to then, in 4 days, Wander will be searched for throughout the city, and sooner or later, they will rummage through every camera recorder, sentry drone, interrogate every person possible, even ask the Summoners for help, Wander''s trace will be picked up in no time. We must find a path that guarantees secrecy to delay their search, and an overpopulated area is certainly not the choice. And need I remind you that in Halcyon, the Easternmost part of Midwood- Swordgrave- had been destroyed centuries ago? Going East mean Wander will either swim a long long way or try to hide among the barren land. We are going North."


    " But that is the direction of that god darned forest!" Hiatus threw his arms in the air.


    " Exactly!"Aria pointed at Hiatus. "The god darned forest that no one bothered coming to even before that incident. Perfectly natural, no trace of Hunters or Humans."


    " Except for the sentry drones just installed there?"


    " Only the edge of the forest though. And do you know that its edge runs for more than 70 miles? You should pay more attention in Miss Lev''s class. Principal Xixin bought 45 sentry drones, and god knows where he got the money, but I can ensure you that 45 drones are not enough to cover 70 miles.  In fact, the drones are concentrated heavily  in the north side of our school to prevent students, leaving the northwest and northeast loosely guarded. However, for safe measures, we take the air road."


    " The heck? The air road?"


    " Yes, two kilometers away from the east side of the forest, there is an abandoned building. We are going to jump from the top and land directly in the middle of Mirilad. The drones cannot sense us. I have checked and researched the model in the Principal''s office, they cannot detect things above 50 meters height. We are going to jump higher than that."


    " For god''s sake, Aria, is this really your first time doing this?"


    " It was a lot of research, Hiatus. Anyways, your part, Wander, what will you do after you leave here?" Aria asked, frowning.


    Wander shrugged. "I already had what I need in my backpack, what I need to survive. I will travel far from New York, then enter the Halcyon of another place. I will just..wander I guess. No pun intended."


    " You will just wander?" Aria nearly yelled. "You... Fine, anyways, just leaving this Halcyon is enough for now. After you cross the line, you will be in the Human Realm, and Hunter''s influence will be greatly diminished there. However, you still must get as far as possible from New York, you must erase your trace! "


    " Why can''t he stay?"


    "Do you know how many times a training Hunter can bleed in just one day? It takes one drop of blood to expose Wander!"


    " Hey, then how can he bypass the protection spell? His blood will prevent it!"


    " No, it will be alright" said Wander." I am quite sure."


    The two waited for Wander to elaborate, but he had no intention of revealing more.


    Aria sighed. She opened her spell book. " Take note, you two. These are the runes we are going to use. And my cake ¡ª Hiatus!"


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    5 days before the contest.


    The abandoned building, 2 kilometers away from the east side of Mirilad. 10 p.m


    Hiatus crawled on the ground, his eyes constantly shifting from the piece of paper on his hand to the runes he was writing.


    "Hiatus, are you done?" asked Aria, standing behind him.


    " Almost. These runes are so hard to write."


    "Do not miswrite even one letter, or else instead of jumping very high we will be getting very high."


    Wander lied a few steps away from the two, eyeing the sky. He was the first to finish his part, and still had the time to help Aria finish her. Hiatus refused when given the same offer.


    " I read an article on the Internet earlier. " Samundo''s final revenge?". That''s what it called." Wander said.


    " And?" asked Aria.


    " It links several events together: The Cold Decades, the Cult of Doom, The Red Incident, The 19th Birthday, the Youth War, and many more. It says that ever since the latter half of the 19th century, the number of unnatural disasters and unnatural deaths has surpassed that of the previous 8 centuries. An abnormal statistic. It concludes, at this rate, it''s actually possible that in the near future, a series of event is going to push that number up to catch up with the remaining 12 centuries. You do know how huge that number is, right? Enough to cause ten species of Halcyons to go extinct. Samundo''s return will set everything in motion."


    " Well, I''m sure the Cult of Doom wrote that piece. And Samundo won''t return in at least 64 years. We have other problems to worry about."


    " I mean, he can return much sooner. And there must be someone who stands up to him."


    " Someone not us. You, Hiatus and I are not related to the Demon Lord, or the so-called apocalypse. We are just students. Why did you even bring this up? It''s irrelevant. Tell him, Hiatus."


    Hiatus gave no reply.


    " Hiatus, please?"


    " Let me focus. I''m trying to write the runes."


    Aria frowned at her two friends. Frustrated, she turned her back on the two.


    " Actually a M.O.M member wrote it." Wander added.


    Aria did not bother to react this time.


    It took Hiatus three more minutes to finish his writing, and Aria painstakingly checked his part over and over. She was finally satisfied after the fifth check.


    " OK, Hiatus, you carry him. Sorry, Wander, cannot risk having you activate your demonic form. Now, stand by me. Transform your legs. Done? Good"


    Aria then took out two test tube containing a strange condensed white liquid, giving one to Hiatus.


    " Okay, the words are: spring, up, fly."


    All the runes around them glowed, and light from them flowed like liquid towards the three. The light entwined with their feet, and making them feel lighter.


    " Now, jump with all your strength." said Aria.


    Hiatus and Aria lowered their knees to gain momentum, then leapt off the ground. The spell worked better than they thought, as in less than 3 seconds, they were already over 50 meters high. They approached Mirilad in less than one minute,  began to lose altitude 2 miles into the forest. Aria and Hiatus broke the test tube, and the liquid covered their bodies, acting like shields. The liquid dissolved after their landing, ensuring they did not come to harm nor cause any noise too loud.


    The three ran North as fast as possible. From the calculation of Aria, it would take them roughly 20 minutes to reach the Hacyonline of Xixin Institution and of New York city.


    " It''s called Wakefield in the Human''s realm." said Aria." And we will be there right after we reach the other side of the forest.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.            Hiatus looked up and squinted at the crowns above his head,


    " Mirilad divides our school from the rest of New York, and it accounts for a great part of the New York Halcyon. Strange, huh?"


    "It has been here since forever, Hiatus. We are lucky that it hasn''t grown beyond cities."


    " This is the first time I am here during night. This place is getting creepier by minutes."


    The innermost part of Mirilad was probably one of the most ill-lit location on earth. Most of the light illuminating the path was from bizarre flowers and creatures, and at times they seemingly conspired to turn off their light at once, forcing the trio to slow down. Still, darkness did not terminate the liveliness of Mirilad, since the sound of the rustling wind , the burbling water, the chirping insects, the tweeting birds and the snoring animals permeated every corners of the forest. The gigantic trees and the flashing eyes of animals therefore turned less intimidating. The trio flashed through the forests, piercing the curtain of darkness.


    " So I guess we have to push back our graduate-together plan." Hiatus said.


    " Don''t worry. I''ll be there when you two graduate."


    " Guys, it''s ahead. The Halcyonline." Aria said.


    Halcyonline- the border between Earth and Halcyon- was actually a thin veil distorting space. It resembled a mixture of glass, water, and mercury. It was dense yet transparent, liquid yet solid, transforming the scenery beyond it into a blurry painting in the eyes of Halcyon denizens.  To go from Halcyon to Earth was simple, just crossing the veil was enough, the opposite was not so simple though, as it required trespassers to locate a specific point, usually extremely well hidden to enter Halcyon. Human, therefore, almost never found their way to the hidden realm.


    " Stop, Hiatus. Do not approach it now." said Aria."Wander, you said that the protection spell will not affect you. Are you sure?"


    Wander nodded.


    " Then, this is as far as we can take you." Aria said in a sad voice. "Time to say goodbye ."


    " No, Aria," Wander said, smiling." Time to say see you soon."


    Aria gave Wander a hug, then turned to Hiatus, signaling him to do the same. Hiatus stared at Wander, and nodded.


    "You were punching him just days ago. Why the shy boy now?"


    " I am still uncomfortable with him being a Demon, okay?"


    Wander grinned at his two friends, then walked towards the Halcyonline. He took a deep breath and trespassed the spell. It stung, but nothing more. He looked back and gave a thumb up. His two friends still looked on nervously.


    "If what Jake said was true, then three more new layers." Aria shuddered


    She was worried for naught. Wander passed the first new layer, the second then the third without any trouble. The sting made him slightly twitch, that was all. They boy waved goodbye at his friends, and the other two waved back.


    " I wonder when we will see him again." Asked Aria.


    Before Hiatus could answer, Wander had touched the fourth layer.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    That was the most nerve-racking cry Hiatus and Aria had ever heard. In panic, they rushed towards their friends, who was trembling in pain, staggering then falling to the ground. Wander''s hand was burning, abhorrently reddened. From the point on the fourth layer where Wander just touched , liquid waves rippled across the surface at the speed of sound.


    " Run, we must... get out of here immediately." Wander said, wincing because of pain.


    Hiatus carried him, then with Aria they tried to distance themselves from the Halcyonline. They ran back to the forest with their hearts ready to jump out of their chests.


    " Northwest, run in that direction- Wander gasped for breath- I know that part of the forest very well"


    " Hiatus, I thought there are only three layers! Are you sure you heard Jake right?" Aria yelled.


    " Yes, I am sure he said three new layers!"


    " He lied to you, then?"


    "Who knows? Someone could have set up that new one after I talked to him."


    As they ran through the forest, they could hear something behind, rummaging through  every tree crown. Its shrieking voice pervaded the forest. It was coming for them.


    " Oh my god, what the heck is that? That is not a demon, Hiatus. Do you think that thing was waiting for us to come? Does it know we will come?" Aria constantly looked back, her eyes widened.


    " Aria, calm down. I don''t know what that is. But I sure as heck know it is catching up. That thing is too fast! God damn it!"


    Hiatus let out a grunt as he transformed his whole body.


    " Aria, climbed on my back! NOW!"


    Aria knew too well that Hiatus''s tone just now meant only one thing " No question asked". She slowed down her momentum, let Hiatus pass before jumping on this back, holding on tight to his neck. Hiatus immediately sped up after that, and Aria could feel the wind constantly slapping her in the face.


    " Hiatus," she yelled." How can you achieve this speed?"


    " Just do not ask! Or you will eat fly!"


    "Hiatus, you see those redwoods over there? Hide there.  Their thick crowns will cover us." Wander said, wincing in pain, his burned hand shaking.


    The three soon found themselves surrounded by redwoods, whose crowns and height cast total darkness over them. Despite that, the thing could still trace them.


    " Wander, your hand is still demonized! It''s emitting too much aura, I think that thing can sense it."


    " Yes, I know. That''s why..." said Wander, pulling out a knife from his backpack"... cut it off!"


    Hiatus and Aria stared at him in horror.


    " Don''t worry, I can regrow it."


    " Aria, lady first!"


    " How kind of you! What a time to be a gentleman!"


    " Quick, we don''t have time!" Wander urged.


    Aria grabbed the knife, and with a decisive strike, cut off Wander''s hand. Aria quivered at the violence, and was surprised by how Wander managed not to scream.


    Without hesitance, Wander used his own blood to write some runes on his now detached hand. He then demonized and, in front of the surprised looks of Aria and Hiatus, grew a new one.


    "That was creepy, and cool." said Hiatus.


    " Not the time for admiration, boys! I can hear that thing again!"


    " Over there, the way out." Wander pointed.


    Hiatus carried the other two towards the exit just as the creature landed only a few meters behind them. Aria turned her head to give a look, but the darkness only enabled her to see the outline.  That thing had an enormous reptilian body,  long thick mane, an unidentified number of wings, an eerily animated tail and bizarrely obscured limbs. Its eyes resembles fire orbs, illuminating and heating the air around it. Having noticed the three, it charged towards.


    " Boom!" Wander shouted.


    His detached hand exploded violently as the beast was right above it, blasting it towards the opposite direction of the trio. It let out a pain-stricken and vengeful shriek, but quickly recovered and returned to the chase, though in a staggered state.


    "Tangle."


    All of a sudden, the vegetation in the area overgrew. Leaves, branches, roots and thorns infested the whole area, trapping the beast inside a growing cage.


    Taking  advantage of the opportunity, Hiatus accelerated and quickly left the beast behind.


    " Keep going straight, Hiatus. We will get out of the forest soon." said Wander.


    " Where did you learn to use rune like that? That was incredible!" asked Hiatus.


    " It is all in the book, Hiatus."


    "But the tangle spell back then, how did you? You did not even write runes for that word!" asked Aria


    " I did, many months ago. Those redwoods grow that well due to my runes. That area is filled with my runes."


    " Why did you plant rune there?"


    "Experiments, that''s all. Jeez, it still stings. That layer, it hurts so much."


    " Hiatus, Hiatus! Look, look!" Aria pointed skyward. " Two more of them, over there! Oh god, what is wrong with this forest?"


    " It is Mirilad, the oh so forever serene peaceful land. What do you expect?"


    The beast had allies. One was swinging over tree branches, one was above the sky. They tried to approach Hiatus, but being outrun by him easily.


    " These two are not as fast as the one back there."


    " The fastest one will catch up. We will cut them off." said Wander. " That huge piles of rock, Hiatus. There is a tunnel there that links to the edge of the forest."


    Hiatus charged towards the piles of rock, and just as Wander said, he could see a tunnel hidden among the shadow of the rocks. He shoved his friends into the tunnel before going in himself.


    " How do you know all of these?" asked Aria.


    " I spent a lot of time here. Keep running straight Hiatus, the tunnel does not diverge."


    The three could hear the shrieking sound above their heads, indicating the approach of the fastest beast. Soon, from the darkness behind them, noises emerged. Their sizes impaired their movements, but the beasts persisted.


    " Hiatus, whatever happens, just run as fast as you can," said Wander, before shouting with all his strength." One!"


    The walls behind the trio flared up, revealing hundreds of runes scripted. They exploded all at once, 3drowning the beasts in fire. The shockwave from the explosion spread along the tunnel as the fire reached for the three, accompanied by the resonated shriek from the beasts. All three of them, now surrounded by flames, looked even more fiendish.


    "Two!"


    The second explosion, joined with the first one, put a huge pressure on the tunnel, and the walls began to fall apart rapidly. The ground above the tunnel quaked violently, and the latter caved in under the weight of the former. One beast, having too much fur, gave in to the fire, one was crushed under piles of rock, and the last one, though injured, did not slow down one bit. Its cry, on the contrary, doubled in volume, reflecting its increasing anger.


    "Look, the light at the end of the tunnel!" Hiatus yelled." I''ve never thought I will get a chance to say that sentence literally and figuratively at once."


    " Wander, please tell me you have three!" said Aria.


    The last runes on the walls glowed.


    " Never mind, you do." Aria''s eyes widened.


    The whole tunnel rumbled, signifying the total destruction of its existence. The three experienced that with all of their senses: the searing heat burned their skins, their salty sweats dripped into their mouths, the thick bitter smoke filled their noses, the beast''s high-pitched shriek pierced their ears and their eyes were blinded by the light outside the tunnel.


    Hiatus kept running, even though the tunnel had been left far behind them, and there was no more sign of the beasts. Only when Mirilad was barely seen, when they reached an abandoned part of the town did he stop to catch his breath. He dropped the other two, and all three of them simultaneously fell on the ground, feeling like it was the softest bed they had ever known.


    " How, how.." Hiatus panted."  How did your escape turn into our escape, Wander?"


    " Sorry."


    "I really want to punch you right now, but all that hullabaloo exhausted me. Consider yourself lucky."


    " This is so awkward, after all that heartfelt goodbye, hugging and waving." Said Aria.


    All that transpired ran through their mind, and they burst out laughing. That night, they promised themselves the same thing, that unless it was greatly called for, they would never enter that hell known as Mirilad again.

 Chapter 9: The first countdown

    Chapter 9: The first countdown


    The incident that night did not come to light the public, since it happened deep inside Mirilad and the tunnel lied much beneath the ground. Some talked of the faint rumbling sound, but that was all. The three young hunters felt like a world lifted off their shoulders.


    The next day, Aria extensively researched the beast,  to no avail. Nothing resembled it. The other two she had not well observed. She described the beasts to Hiatus so that he could draw them. He could only draw the shape of the beasts correctly, but the details were off the mark.


    The three met Jake in the cafeteria where he was talking with his fellow summoners. They showed the paintings to him, and his friends also took a look.


    " Nice drawings." Jake frowned." But what are those?"


    " You don''t recognize it?" Hiatus asked.


    Jake shook his head.


    A summoner pointed at the drawing of the fastest beast,. She said, a lollipop still her mouth." I recognize this one."


    Everyone turned to look at her. She seemed satisfied."That is the snake from the all-time popular series Suparanatural. You guys are playing movie quiz?"


    "For once, lollipop, this is not about  movie quizzes." The boy next to her said.


    " Tch, at least I have an answer."


    " Don''t mind them. Anyhow, what is that thing?"


    " Aria dreamed of it. She thinks it''s a sign." Wander said, smiling.


    Aria and Hiatus both turned to look at him, frowning.


    " I see." Jake nodded."And no, lollipop, it''s not a sign that she should watch Suparanatural. And sorry to you three but I don''t study... Uhm..."


    " Oneirology, the word you''re looking for." Wander said.


    " Thank you anyways." Aria smiled." Let''s go you two."


    As the three exited the cafeteria, they could still hear lollipop girl''s high-pitched voice." And the Ice Queen too, I hate that name."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Aria flipped through pages of Histoire Lacrium Daemon vol. 1, her eyes drooping. She never expected principal Xixin to get his hand on this volume. She wanted to read the book with zeal as a way to show her respect towards people who wrote the book and its six siblings, but for now she was not in the mood. She hated libraries and their piles after piles of books..


    " Those beasts are not in the Histoire." Wander said.


    " How do you know?" Aria glanced at him.


    "The online version." Wander scratched his head." You can quickly browse all the books. The beasts are not present."


    Hiatus chuckled.


    " I forgot we have internet." Aria murmured, her forehead touching the book." If even the Histoire does not have information, then I doubt any book does. At least not ones we can find here."


    The three glanced at the entrance as they heard footsteps. The saw Jonathan and Karen approach, along with Alicia. The piles of books on the table earned the three strange glances.


    " Hi." Aria and Hiatus said simultaneously, in a faint voice.


    " Somehow, I''m surprised and not surprised to find you here." Karen said." Principal Xixin asked for you. He''s finalized the list of chosen participants."


    " So we are chosen?" Hiatus said.


    " Obviously. Two of you. Do I need to specify which two?" Karen said.


    Aria was surprised that Jonathan did not add any nasty remark. He just stared at Wander, whose eyes were fixing on volume 5.


    " Uhm, I think we should be quick. Principal Xixin....he wishes not to be kept waiting." Alicia said, her eyes averted from others. She took a step back.


    " Wow, first time you request something. Do it more, princess." Karen patted on Alicia''s back."You two, let''s go, Alicia doesn''t feel comfortable here."


    Aria and Hiatus stood up.


    " Catch up with you later." Hiatus said.


    Wander nodded.


    When they were about to leave the library, Wander''s voice emerged." Just don''t say anything unnecessary, okay?"


    Aria and Hiatus turned around. The other three also.


    " We all hate unnecessary trouble, don''t we?" Wander added, smiling.


    " Yeah, we do." Jonathan said, walking out first.


    The others lingered, but quickly followed him.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Aria and the group left Scientia, and headed for Afflia. Principal Hamilton''s office lied on the third floor of the building, opposite to Hannah''s and Aidan''s. When they reached his office, Aidan was standing in front of the door. All but Hiatus greeted him.


    " Followe me. You guys are the last." Aidan said, stroking his shaggy hair.


    Aidan led the students into the elevator. He held the button down for 5 seconds.


    " Afflia Basement. Please wait." A woman voice came from the speaker.


    " This building has a secret basement?" All, except Jonathan, asked.


    " It has a basement. Just unknown to the students."


    " Hah, then the 2 a.m curse must be true." Karen said.


    " Who knows. I was not the one sneaking in back then."


    " Wait, what?"


    The elevator door opened, revealing a long hall leading to a glass door. The group walked forwards. On the walls were the symbol of the Council: a circle enveloping a triangle. Below was the words: Orbis Concentus.


    Aidan touched the door, and it slid to the right.


    Aria had expected the room to be full of whispers, murmurs and shouts, but it was so quiet she felt ashamed for disrupting the peace, as if she had disrupted a sacred ritual. The empty seats in the room were glowing, and only darkened when others and she sat down. The name of the corporation manufacturing them, "Tech-ON", written on the armrest, still glowed.


    Aria looked around. The whole room was dark, except for the illuminating lines on the ground to show the ways. Twelves rows in front of Aria, a LCD screen the size of 5 black boards combined was turned on without warning. Though the light from the screen was glimmering, it still enabled Aria to better observe the room. She could tell that it was circular, and seems to expand when she stared at its black wall. It was not different from a cinema, but each row of seats was arranged like a curve, and all rows were parallel.


    " Greetings, young hunters. I am Chancellor Alados of the High Council."


    Aria frowned. She heard Hiatus click his tongue. Around her, whispers finally emerged.


    " I reckon it is unnecessary to introduce myself any further. Unless you score a lead on you History-Politics exams? But that cannnot be, considering that in this room are the most outstanding hunters of the institution. Hunters that will bring me the honour of being their leader, 4 days from now. Thank you, Sir Xixin, for educating them, and for hosting this event."


    Aria could see the principal smiling and nodding.


    " Before I get to the point, I want to give you all my sincere apology, for two reasons: I did not unveil my face, and this conversation was recorded. Thus, I can only speak, not listen. You can only listen, not speak. A shame, but a tolerable one, is it not? Now, all of you, please sit upright and focus on me."


    Although Alados was not actually present, all students instantly corrected their postures. Even the teachers. Aria could hear Hiatus click his tongue again.


    " I want you to engrave this in you mind: The summoners are not to be trusted. They are our enemies. Forever will be."


    Aria had thought the room could not get any quieter, and she was wrong. She could not hear the faintest sound. Everyone was holding their breath. She finally understood what " dead silence" meant. She could see principal Xixin''s eyes bugging out.


    " Ever since the Cold Decades, no, even before then, they have killed millions  of our species, destroyed hundreds of our facilities. They considered us less than them because of our lacking affinity for magic, and at one point in the past, they enslaved us, calling us, Pigs."


    Aria felt goosebump all over her body as she thought of Pig Star. She glanced at Hiatus, unable to see his green eyes.


    " I do not trust them, nor should you. I do not feel safe letting you be in same stadium as them, armless. For that reason, for the first time after the Red Incident, I will..."


    The LCD screen went dark, and Alados''s voice was no more, but Aria could feel it echo in the room.


    The students turned to one another, baffled, asking questions.


    " Turn on the light." said principal Xixin.


    The walls turned white, and the room lighted up. Aria could not understand how this room worked.


    The principal walked on stage, standing beneat the screen. Aria had never seen his eyes so dark before.


    " I hope all of you do not buy that " summoners are our enemy" garbage."


    Xixin succeeded in making everyone''s eyes wide open.


    " The summoners are not our enemies. Yes, they were at war with us, but so were we at wars with them. They killed us, we killed them, meaningless massacre of the past. You want to take revenge for your fallen fellow hunters? By killing more summoners, starting another war, causing even more fellow hunters to die?  Do not, for even one second, think that we waged war against them because we were defending ourselves or representing some precious values. We were not. Justice, freedom, rightousness,greater good, those profound concepts simply did not apply to the wars between the two species. If anything they rarely apply to any war."


    The principal let the silence sink in.


    " The wars happened, because of bigotry, prejudice and vitriol. Because summoners and hunters were eager to find faults in each others, because there were certain... individuals who were charismatic enough to fool the ill-minded masses."


    Students and teachers looked down, avoiding Xixin''s gaze.


    " ARE YOU THE SAME FOOLS?" The principal shouted, causing most of the listeners to head up, their bodies instinctively shiver .


    No one replied.


    " Answer me!"


    "No." Aria raised her voice.


    Principal Xixin nodded at her. " Is Aria the only one?"


    "NO!" More voices started to rise.


    Hunters looked at one another, then simultaneously shouted "no".


    " This event, we fight against summoners to befriend them. Lose-win does not matter, what matters is we share the same air, the same space with them, and for once, in one place, our hearts, and theirs, will beat the same beats, as our eyes, and theirs, are fixed on the very best of both species! This will open a new era for hunters and summoners, an era of peace! We will show the Council, that they are wrong!"


    The hunters stood up, shouting with the full capacity of their lungs. Aria was about to smile, but then she frowned, as she saw Miss Hannah stare at the floor, even though others teachers were standing and smiling. She glanced at Hiatus, and could see his smirk.


    " Ill-minded fools."


    Amidst the deafening shouts and the rising fists, Aria told herself that was not what he said.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    3 days before the contest...


    The contest was decided to be a series of versus battles, 19 in total.


    Both Hunters and Summoners had finalized their contestant lists. Hunters, as the host of the contest, got to choose which Hunters would go against which Summoners. Aria was asked by Principal Xixin to help him organize the match list.


    "So who would fight this Jake Malton boy?" asked the Principal.


    "I will take the offer, sir." said Aria.


    " And this Victor... who would fight him? He seems to be the strongest?"


    " Hiatus. And I don''t think Victor is the one we should be worried about."


    " There is someone more powerful than him?"


    "Yes, there probably is. But Jake had not told me their identity, the trump card of the Summoner."


    " A very powerful Summoner is the most likely to be the traitor." The voice of Jake ran through Aria''s mind.


    " Principal Xixin, can I see the list of Summoners again?" Aria requested.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    2 days before the contest...


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.            Principal Xixin had Marsianos sealed off till the big day. Learning from the case of the missing contraption, he tripled the security force around the building, and withdrew half of the drones from Mirilad and had them patronize Marsianos. The list of scout Hunters was also completed, and Wander was on the list. Miss Hannah came to his house and personally convinced him to join. Wander felt he could not turn her down. Aria and Hiatus scolded him, saying he now ran a huge risk of being exposed, to which he said he would be more careful than usual. The answer further frustrated his two friends instead of calming them down.


    The contest also gave the hunters some rare days off. The three decided to hang out at the abandoned area. The three sat beneath a redwood tree, not so far from the eroded table. There, Aria told the boys about the theory she had been contemplating on.


    " The traitorous Summoner is one of Principal Hamilton''s students. Specifically, his most powerful student. Someone who is close to him." said she.


    " Can a student mind-control a principal, not to say this principal is Hamilton, one of the strongest Summoner?" asked Hiatus.


    " Well, that trump card just has to be stronger. Like Victor, he is a candidate for Regis Magus. But he is certainly not their trump card, Jake revealed him to me. And I checked the Summoner list, but could not pinpoint their ace. Wander, are you sure you do not want to tell us who this person is?"


    Wander, who were inscribing runes on Aria''s equipment, chinned up.


    " What?" the boy frowned."I don''t understand what you guys are talking about."


    " Wander, the Summoner who planned all of this commotion, must have been the one to have help you... that!"


    Wander shook his head." No, you''re wrong. Summoner has nothing to do with my turn."


    " I don''t know what this person has told you, but you must not trust them. Please!"


    " I am telling you, the summoners have nothing to do with my turn."


    " Then what made you turn? Tell us!" Aria slightly raised her voice.


    Wander looked at her, then looked at Hiatus. He shook his head.


    " Great. Just great." Aria rubbed her temples.


    " I''m sorry." Wander said, standing up. " See you later."


    After Wander left, Aria told Hiatus to contact Jake.


    " You will directly ask him?"


    "Yes. We must find this traitor, or else things well get ugly. Who knows how many more are under their control."


    Hiatus sighed then dialed Jake''s number. The summoner did not answer.


    " Do you think something happens to him?"


    " Or maybe, summoners and hunters are forbidden to contact before the contest to prevent some sort of foul play, like result arrangement?"


    " Oh, that is...true."


    "You''re getting paranoid, Aria."


    " I''m not. Something ugly is going to happen, can''t you see? Wander is hiding things from us. Hamilton is hiding things from us. The incidents in Mirilad.  We are in for a climax. A disastrous one, Hiatus. This contest will not go off without a hitch."


    Hiatus somehow knew Aria was right.


    " We can put a stop to this, we can halt the contest. Immediately." Hiatus said.


    " How?" Aria raised her eyebrows.


    " If we can prove that the demon exists, the principal will have no choice but to call it off."


    It took Aria a while before she realized what Hiatus was hinting at. She fronwed, shaking her head. " You weren''t kidding back then, were you? You wanted to turn him in."


    Aria stood up, looking down at her friend with utmost terror in her eyes. " What is wrong with you?"


    Hiatus glanced at her, then averted his eyes. He sighed. " Another joke. Where''s your sense of humor?. What do you suggest we do, then?"


    " Stop with your damn jokes! And I think it''s time to inform principal Xixin."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The principal put down the book he was reading after Aria had finished her narration. His expressionless face scared her. Hiatus was too busy eyeing the chandelier to care.


    " You two are making serious accusations." Xixin narrowed his eyes.


    " Sir, we are not blaming him. We are blaming the one controlling him."


    " Who?"


    Aria and Hiatus glanced at each other.


    " We don''t know. Someone good at magic." Aria said.


    " That''s the second-most ambiguous answer I''ve heard."


    " Someone already in our school."


    " Are you implying it''s a summoner?"


    Aria shook her head." No, not really, but... most likely."


    " Hamilton''s summoners betray us?A demon in New York would be a more believable story."


    " Yes, I agree." Hiatus said."No doubt."


    Aria cleared her throat, glaring at the boy." I think we should delay the contest."


    Xixin looked at her as if she was asking him to turn." Why don''t you go back to being an honor student of this school, Aria? Don''t you know the significance of this event? You want to delay it?"


    " Sir, the demon, actually, it''s..."


    " Hiatus!" Aria raised her voice, startling both the principal and her friend.


    " Keep on, Hiatus." Xixin said, glaring at Aria.


    Hiatus frowned. " The demon may plan to sabotage the contest. I think we''d better follow Aria''s advice."


    " Listen, even if a demon does exist," Xixin''s fingers fidgetted." it won''t sabotage anything. New York Halcyon is one of the safest...place, notoriously so. The demon, I mean the imaginary demon, is the last item on our " Panic List". I checked everything: the shield, the robots, the teachers, the city guard, they are all fuctioning as intened. And I will make sure, no demon can enter our school, let alone the contest."


    Hiatus chuckled. Aria knew why.


    " Now, please leave and bring your attitude out of here, you two.You disappoint me. Especially you." Xixin glanced at his honor student.


    " I''m sorry, sir. And thank you for your time." Aria said, standing up and exiting the room.


    Aria halted her steps a few inches away from the staircase. Hiatus did the same.


    " We cannot contact Jake. The principal does not trust us. Wander is playing spy game. What''s now?"


    Hiatus did not reply.


    " There is nothing we can do, is it? This is... not our business, is it? We''re not responsible for what to come. We will keep being good students, that''s enough. Do you think so?" Aria asked, looking back at Hiatus. She had always believed being a good student would be good enough. Yet now she doubted.


    The boy shrugged. " Yes. Let''s put those schemes aside and do our best for the competition."


    Aria bit her lips. She inhaled, then nodded.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Jake Malton stood in front of Principal Hamilton, preventing him from leaving his room.


    " Malton, what is this insolence?" asked the principal.


    " Sir, what is with this list?" Jake took out a paper full of creases.


    " What''s with it?" Principal Hamilton raised his eyebrows.


    " Why is she not on the list? She is our most excellent student. I know she only joined us a few weeks ago, but her short stay with us has proved her strength. You cannot cross her out just because she is a new student."


    Hamilton stared at the paper. He chuckled, to Jake''s surprise.


    "First of all, I can cross her out, Malton. Second of all, I did that because she asked me to. She did not want to join the contest. Last of all, Malton, move aside, lest you find yourself expelled from my school thanks to your insolence." said Hamilton with a hoarse voice.


    Jake stared at his principal, baffled by whom he had become.


    " Sir, she is our ace, a sure win for us. Even if she asked you to, you must have known better to keep her. You didn''t have to listen to such a selfish request from her."


    " But I have to." said Hamilton as he stared at emptiness.


    " What?"


    "Enough, Malton! I''m not to put up with this impertinence."


    The principal violently pushed the boy aside and moved forward. Now the voices had disappeared. There was only one in his head now. And that voice told him to give his students a "mind-changing" speech.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    1 day before the contest.


    The whole school was sealed off.


    Principal Xixin walked into Battleworld.  He felt proud, everything had been arranged. He did not want anything to go wrong. At the same time, he felt scared . Hamilton had not been himself, and what Aria and Hiatus told him only worsened his fear. He dismissed them, but he actually knew their story made sense. He approached his seat and Hamilton''s seat. They were placed next to each other.


    " Sorry, Hamilton. Old friend, I will not take risk."


    He took out a knife, and started to inscribe runes under the seat of Hamilton.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Jake cleared his throat. He skipped the speech, but that was the least of his worry. He knew something was wrong, and he must do something right. He needed to inform Aria and Hiatus of principal Hamilton''s dubious actions. This building had temporarily disabled cell phones and the internet. He must meet them in person.


    Jake opened the door, poking his head out. None of his friends were present. He took a deep breath and left his room.


    He replayed the clues in his head. Someone was making his principal conceal the demon''s existance. Jake wondered if he wanted to let it loose on the city. Of course, a demon would cause panic, but it would be put down before anyone could blink. At worse, New York Halcyon would have to check their security system, and someone would lose their jobs. The mastermind''s plan could not be that simple. He needed something else, maybe an army of demon. or of any kind, to actually achieve something. However, to march such an army into this Halcyon without being detected proved to be impossible. Unless he did not mind being detected.


    Samundo?


    News, or more exactly rumors, of Samundo''s return had run rampant in Jake''s family lately. Most had dismissed it as meaningless gossip, and so had he. He knew there was no transparent connection between that rumor and the current happenstances, but he could not help feeling unease.


    "No, why would Samundo bother with this institution? No way."


    As he traversed the hall and walked downstairs, he became afraid of his own footsteps. The echoing footsteps, spreading across the empty halls, down the silent stairs. Where had everyone gone?


    " Why are you not in your bed, Jake?" Hamilton''s voice came from behind him.


    Jake turned around, and saw his principal standing tall with his friends behind him.


    " Come join us, Jake." All of them said in harmony.


    " Guys?" Jake said, taking a step back. He could not hear them approach.


    " Harmonize. Halcyon." Hamilton said, his hand reaching out.


    Jake could feel something pierce straight through his brain. At that moment, he understood, the army was allowed to enter New York long ago, and this army, by attacking the hunters, would kill more than just lives. He understood how Hamilton must have felt, the pain he suffered, when the same thing was done to him weeks ago.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Tetrax approached the gate of the New York Halcyon, an old well near Reeves Beach, Baiting Hollow. Without hesitance, she jumped down the well. If what the Elder said was true, then there existed a special demon in this city, and her mission was to bring it alive to the Elder. She activated her Singulus Digiti insignia, concealing her existence and twisting the Halcyonline.


    She emerged in an ill-lighted location. She could feel rocks under her feet.


    " A tunnel?"


    Letting out a depressive sigh, Tetrax unsheathed her sword. It was going to be a long mining journey for her. Above her head, noises from aircraft scatter throughout the city. The Council had arrived.


    <hr />


    Can you catch a glimpse of the truth? Clues are provided everywhere :)))


    Anyhow, I think chapter 10 will be up later. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 10: The contest

    Principal Xixin had the warmest of smile when he saw councilmen entering the institution campus. Next to him were the teaching staff and handpicked students, all in formal clothing, all smiles. The Hunter Anthem enveloped the whole institution.


    The councilmen all had solemn auras and expressionless countenances. Their outfits were no less formal, with long black wool overcoats and white chemises. Their swords were hung elegantly on their left waists, gracefully moving back and forth as they marched. They stopped a few meters away from the institution''s teachers and students, apart from Veritas Souls. He walked towards principal Xixin, faintly smiled before shaking his hand. The 25-year-old young man was at least 6''3. Straight gaze. Sharp eyes. His face gave the impression of being carved out of a rock. He was a talented hunter, becoming the captain of the Demon Extermination Sector at his age.


    After some short introductions, principal Xixin escorted the councilmen to Batteworld. On their way were students standing upright with their hands behind their back, forming a parth to the stadium. Young hunters marveled at their presence, and  they particularly eyed at Veritas the most. Summoners, on the other hand, expressed neither joy or gloom at their arrival. They stood in silence, as cold as their first day on campus.


    " Hiatus, the summoners scare me." said Aria. "They''re like robots today."


    Hiatus nodded at her remark, sharing the same opinion. He searched for Jake, and saw not the usual cheeky face, but a nonchalant one robbed of emotion. Hiatus waved at him, but Jake ignored the hunter.


    " Is this the famous "no feeling, no emotion" method in those movies about assassins? I think they are thinking about how to kill us." said Hiatus.


    " I am going to strangle you if you jinx it."


    Karen approached the two. She whispered." Veritas looks even better when off the papers, don''t you think?"


    "No." Hiatus replied in a guttural voice.


    " Karen, be serious. Though he does look good."


    " I''m excited. Just one month ago we learned about the Council and here they are today! How cool is that?"


    " It would be cool if a Singulus Digiti showed up too." Aria said, smiling." I want to see what will happen if the SD and the Council meet face-to-face."


    Hiatus looked around. He said, frowning. " It just bothers me that they do not allow reporters to enter our school."


    " Principal Xixin doesn''t want to let them in. He did give them the permission to record our school from outside though." said Aria.


    " Weird. He''s crazy for publicity. Why must he restrain the reporters?"


    Aria shrugged. " Who knows."


    " You two talk about the most boring things. Oh no, he''s gone!" Karen said, running after Veritas.


    Hiatus shook his head." Lucky Wander''s not here."


    " Yeah." Aria replied.


    The two  turned their head in the direction of Mirilad, where Wander was doing his scout assignment. They both wondered how their friends would fare in that cursed forest the third time.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander fell to the ground as his fellow Hunters violently pushed him. He looked up at them, and was met with malicious stares and smirks.


    " I think we should give you a good beating . Jonathan will be happy." said a boy wearing cap.


    " You will do anything to ingratiate yourselves with him, huh?" asked Wander.


    " Keep your mouth to yourself, coward. Contrary to what you think, Jonathan is our friend, not our boss. What you did the other day humiliated us all. You have lost every right as a Hunter."


    " That is not up to you decide." Wander averted his eyes.


    The boy in cap threw a punch at Wander, but he easily evaded the attack just by tilting his head. Wander did a backward flip then stood up, looking straight at the bullies.


    " This is stupid, guys. I''m sorry for running, but hey, what was I supposed to do? Becoming a punching bag for Jonathan? You know he is much stronger than me."


    The bullies looked at each other, then burst out laughing


    " Yes, that is what we expect you to do. Stay and taking it like a man, let him punch you to death."


    Wander stared at them in total confusion. He could not comprehend them.


    "We are here today to scout, not to fight. Let''s just focus on our job, is that too hard for you all?" said Wander


    " You will not talk your way of here, coward. Be prepared for a deep sleep, Wander."


    The bullies all charged towards Wander, ready to shed his blood.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Xixin felt unease looking at Hamilton. His old friend''s headache seemed to have ceased, and the summoner had regained his usual composure and casted away his grumpiness. Nonetheless, Xixin still felt like the man sitting next to him was too foreign.


    Xixin had introduced Hamilton to the Councilmen, and as he expected, both sides were uninterested in each other. They only gave each other formal greetings and polite questions before happily parting and returning to their seats.


    Three battles had transpired  in one hour, and the summoners dominated. The councilmen were not amused and neither were the young hunters. What worried Xixin, though, was not the dissatisfaction of Hunters, but the apathy of the Summoners. Be it losing or winning, they remained expressionless the whole time. The stadium were divided into two polarizing sections: the zealous enthusiasm of Hunters and the aloof indifference of Summoners.


    " Hamilton, your students, shouldn''t they be more ... passionate?" whispered Xixin.


    " Don''t mind them, Xixin. They need to stay focus. This is a very important day." Hamilton grinned. "The event that will set the new chapter in motion."


    Xixin was at a loss for words. He was ready to use the rune, but held himself back. He could feel something terrible was coming, yet unable to put a stop to the contest. Hamilton and he were so close, so close to that dream he felt in no way they would fail to grasp it. He believed the two of them were chosen to do this. The prophecy faded into obscurity ages ago, but today it would be sparked again.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The contestant room was actually the storage reformed and refurnished. Principal Xixin, being as thrift as ever, used metal boxes as chairs for his students. He placed them on one another to make tables. He pasted papers on them and wrote encouraging words. And he cut them in half to make even more boxes. The room, thus, was still a storage, but for students and boxes.


    " You really have to give him credit for his resourcefulness." said Karen.


    Hiatus shook his head. He turned to Aria. " You set me up with that Victor. You do know he is, let me quote Jake, one "nasty dude", right?" asked Hiatus.


    " I think you will do just fine. Like in Mirilad." said Aria as she looked straight into Hiatus'' eyes, making him frown.


    Hiatus and Aria were decided to be the last fighters. " Save the best for last" Principal Xixin said. He told them he did not expect very much from the fights between "mid-tier Hunters", and that their fights would create much more impact than all the previous one combined. Consequently, they would have to wait for hours in the Contestant Room until their turns.


    Aria felt like the longer they stayed in this room, the worse things would get out there. The mastermind must have prepared for this day. Something was about to happen, and she could do nothing but warn Xixin and believe that he had settled everything. For now, she remained trapped in this room. She could hear the shouts of the audience. Her heartbeat accelerated.


    " You are worried about that weakling, Aria?" asked Jonathan.


    Aria glared at Jonathan. She was about to ignore him, but suddenly felt the chill.


    " Jonathan, please tell me you are not so stupid and childish as to tell your "subordinates" to assault Wander."


    Jonathan hesitated for a second. Then he replied. "You read my mind. It seems our bond runs deeper than we thought, eh?"


    Hiatus and Aria stared at Jonathan in horror. If Wander got hurt, then everything would be over for him.


    " No, no, no, this is worse case scenario possible!" Aria violently shook her head.


    " Calm down, I specifically tell them not to kill him." Jonathan said.


    " You shut up right now!" Aria shouted, startling everyone in the room."We must..."


    " We can''t leave school, Aria. If we do, that means we plead defeat!" Hiatus interrupted her.


    " But he..." Aria pointed in the direction of Mirilad.


    " Must take care of himself, for now."


    " Hiatus is right, princess" Jonathan said." He..."


    " For one last time, shut up, pig!"


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander did not know how long he had been playing this cat and mouse game with his fellow hunters. The Wander of many weeks ago would never stand a chance, but at this moment, Wander knew he would always be ahead of them.  He looked back and noticed some of them were panting and profusely sweating. Their confused faces were hilarious to Wander. They could not understand why they could not catch up to him.


    " I''m still waiting! You have to catch me before you can hurt me!" said Wander as he laughed, and wait for the bullies to approach him close.


    The bullies swore at him, then charged towards, before came to a sudden halt. Their faces twisted into an expression of utmost fear. One of them fell to the ground, mumbling, pointing at Wander. Or what was behind him.


    Wander shuddered, as he saw a huge shadow cast over his. In the blink of an eye, the sharp teeth of the beast that chased him in the forest sank deep into Wander''s body, and he could feel the pain piercing his brain. His green blood splatter on the ground and on the faces of other hunters to their horror. With Wander in its mouth, the beast took off.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The hunters at Battleworld could not believe what just happened. Seventeen battles, over in less than 1 hours, some ended in seconds, and only two victory belonged to the hunters, thanks to Alicia and Jonathan. The councilmen hardly expressed any emotions, asides from occasion frowns and sighs. What was supposed to be a thrilling event turned out to be a cold dead fish.


    Xixin was not embarrassed, he was terrified. The summoners demonstrated overwhelming power, perhaps too overwhelming. They were brutal, and their attacks violently clashed against the Shield. This kind of power he had not seen in youngsters for years. Not since...


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.            "Cold Decade. Dase and Yue..."


    Xixin shivered. He glanced at Hamilton, and noticed his old friend was watching the battle with dull eyes. He looked at the summoners, and noticed no change in their apathy. The councilmen and the hunters must also have discerned something abnormal in the attitude of the summoners, and began to feel quite insulted by the apathy.


    " Another victory for the Summoners, please give them a round of applause" said the MC, and no one reacted." Okay then, please welcome our next two contestants. Hunter Aria Tansine and Summoner Jake Malton."


    The hunters got all excited, believing in Aria to gain them back some dignity. The summoners looked on, as if watching a bunch of monkeys yelling incoherent gibberish.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Aria stepped onto the arena, and the shield closed behind her back. She smiled at Jake, and he gave her a cold stare in reply.


    " Jake, that''s rude. I know we are opponents right now but you don''t have to be that uptight."


    Jake did not react to her remark, and Aria, after staring at him in confusion for a while, decided to give up trying to make him react.


    "Fight!" the MC shouted.


    " Okay, he said he mastered Earth type spells, then..."


    Aria could not finish her train of thoughts, as Jake projected towards her sharp gusts of wind that she could only evade thanks to her instinct. She looked at the deep cuts the wind left on the ground then looked at Jake, remembering that Hiatus told her the machine was cut due to an air-type magic.


    " But it could not be him"


    Jake whisper his incantation, and his staff flared up. From its tip, hundreds of tiny gales, thin like threads, shot out and aimed at Aria.


    " The heck, I thought he would use earth"


    Aria activated her demonic form, and charged towards her opponents. She outmaneuvered most of the gales, but lots of them hit her too. The wounds they caused were gnawing and acute, and could only be offset by Aria''s regenerative capability. It was a battle of endurance, as winds from the staff seemed to emerge endlessly.


    " Is his staff some sort of  magical AK-47?"


    Aria knew she would lose if things went on like this. She raised her shield.


    " Bounce" she whispered.


    The runes Wander helped her write glowed, fending off the razor-sharp winds. After seeing what Wander could do with runes, Aria knew she should never underestimate their power. With better protection, she sped up towards Jake, and her speed allowed her to catch him in mere seconds. However, before she could touch him, she was violently blasted in the opposite direction by some force from underground. Jake hit the ground with the low-end of his staff, and rose a snake with skinned covered in rock. It was Jake''s familiar- Terrent.  Jake then cover himself in strong gusts of wind.


    The snake threw itself at Aria, ready to hurt her real bad with its weight.


    " Up" Aria shouted.


    The runes on Aria''s legs flashed, and she felt her whole body become lighter. She lowered her knee, and propelled herself upward, jumping 10 meters off the ground. Terrent plunged itself into the air right after her, just how Aria had planned.


    " Push."


    Her boots received a strong force from behind. She aimed at the head of the snake. Terrent''s elongated body, if only it were like any other snake''s, could have easily adjusted itself. However, its rock skin created extra burden and diminished elasticity as well as flexibility. Consequently, just an average e force aimed at one end of its body was enough to make it lose balance, especially when it was in the air with no objects to hold its weight. The snake''s head was not destroyed, but was pushed violently to the ground towards Jake. It clashed with the wind surrounding him, and the whole arena was fill with sound of two saw blades clashing against each other. The snake let out a painful cry, and Aria knew Jake could hear it. One part of him ignored its pain and kept up the spell, while the other responded to its pain with kindness. The latter, with help from Aria''s attack, triumphed, and the spell was deactivated, while Terrent was desummoned to keep it safe. Aria took her chance and hit Jake in the head with the hilt of her sword, rendered him unconscious immediately.


    " And the Winner is the Hunter Aria Tansine!" the MC happily declared.


    The Hunters all stood up and shouted in joy. Xixin gave a smile of satisfaction. He glanced at the councilmen, and could see some pleasure. Veritas even smiled, apparently impressed by how Aria handled herself against such an opponent.


    " Quite a talented lad. Full of potential." Hamilton said, a smile slowly drawn across his face.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Aria carried Jake out of Battleworld and into the hunter contestant room. Jonathan sprang up as he saw her. " You okay?"


    Aria ignored him. She patted Jake''s cheeks. " Wake up."


    " The next battle will take place shortly. For now, we welcome the voice of Ase Valahad, winner of last year Summoner Voice." The MC''s voice rumbled.


    " My turn soon. God, her voice is beautiful." Hiatus said.


    " It''s a he, actually." Karen said." He also sang when the summoners arrived."


    " Is there anything about people you don''t know?"


    " A lot." Karen rolled her eyes." I''m heading out."


    Jonathan watched Karen leaving. He looked at Hiatus and Aria, biting his lips then following her.


    " Uhm, I..I will also go." Alicia said, standing up.


    " Wait, Alicia. Can you help this guy?" Aria said.


    Alicia stared at Aria. After a while, she nodded.


    ______________________________________________________________________________            Jake  could feel his head splitting in half. An excruciating pain overwhelmed his senses. But then, a soothing feeling kicked in, and he could manage to open his eyes.


    Alicia White was not the prettiest girl Jake had seen. She did not have any special feature, except for her glistening face and deep blue eyes. However, he must admit she was the girl whose face impressed him the most. Mostly because it was the first he saw after his brain underwent a magical ride into the land of the brainwashed.


    " Thank you, Alicia." said Aria.


    Alicia nodded and retreated to her seat.


    Jake looked around and noticed that Aria and Hiatus was also in the room.


    " Now Jake, please explain why..."


    " Aria, what happened? Why am I here?"


    The questions earned him the stare of others.


    " Jake." said Hiatus." You are in the Contestant Room. You just fought Aria, remember?"


    Jake shook his head.


    " Don''t tell me you...."


    Jake tried to use all of his strength to recall what happened yesterdays. His hands pressed against his head as if they were squeezing information from it. Images flashed through his mind, and he shuddered.


    "We must stop this contest at once! My friends, they are not themselves anymore, they are brainwashed. They are going to kill each and every single hunter out there!"


    Aria covered her mouths, whispering " No". Hiatus frowned, visibly disturbed by the news. Alicia just stared at the three, completely at a loss.


    " You must tell principal Xixin immediately! They are ready to turn this contest into a massacre!"


    " Jake, please tell us first, the name of your ace.  Your ace is the traitor!"


    " What, how can¡ª?"


    At that moment, Jake came to understand. It was obvious from the very beginning. The transfer student, a powerful summoner, came to his school just weeks apart from the competition. How convenient that she could easily become close to the principal, to the point of easily asking him to leave her out of the competition, so she could freely wander about while most people were occupied.


    " Her name is Maria Gwendolyn."


    The moment he uttered the name, the whole New York Halcyon was engulf in a tremendous wave of terrorizing Demex, rendering every average Hunters and Summoners in the city unconscious,  the more experienced paralyzed and the best shaken. Aria and Jake must used all of their strength to stand on their two feet. Alicia approached them and placed her hands on their heads. The effects of the Demex diminished.


    " We were too late." Hiatus whispered.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Tetrax climbed out of the tunnel, gasping for fresh air and fresh light. Hours in that tunnel rendered her senses dull. Still she could enjoyed the quietness of Mirilad.


    " Ah, sweet sweet silence¡ª" She stretched her body.


    " HELP!" a voice came from behind her.


    Tetrax turned towards the distressing noise, hand on sword. Some teenagers were running towards her, covered in green blood.


    " Help, you must help us! That..that..thing, it took Wander! Please save him!"


    " Is that his blood?" Tetrax asked herself.


    "Okay, now why don''t you ¡ª"


    Tetrax unsheathed her sword and turned her attention to the east, where Demex was overflowing. The young Hunters around her all collapsed instantly. With some reluctance, she left them behind and headed for the source of the demonic miasma.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Amidst Mirilad forest, a figure was standing next to an unconscious Wander. It kneeled down, touch the heart of Wander with its hand. Moments later, the hunter regained his consciousness and opened his eyes


    " Maria." Wander murmured.


    " You have finally awakened, my demon prince."

 Chapter 11: The trick

    Battleworld was plunged into total chaos. Most students, hunters and summoners alike, passed out one after another, resulting in an overwhelming hysteria. Those who did not lose consciousness would either be paralyzed or uncontrollably vomit. Same things happened to the teachers. Only a handful of summoners and hunters could keep their composure and try to make sense of the situation.


    Principal Xixin turned to his old friend, and noticed a contended smile bloomed on Hamilton''s face.


    "Brilliant." said Hamilton.


    "Tie!" principal Xixin shouted.


    The runes under the seat of Hamilton lighted up, and light threads emerged, violently binding Hamilton''s body to the seat, ensuring he could not move a muscle.


    " Xixin, Xixin, this is rude, impolite. Now why would you do that, friend!" said Hamilton as he let out a laughter echoing across the stadium.


    Upon hearing his laughter, all summoners who could still stand on their feet summoned their Familiars and ordered them to attack principal Xixin and the councilmen. They themselves poured all of their power into their staffs and hurled destructive spells at any hunters within their sight.


    Young Hunters went hysterical from the assault. Their fear and confusion robbed them of the will to retaliate, and instead compelled them to escape from Battleworld. On the contrary, Veritas was by no means flinched by the unexpected. He just murmured " neutralize" and watched his fellow councilmen rush towards the adversaries with wind-cutting speed. He himself stood up, walked towards the principals with his swords unsheathed.


    " Sir Nate, I expect from you a credible explanation for all that transpired today, or else things will get very ugly for you and for the summoners too. Now, excuse me, I must go and investigate the source of this Demex."


    Done with his threat, Veritas jumped to the roof of the stadium, then leapt off Marsianos towards Swordgrave.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Aria and Hiatus knew something had definitely gone very wrong when they saw their fellow hunters run out of Battleworld with panic-stricken expressions, screaming their lungs out while pushing each other aside. Some finally succumbed to the Demex and collapsed, being trampled on by others. Aria winced as she heard the sound of cracking bones and splashing blood The two tried to ask their friends what happened, but none even bothered noticing the two''s existence. What worried Aria and Hiatus even more was the fact that not many hunters made it out of the stadium. They rushed into Battleworld.


    The two could only stared in terror at what happened. Thousands of unconscious bodies lied around the stadium. The brainwashed summoners, apparently losing the sympathy even for their own kin, now executed an onslaught on just anybody present. The comatose hunters and summoners could not evade the attacks, thus having their bodies burned, cut and mutilated by the attackers. The smell of blood started to pervade the air. Body parts scattered across the floors. The moans of their immolated schoolmates haunted the area.


    The Councilmen still struggled in their battles against the Familiars. There were 20 of them, all lever 4 and 5, while there was only 9 councilman. Principal Xixin did not dare to leave Hamilton unguarded , since his escape would much worsened the situation. All able young hunters had run, and so the councilmen battled alone while being outnumbered.


    " Hiatus, we must neutralize all the Summoners, that would vanquished all the Familiars." said Aria as she unsheathed her sword .


    Hiatus stared at the mayhem taking place right in front of his eyes. Memories flooded back. He inhaled, then let out a sigh. Speed was never his specialty, but he knew he would manage just fine.


    It happened in less than a minute. Hiatus moved to the side of one Summoner, then another, then another, each he gave a punch in the stomach, a punch so strong the bodies of the Summoners were blasted against the wall, immediately knocking them unconscious. Other Hunters in the room, except for Aria, were all occupied with the Familiars they did not even know what happened to the summoners, let alone who did it to them. Only when the Familiar weakened then finally disappeared, did they notice their enemies were all defeated.


    Hiatus left the stadium right after that to avoid the suspicion of the councilmen, followed by Aria. She did not question him at all, knowing he would not answer.


    " It''s settled now, I guess. Much quicker than I expected." said Aria.


    " Where is he?" asked Hiatus.


    "Who?"


    " Nasty Victor."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The closer Veritas was to Swordgrave, the denser the Demex became. He began to feel a bit unease, but persisted his pursuit.


    "The demon must be really powerful, overwhelming such a number of Hunters."


    Veritas looked around and noticed nothing had changed over the years. Swordgrave was still a wasteland, devoid of everything except for sand, dust,  withering plants and broken pieces of weapons. It was said to have been a beautiful place once, a balance of life and death, where the cycle of life could go on. The battle with Samundo here had cause permanent damage to the land, where numerous hunters and summoners had given up on their life at this place.


    The Demex had gotten so concentrated that Veritas could perceive them with his eyes: Pitch black tentacles pierced the air, spreading across the space. Veritas took a vial out of his pocket, broke it then applied the liquid to his blade. With his demonized arm, he swung his sword multiple times, and the air was bended by the blade, generating strong blade-shaped gales that cleared up the darkness in front of him. He could see it now, a humanoid figure among layers of Demex.


    " A turn? No matter"


    Seeking for a preemptive strike, Veritas charged forward. He swung his sword at the figure.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Tetrax could feel the cold metal coming. She turned her body, and the blade missed her. She glanced at her assailant. " A turn?" She asked herself, drawing her katana. She aimed for their throat, but the assailant jumped back.


    Its speed was no match for Tetrax, though. Among all the Singulus Digiti, Tetrax knew she was the fastest, maybe Pentos rivaled her, but that one died. She could end the match in under 10 seconds. Thinking that, she charged forward, piercing dense layers of Demex.


    To Tetrax''s surprise, her opponent''s sword flared up, making her squint. She lost control of her swing for a second, and her sword was blocked by her opponent''s. At close distance, she could see their face.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Veritas could now clearly observe his target: a humanoid being clad in a robe that completely concealed all of its features. Its sword resembled a Japanese type of sword whose name he had forgotten. He realized that the Demex did not emit from its body. The density had tricked his sense.


    The being lowered its sword. Veritas still held his up.


    " Veritas?" the being asked.


    " You know me?" He asked back, frowning.


    The being stared at him, then shook its head. It directed his attention at something not far from them both, and his eyes followed its finger.


    Just a few meters away, Veritas could see a peculiar contraption, the source of the Demex. It was just a black box.


    "We have been had," said the being." That machine is well protected. If we combine our attack, we may be able to destroy it."


    Veritas nodded. Even together with the being, he had to use two-third of his strength to slide through the machine. It exploded, and the miasma immediately vanished.


    Before Veritas could ask any question, a huge explosion flared up behind him. He looked back, and could see in the direction of the institution, pillars of smoke emerged. Simultaneously, above his head, deafening rumbling sound enveloped the sky, as the fourth layer protection spell disintegrated at a frightening speed, as if it was never there.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Xixin''s institution went up in scorching flames amidst the attack of a level 6 Familiar- Victor''s familiar- Muloculus. Muloculus was a humanoid familiar 20-feet high with multiple chains binding its body, limiting the mobility of its arms and legs. Aside from its shape, nothing else resembled human: its thin, pale skin barely covered its bones, its mouth was stitched, its claws were freakishly long and stiff, and eyes popped up everywhere on its body. It was like a malnourished living creature with the skin of the dead. Its hideous appearance however was well compensated by its destructive capability. They eyes on its body could detect the slightest movement and immediately shoot the target. The escapees of Marsianos, therefore, suffered even a worse fate than those left behind. At best, they were subjected to critical injuries, at worse, their lives were relinquished. The buildings on campus did not have a better fate, slowly collapsing. Muloculus blasted parts of the building away simultaneously.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.            Jake stopped Aria and Hiatus from existing the building, explaining to them the movement-tracking attacks of Muloculus.


    " That is a Level 6 Familiar- equals to a black iron demon, and at times it may reach white steel. You''re going to be fried if you''re out there without a plan."


    "But we cannot just stay here" said Aria." At this rate it will destroy the whole institution and we will die in a rubble."


    " Yes, that''s why we will work together. This time, Summoners and Hunters will not fight against each other, we will fight together. Sound good?"


    Hiatus and Aria looked at Jake, then simultaneously nodded. Jake gave a happy smile.


    " This is what I can do: my Terrent will cover you two from Muloculus''s attack. Remember: A shield, not a distraction. There is no way to distract that multi-eyed thing. I can protect you from its beams, for a while. However, that is the best I can do, when you approach him, it''s completely up to you to take Victor down. Understood? Good. Now, all I can say is: good luck."


    " It seems I have to get personal with that thing then." Hiatus cracked his knuckles.


    "I? You mean "we" ?" asked Aria.


    " You stay here, Aria. I''m going to take Victor down. Don''t you remember you trust me to defeat him? It''s bad enough that I am accepting help from another person, now two will be an blatant insult to your trust." Hiatus smirked.


    " You... Fine, take it down. I trust you."


    " Okay, now done with the sappy talk. Terrent!" said Jake as he summoned the snake."I need you to cover him."


    The snake stared at Hiatus, then nodded at Jake. Its body cracked, and the rock fell off, revealing an empty space within..


    " Get in, Hiatus." Jake pointed at Terrent''s body.


    " Excuse me?" asked Hiatus, to which Jake gave the same reply.


    Hiatus glanced at Aria.


    " I trust you Hiatus." Aria gave him a thumb up." Now get your head in the fight, or should I say the snake."


    "This is not okay." said Hiatus as he stepped into the snake, and new rocks emerged covering his body.


    " Charge at the enemy!" Jake gave his order   .


    Terrent rushed towards Muloculus, and its snake-like movements allowed it to evade many attacks. Jake had cast extra protection spell on its skin that would resist the beams, and he constantly created random spikes that popped up from underground to scatter the concentration of Muloculus.


    Victor spammed the same wind spell that Jake used  when he was fighting Aria to make sure he was unapproachable.


    " Unbelievable, to think he was able to use wind magic to this extent."


    " Jake, you fought me with that spell." said Aria, raising her eyebrows.


    " I did? Oh my, so Maria could control her subjects to this extent, to give them magic even they did not know. This is real trouble: my Terrent can''t penetrate that spell. We just have to trust Hiatus. Terrent, coil around that thing!"


    Terrent followed Jake''s order , coiling his rock body around Muloculus, covering up the latter''s eyes, at the cost of constantly being shot with energy beam. It pushed Hiatus out of his body.


    " Guys, I don''t think I can penetrate that windshield!" Hiatus shouted.


    " Jake, summon your other Familiar!" Aria urged.


    " I can''t. I am not that powerful yet. Hiatus, I am going to cast a protection spell on you.  It''s just an experimental spell, though. Try charging in! You may survive!" shouted Jake.


    " The heck? Are you really on my side?" Hiatus shouted.


    Without answering, Jake projected towards Hiatus a ray of blue light.


    " Charge in, Hiatus, the spell mitigates the attack with my energy!"


    "Use mine too!" said Aria.


    Jake nodded at Aria, then synchronized her with the spell.


    Hiatus activated his demon form, then charged towards Victor. The moment he touched the spell, all three of them experienced hell. For human, it would equal the feeling of having hundreds of saw blades cutting the body simultaneously.


    Hiatus kept pushing through, and the winds engulfed his whole body.


    " To hell with it."


    Hiatus''s body burned up in green flame, and came an explosion that diverted the winds away from his body for a while, long enough for him to give Victor a punch that knocked him out cold. Hiatus then instantly vanquished the flame before the winds disappear, like it was never there.


    The three collapsed, exhausted because of the pain caused by the winds.


    " I don''t know Maria, but I hate her guts." said Aria.


    " She''s not so bad, actually" Jake replied." When she isn''t busy brainwashing and killing everyone, that is."


    " Guys!" Hiatus shouted." That creepy eye monster is still here being creepy."


    " Oh shush! Hiatus, get out of there, Terrent will not hold out much longer."


    Hiatus stood up in a devastated state, and staggered towards his friends. Behind him, Terrent began to crack under the pressure with rocks constantly falling off its body. The beams were ready to blow it away any moment.


    " He is not going to make it!" said Aria." I will¡ª"


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Tetrax flashed by the young hunter and summoner. She charged towards Hiatus, grabbed him by his collar and threw him at Marsianos. Before he was slammed against the wall, she had already caught him and put him on the ground gently. All happen in two blinks of an eye.


    Ignoring the stares she got from others, she cursed herself for having left her other sword behind, now this Familiar would be troublesome.


    " Desummon your familiar! Don''t make it suffer any longer."


    The young summoner followed her order without any question. The beast thus got free, then returned to its mindless assaults.


    " Uhm, thank you for saving my friend, sir."


    Deeming it too hassle to correct her gender, Tetrax nodded at the girl.


    " Boy, how long will it be before that thing vanishes?"


    " It depends. It may take more than 10 minutes, or only some seconds more."


    " Not taking this bet. The institution must be safe."


    Tetrax unsheathed her sword, but before she could commence her counterattack, a radiant light enveloped the whole school. All hunters and summoners covered their eyes. When the light disappeared, the hostile familiar had already had half his body blown away, then seconds later disappeared along with the light.


    <hr />


    So, what do you guys think of the story thus far?

 Chapter 12: The Rift

    A few hours after the battle, Xixin''s institution was swarmed with people from the Hunter Council and from the Summoner Round Table. Chaos was an understatement.


    On the campus, parents held the bodies of their children while crying their eyes out. They ceaselessly called their children''s names while shaking their bodies, hoping that their children would wake up. The luckier ones cried no less, holding their sons and daughter as tightly as they could, as though if they let go for one second they would lose them. For now, they wallowed in grief, but soon they would unleash their fury upon the school, and the summoners.


    Reporters soon swarmed the institution. No one knew how they got hold of the news so early. Their colleagues, who was outside the school before everything went down, could have informed them. Both hunters and summoners did not appreciate their presence.


    It took hours and hours to dispel the effects of the brainwash and to ensure that no Summoner was still under the spell. Dead summoners had no one to mourn for them but their schoolmates, as their loved ones most likely had not heard the news. Principal Hamilton fell into a coma, suffering critical damage to his brain. Healers said he could fully recover but it would take a while.


    Debates surfaced throughout the institution. Hunters consistently accused summoners of being in league with demons, while the summoners pointed out that their kindred were manipulated. What the summoners said was true, but at times like this emotion overwhelmed rationality.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Inside the principal''s office.


    Principal Xixin stared at thin air and did not move an inch. He had not expected that Hamilton, or rather the one controlled him, could pose such a terrorizing threat. He shuddered when he recalled Hamilton''s smile, now  knowing that was the smile of a psychopath lurking in the dark. He felt disgusted thinking of all the talented youngsters massacred today. He could not dare to think of what would happen in the future, of the chapters that would unfold later.


    " Principal Xixin" Veritas''s voice brought him back. "Please inform me of every abnormalities the last few weeks."


    He stared at Veritas, at the stranger that saved Hiatus, at Hannah, and at Dessina- the representative of the summoners. It took a while before he could gather the will to talk, and he disclosed all the incidents and mysteries that he knew.


    " And you still went forward with the contest despite all that?" asked Veritas.


    " I... decided to trust him. Everything had been prepared, and this is a great chance for both races to come together. I just..."


    " We council are here as your countermeasure, aren''t we? And the runes you inscribed under his seats. You don''t trust him, principal, you just want to take a risk, a risk that is your students."


    Xixin stared at Veritas, unable to retort. Standing next to him, Hannah slightly shook her head.


    " Lucky for us, the reporters did not record the massacre." Dessina said." Things could be much worse if that had been the case. Now I think about it, you did forbid them to go in. Good move."


    " And who is this manipulator we are talking about?" asked Veritas.


    " Her name is Maria Gwendolyn." said Jake as he walked into the room with Aria and Hiatus." Pardon my intrusion, but there is a lot we can reveal."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    After Jake told the adults of his investigation with Aria and Hiatus, all of them seemed visibly shaken. Veritas and Dessina both called their subordinates to request investigation into Maria.


    " Are you telling me that none of you here ever saw her on the campus?" asked Dessina.


    "Yes, she rarely appeared on campus" said Jake." I only saw her once. She did not even show up during meals or during meetings."


    Aria and Hiatus glanced at each other, knowing Wander must have come into contact with her.


    " This is very serious. Solus, this must be a scheme, a scheme to tear apart the already fragile bond between summoners and hunters." said Dessina


    " I can''t say anything for now. But your words hold true, at least we have proof that they were all under spells. However, don''t expect others to be convinced easily like me. They are overwhelmed by emotions for now."


    " This Maria, where is she now?" Dessina turned to Jake.


    " She must have escaped. No sight of her."


    " Principal Xixin," said Hannah. "Aidan just texted me, we have one missing student."


    " Who?"


    "Wander."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The name rang a bell within Tetrax''s mind.


    " Ah yes." said she." I want to know about that boy. Is he a turn?"


    Every one in the room turned to her, their eyes widened.


    " What? You don''t know? His green blood was everywhere.Well, I''m not sure but it''s most likely."


    " A turn?" Veritas almost shouted." What else have you been hiding, Xixin?"


    " I don''t know." said the principal. "I know nothing about this."


    "It''s hard to trust your words after today." said Dessina.


    " Oh my god, use that spell, use that lie-detecting spell!"


    " Such a convenient spell has yet to be created, I must say."


    " This is ridiculous," principal Xixin shouted."I don''t even care about that brat, how do I even know he is a turn? Ask them, they are his friends."


    Veritas turned to Hiatus and Aria, and looked at them with a fierce gaze.


    " Do you two know about this?"


    While the two had not found an appropriate lie, Tetrax had already stood in front of them


    "I think I will take over this subject, captain. You can go back to investigate the manipulator and negotiate with the summoners."


    " Move aside, you are obstructing my duty, and thus the council''s power."


    " Captain, I really don''t give a damn about your council, or your duty. Wander is my job."


    " The council decides what your job is, Hunter."


    "Certainly not, I am beyond its power. I only answer to the Singulus Digiti."


    The name silenced the whole room. Singulus Digiti- the only force that stood against the council- had never been seen for centuries. And now all of a sudden, it returned. Hunters and Summoners in the room widened their eyes.


    " You are... one of them?" Veritas grimace.


    " Yes. I am one of them. And I am here for my mission: to find the turn that is Wander."


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.            " You disappeared for centuries and now you think you can just go back and do what you want?"


    " Veritas, the Singulus Digiti runs deeper than you could ever imagine, and we did a lot of things during our disappearance. I suggest you stand back, your boss has no power over us, let alone you."


    Veritas frowned and clenched his fists. Tetrax knew she won.


    " Very well, do what you want. But soon the council will make you obey."


    "Like I care. Now, Aria and Hiatus, I presume? Come with me."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Aria  could not believe her eyes. A Singulus Digiti was standing right in front of her. Never had she hoped she would see one. And more so, a SD and a Captain in one room.


    " Tell me about your demonic friend."


    The request killed Aria''s excitement. She inhaled, then answered.


    " We will tell you what we know, if you promise to let us in on your investigation."


    " Sure, why not." the Singulus Digiti answered instantly.


    Both Hiatus and Aria was surprised by the immediate reply, not to say an affirmative one.


    " Uhm, your name is?" asked Aria.


    " Call me Tetrax."


    "So Tetrax, you will really take us with you?"


    " Yeah. I''m not the lonewolf of the pack. But your parents'' permission, what about it?"


    " I will talk to them. And Hiatus''s parents basically let him do whatever he wants."


    " Okay then. We have a deal." Tetrax shook Aria''s hand. "Now, Wander."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Veritas''s glare lingered on the door the Singulus Digity just closed.


    " Principal Xixin, this institution will not be closed, for now. However, I do believe it is only appropriate to let the students have an one-week off." said Veritas.


    " Yes, I agree."


    "I will arrange for the departure of summoners." said Dessina, heading towards the door.


    " No, the summoners will not leave." said Veritas.


    Dessina stopped midway. She slowly turned around to look at Veritas.


    "Excuse me?" She raised her eyebrows.


    "My apology, but all the summoners involved will be kept here. They will be thoroughly interrogated. "


    " You have no right! They do not answer to the council!"


    " After what happened here today, I don''t think summoners are in a good position, Dessina. We have enough proof and power to make your kin homicidal crazes."


    Dessina stared at Veritas, seething in anger. Nonetheless, she knew he could very well do what he just said, and her fellow summoners indeed would not gain much sympathy after this event.


    " This is an insult of the highest degree to us summoners, Veritas. But very well, I will let you have this one. Just remember, what goes around comes around." said Dessina as she left the room.


    " Principal Xixin, the councilmen will stay here for a while. Please arrange for our stay."


    Veritas left without hearing Xixin''s answer. He went into an empty room, then contacted the Chancellor.


    " Chancellor Alados, the situation is dire."


    " How dire?" Alados asked.


    " This incident will definitely create a rift between summoners and hunters. A serious rift."


    " I see. With this, I hope Xixin finally give up on that foolish dream of his. Any other news?"


    " We have investigated the name Maria Gwendolyn. It''s a fake name, and this girl, this being simply does not exist. Address, phone number, parents, ID and et cetera, all fake. We don''t know what this being is. There is yet to be a connection between Maria and Samundo."


    "And about that .... Wander?"


    " The Singulus Digiti prevents further information. We contacted his parents, and aside from trivialities, we found not thing relevant. But he is a demon, that can be confirmed. The blood, it''s his."


    " So a mysterious being and a turn in New York. Well, this sounds troublesome. I leave New York in your hand, then. The other two are still busy with Samundo''s return. That''s all for now."


    " Yes, sir. I will contact you again when there''s news." Veritas said before hanging up.


    He looked out of the window, and noticed the Singulus Digiti was talking to Aria and Hiatus. He thought back to what happened in Swordgrave, and remembered that the SD called his name. After contemplating for a while, he came to the conclusion that he must extract some information from that Singulus Digiti.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Aria and Hiatus informed Tetrax of everything related to Wander that she had yet to know. She listened attentively, sometimes nodded, sometimes shook her head. After hearing everything, she did not say anything, other than telling Aria and Hiatus to wait for her at the tunnel tomorrow morning, then bid them good bye before vanishing.


    " You know it is useless to find Wander now, right? He''s been exposed. Even if we find him, there''s nothing we can do for him anymore." said Hiatus.


    " This is not just about him, Hiatus. He lied to us all. He had some connection to Maria, but he didn''t tell us anything. The runes, where do you think he learned it from? Books? To use runes so adeptly, and his experiments too. Maria has been in the forest with him for weeks. She must have taught him dangerous things. He was manipulated by her. A boy, alone, weak, hated, isolated meets a mysterious girl in the forest who is willing to teach him, to make him stronger. We have a story right there!"


    Hiatus remained silent.  He recalled what Jake said. " Sounds like a couple". Aria made sense, Maria must have made Wander feel like there existed a bond between the two, like he was special. And so to coerce him was a piece of cake.


    "If he had told us, we might have prevented the incident. Nobody had to die! Instead, that thrilling romance got to him, and he tried to protect her! This is our fault, and his too. I want to know the truth!" Aria said, clenching her fists.


    Hiatus stared at the frustrated Aria. She had always spoken up for Wander. He wanted to tell her that he was right, that they should have turned Wander in. He had never thought that the rift among the three of them would emerge like this. Not this soon, not in this manner.

 Chapter 13: Glimpse of Truth

    Next morning, when Aria and Hiatus reached the rendezvous point, Veritas was already there with Tetrax. The two were facing each other, in front of the pitch black tunnel entrance, layers of stones scraping each other under their feet.


    "This is our extra companion?" asked Hiatus.


    " Well, I had a talk with him, and he agreed to share with me some Council information, if I let him come with us. Are you guys okay with this?"


    " I don''t really mind," Aria said with a firm voice." I just want to find Wander, who I go with is irrelevant."


    " Well said," Tetrax smiled."Veritas, keep to our deal."


    " I will hold true to my words. And are they coming with us?"


    " Yes, we are coming. I thought it was obvious." Hiatus replied.


    Veritas frowned. " Unacceptable. The children must not be put in danger."


    " Wow, easy there, adult guy. I''m pretty sure they can take care of themselves. If not, I can take care of them. It''s just a young turn, what can go wrong?"


    Veritas shook his head. He stared at the two youngsters, then turned away from them.


    Tetrax shrugged, taking out a vial containing Wander''s blood. She poured the blood on the insignia, and the latter absorbed the former, radiating a shimmering green light.


    " This insignia can track any demon to anywhere, but it has limitations. It reveals places the targets have visited, not ones they are currently visiting. And it burns the blood slowly. So we need to be quick, or else we will lose his trace. And Veritas, please give me your phone or whatever contact devices you have. I don''t want you to leak anything to Alados."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The insignia radiated for a while, but could not locate Wander. Tetrax walked around impatiently, kicking the stones in her way.


    " The boy is quite good at hiding. Even this insignia has difficulty finding him. I tell you what, this thing here used to track a very powerful turn in minutes." said Tetrax.


    " How does it work exactly?" asked Veritas.


    " I don''t know. The one created this insignia did not reveal." Tetrax said, shrugging.


    " Who created it?"


    " Now, I don''t think that piece of information is relevant to our chase, is it?"


    " Well, true." Veritas slightly clenched his fists.


    Tetrax shifted her eyes to the two young hunters. Hiatus was standing against a tree, his head drooping. Aria stood a few steps away from him, staring at the stones.


    " You two are doing good over there?" asked Tetrax.


    " Yeah, we are fine. At least I am." said Hiatus as he glanced at Aria.


    Tetrax went to Aria''s side. She looked at the girl and noticed that she was lost in her own world.


    " Aria, earth calls you." Tetrax touched the girl''s shoulder, startling her.


    "  I... I was thinking about Wander and Maria. Something is still bugging me."


    " What is it? Veritas, leave us alone for a while." Tetrax shoved Veritas away with her hand.


    The Councilman glanced at Tetrax as he distanced himself from her.


    "I still don''t understand why Maria had to make him turn. Furthermore, I still couldn''t believe Wander wanted to turn just because he needed and wanted power. He couldn''t be that kind of hunter!"


    Tetrax stared at the confused girl. The compressed eyebrowns, that drooping eyes, that pursed lips. She thought about how she was just like Aria many years ago.


    " Do you really know him as well as you think you do?" asked Tetrax.


    "What?" Aria turned her eyes on Tetrax.


    " Exactly what I just said. The boy you thought you knew may very well be a person you never actually know."


    Tetrax knew her remark got to Aria: she could see her face twitch. Next to her, Hiatus frowned.


    " Now, your story, one point of interest: Who put up the fourth layer?"


    " Maria, she must have set up that layer to keep him inside, within her control."


    " Ah, that is the illogical point: What is the point of setting up the layer when she could just simply tell him to stay? This girl got him under her thumbs, right?"


    Aria answered, compressing her brows." A cautionary measure. She did not completely trust him to follow her order."


    " And why so? He trusted her enough to make himself a turn right?"


    " That is because..."


    " No Summoner has anything to do with my turn" what Wander said ran through her mind.


    " He didn''t know it himself that Maria manipulated him into turning." said Aria as her eyes lighted up.


    " We don''t have proof yet, but now we have one theory where he didn''t betray us,  right?" Tetrax smiled." Now, the beasts, what are they?"


    " We don''t know. "


    " Oh, but I think there is a very sound possibility right here: Who were there with you all apart from your fellow hunters?"


    " The summoners."


    "Exactly." Tetrax nodded.


    " You are telling me, those beasts, they are familiars of summoners?" asked Aria.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.            " The most likely scenarios, she controlled other summoners to unleash their familiars into Mirilad, the strongest beast was hers. The reason there were only three? She never tried to actually get to you, she only wanted to make you fear."


    Aira nodded. " Thanks to those beasts, we were scared off for good, did not dare to return to Mirilad. The layer and the familiars, they are both preventative measures of Maria. Sealing off Mirilad, and she knew other ways out of New York would be quite impossible for us."


    " She thought of the escape plan before you did." said Tetrax.


    Aria bit her lips.


    " And one last question: Why did she help Wander turn? No, why did she manipulate only him into turning? Surely there are better candidates. Heck, she could even mind-control other hunters and make them all turn. But only Wander. Which means, he was chosen specifically."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Jake sat next to his unconscious principal, contemplating all that transpired. Just this morning, Hiatus called him, saying that he must look for Wander. Hiatus also apologized for hiding the case of Wander from him and went to tell him anything he needed to know. Jake felt a bit upset that Hiatus did not trust him completely, but he could not blame the hunter. He blamed himself instead.


    He still remembered the day Maria came to Hamilton''s School for Summoners. The girl had a mesmerizing aura, but her aloofness blocked out any attempt of further contact. Frustrated by her cold attitude, Victor wanted to " teach her a lesson", only to get taught himself.


    " Why can I be so stupid? I should have been more careful, more perceptive. She was right there with her overwhelming power, and I didn''t for one second raise any suspicion."


    Someone knocked on the door.


    " Please come in." Jake said, rubbing his eyes.


    It was Alicia. She had an air of concern despite her nonchalant face. She nodded at Jake.


    " I am sent by Sir Xixin. Are...are you in need of anything? How is Sir Hamilton?"


    " I''m doing okay. As for him, no progression. The spells implanted in his head are healing him, but he would not recover soon."


    " I see. Maybe I can help."


    "How?"


    "I am adept when it comes to magic, unusual for a Hunter. I can use some personal spells to heal him."


    Jake stared at the girl. She averted her eyes as soons as they met his. Her two hand were woven with each other, slightly fidgeting.


    " Sorry, but the spells we use are the most advance. I don''t think there is anything else you can do, but thanks for the intention."


    " Right, of course. My apology, I was arrogant. The best spell users were here, and yet I assumed I could do more." She said, her fingers fidgeting.


    " No, I don''t mean it that way." Jake hurriedly comforted Alicia." You can stay here with me, it helps."


    Alicia stared at Jake with her head tilted. She nodded, then moved on to take the seat in front of him.


    The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Jake tried to initiate a conversation.


    " Can you tell me about Wander?"


    " Wander? Oh, you were investigating the mysteries. You still want to solve more?"


    " It''s not like I have solved anything. Now I have more questions than answers." Jake shook his head.


    "I see. Wander, I do not know him well . Forgive my rudeness, but I do not like him much."


    " Because he''s weak?"


    " No, he ... I do not know why, but whenever I see him or stand near him I become unease. Like he reminds me of something horrible."


    " Interesting. Are you sure it isn''t his body odor?"


    " Yes, I am sure." Alicia gave a faint smile." I have quite good instinct, and I can assure you he  makes me feel threatened sometimes."


    Jake wondered if he should consider Alicia''s instict as a valid clue.


    " He skips school often. He is quite good at Runes, History and Chemistry, not the best though. However, his practical skills are horrifyingly under standards. He rarely talks to anyone besides Hiatus and Aria. That is why he is very unpopular. I do not know how his best friends see him, but most of us only see an awkward, unsocial and dependant kid."


    " A typical unpopular child. ."


    " No, not so typical. There are strange rumors regarding him."


    " Please elaborate." Jake found his curiosity easily piqued.


    " Mostly from Karen and Jonathan. I do not tattle, so the details are beyond my knowledge. I suggest you see them for further information. They are on campus right now. I can guide you."


    " Thanks. Let''s go at once. I want to find out as many things as possible. For us summoners, and for my principal too." Jake looked at principal Hamilton with sad eyes." He trusted the wrong person."


    " And maybe Aria and Hiatus did, too. Maybe strangers know something about Wander his best friends do not" He thought.


    Together with Alicia, he left the room.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    " We found him," said Tetrax." He went to.. Oh boy. How the heck?"


    " What? Where did he go?" asked Aria.


    " South Africa."

 Chapter 14: South Africa Halcyon

    " South Africa? How did he even get there?" asked Veritas."Air road, gates, all are off-limit to him."


    " There are ways we don''t know of, I guess." said Tetrax." But whatever, we must get to South Africa, with the Gate, of course.  My Gate that is."


    " You have your own Gate?" asked Aria.


    " Every Singulus Digiti has one. Fancy, right?" Tetrax chuckled.


    " You lots sure are mysterious, huh?" said Veritas.


    Without answering, Tetrax signaled the others to follow her.  She guided them into the tunnel.


    " You cleared all of the rubbles by yourself?" asked Aria. "There was a lot."


    " Now how would you know about that?" asked Veritas.


    " Oh yeah, you still don''t know, Captain. Wander told these two he destroyed this tunnel with runes and runes. Of course there must be a lot."


    Veritas knew Tetrax was covering up for the two, but he knew it would be a waste of time to further pursuit the matter. It did not matter now that the two hid the truth. He only looked forward to finding Wander and Maria, then informed the Council of the location.


    "Ok, here we are, now, stand close to me, grab my arms, and prepare for a trip you will never forget. "


    After making sure the others had followed her order, Tetrax whispered an incantation, and the insignia emitted a glistering light engulfing every one. Apart from Tetrax, each of them experienced unprecedented nauseousness and disorientation. During the trip, they looked around to see nothing but blurry sceneries beyond recognition. A few minutes later, they could feel the space around them violently tremble, break apart then come together once more.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Veritas fell to the ground as they all arrived in South Africa. He had never felt this disturbed and sick before, and was more than ready to vomit. Next to him, Aria was experiencing the same thing. He felt a little relieved, as it would have been incredibly embarrassing if he was the only one.


    " I was like you the first time too. Don''t worry, it gets better soon." said Tetrax.


    After the two had recovered, they returned to the chase. Tetrax went in the front with the insignia as their tour guide.


    " Where are we currently?" asked Veritas.


    " Cape Town Halcyon. This is where Wander is, or was. Is it funny that we find ourselves inside a forest yet once more? And  yep, we are officially out of his blood." said Tetrax.


    " What? So are we like, lost now?" said Aria.


    " Not necessarily. With our abilities it would more than easy to locate the nearest town. Captain, would it be too much if I ask you to scout ahead and pinpoint a populated area?"


    " If you just want me to leave you all alone for a while, just get to the point. "


    " Nah, I really want you to scout. Can you?"


    That playful attitude of Tetrax was a great annoyance to Veritas. He really wanted to punch the guy in the face, but managed to hold back the desire. He turned away from his companions and made a giant leap upward. He could see a town North West, and so in that direction he moved forward.


    This forest was not as dense as Mirilad, but some areas were flooded with overgrown bushes, and Veritas could see some trekkers from time to time. They waved at him and he nodded in return. He noticed that they were carrying weapons, but sensed no hostility from them. They were busy cutting all the weirdly overgrown bushes. His trip therefore went on smoothly.


    The town he arrived in was named Simon''s Town- a commercial town with -full-loaded trucks entering and departing constantly. Veritas did not detect anything out of the ordinary. However, to be careful, he commenced further investigation.


    He traveled across the town, observing as many people and buildings as possible. Some natives glanced at him, some smiled, some stared but none was distracted from work for more than seconds.  When he reached the centre of the town, Veritas noticed one building was more crowded than others. Most unusual, the entrants were all armed. As he got closer, he could read the building''s name: Katleho Bounty Center.


    Contrary to its dilapidated exterior, the interior of Katleho was well-furnished and well- designed. There were long couches and long tables positioned close to the walls where various employees with headphones on  were talking to their customers. Behind them were hundreds of different paper notes with addresses, phone numbers, images stuck to the wall. The reception desk lied at the opposite end of the entrance, and caught the attention of Veritas due to the frowning face of the receptionist.


    " Good morning, Mr...Mohapi." said Veritas as he glanced at the name card.


    " Yeah, same to you. Now, what''s the deal?" asked Mohapi with a rough voice.


    " May I ask what this building''s for?"


    " Newcomer, aren''t you? American? Wait, I know you." Mohapi knitted his brows." Veritas Solus? Now, this is bad news."


    " Bad news?"


    " You only appear when bad things happen. Every captain does. And what happened yesterday only enforces the fact."


    " What happened yesterday?"


    " A demon, what''s else? It popped up not far from the town, scaring the towns people off. We tried to hunt it down, but it escaped to the south, to Vuur forest. Now that place is more dangerous than the demon itself. Most of us hope it dies there, but just to be sure, we are scouting the surrounding the area once more.


    Veritas recalled the armed hunters waving at him.


    " I see." Veritas nodded." That must have been the demon I''ve been looking for. Was anyone else with him?"


    " No, there wasn''t. And you can stop looking, I don''t think it survived. But please, go south if you must, I''m not stopping you. I can ensure you that it had not escaped from there. Be careful, though, that part of the forest is deadly. Something is in there. Something centuries old."


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.            Veritas thanked the receptionist before exiting Katleho and returning to his group. On his way back, he could see that the native hunters were on their way back home, and a few meters from them, his three companions were waving at him.


    " Let me guess, Wander was here and he went south." said Tetrax.


    " Yes, that''s what I got from the people here. You talked to them too?"


    " We met them while waiting for you." said Aria." They told us they were tracing a demon. Well, we immediately knew it was Wander. "


    " So what are we waiting for? Let''s head south!" said Hiatus.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The residents of Simon''s Town shook their heads at the group as they saw them marching South. Some even attempted to talk the group out of it, but quickly gave up after realizing the four were very determined.


    The south of Vuur exuded an inexplicably blazing heat. Despite that, Vuur witnessed the overgrowth of vegetation, mostly fynbos. The group was baffled by the unusual height of the floras. They were supposed to be only knee-high, but here they were several feet taller than a grown hunter.


    " I bet 100 dollar something super magical is in there." said Tetrax." Anyone?"


    " I bet it was an ancient tree with roots running deep across the forest, providing all other plants with nutrition." said Aria." A hive of trees!"


    " It must be the work of a demon." said Veritas.


    " I want to buy their fertilizer" said Hiatus.


    " Okay, team, let''s get in!." Tetrax shouted, pointing ahead.


    Veritas glanced at the Singulus Digiti, faintly smiling.


    Apart from Tetrax, the whole team entered the uncharted territory with a despondent expression. For Veritas, he was recalling the warning of Mohapi. For Aria and Hiatus, they simply did not have much luck with forest adventure.


    Unlike Mirilad, Vuur welcomed the visitation of light despite its overgrown fynbos. Therefore, the four could see one another, detect movements of animals and make their way through the forest with ease. What really troubled them, though, was the increasing heat. They were sweating profusely, and the use of runes only brought forth short-lived coolness. Veritas, intending to identify the face of Tetrax, suggested that she took off the robe, earning him the dead stares of Hiatus and Aria, and a mocking laughter from Tetrax.


    In the human realm, they were heading towards Cape Point. However, in Halcyon, the destination was unknown, so they decided to keep going till the end of Vuur. Along the way, they would often helped one member leap off the ground to see ahead. However, only  the sea lied at the other end.


    The group reached the end of Vuur in disappointment. It was a cliff facing the endless ocean. Nothing unusual was within their sight.


    " This is unusual. The forest is too peaceful, apart from the heat. We must have missed something." said Veritas."Let''s go back and search again."


    "You stay here." said Tetrax. "I will do quick check."


    " You sure you want to split up? That is how people get killed in horror movie." said Hiatus.


    " I agree with him. Let''s us go together." said Veritas.


    " Nah, with my speed, I will soon outrun you all. We will split anyways. Just wait"


    Without waiting for any response, Tetrax vanished into the forest.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Nearly 20 minutes had passed and Tetrax still did not return. The left behind grew more restless than ever. Aria walked around in circle, her fists bumping against each other. Veritas was standing still with crossed arms, but he incessantly tapped each arm with his fingers. Hiatus sat down, then stood up, only to sit down again.


    " We must go back in there." said Veritas." Hee''s in trouble"


    " No, we must stay here. What if he returns when we are away?" said Aria.


    " Then two will go in and one will wait." said Veritas


    "You mean we will split up again and increase the risk of getting killed?" said Hiatus.


    " I am going in whether you two want to come or not."


    " He''s a Singulus Digity. He can take care of troubles."


    Veritas frowned. " If anything, he is trouble. Who knows, he may have abandoned us."


    " The Council is more likely to do that, Veritas." Hiatus said, glancing at the Councilman.


    Veritas glared at the boy. " Is this what you repay us with after all the things we do for you?"


    " I''m sorry, but the only thing you''ve done to me is making me lose..." Hiatus stopped speaking,  his eyes slowly widening.


    " Guys, you are sweating.A lot." said Aria.


    Aria''s remark startled Hiatus and Veritas, and even herself. They noticed the temperature had abnorammly risen, and their anxiety of Tetrax had prevented them from noticing till now. The effects of dehydration kicked in, and they all felt stunned.


    "We must get out of this forest, immediately." said Veritas.


    With no hesitation, they ran at full speed towards the town. The fynbos somehow became much more intimidating than before. They cast their shadow over the three as if they were trying to drown them with darkness. The hunters could feel their heart beat violently and their breath get shorter and shorter. Their eyes got all blurry, and strength was sapped from their bodies. First to fall was Aria, then came Veritas''s turn, and Hiatus was the last to succumb to Vuur.

 Chapter 15: Wander?

    Jake and Alicia found Karen in the back of the Scientia building. The girl was helping remove the rubbles. She scowled when she saw the two approach.


    " Alicia," asked she." Why are you here with a summoner? Have you forget what they did?"


    " I just... The blame is not on them, Karen." said Alicia as she avoided Karen''s eyes." They were being controlled."


    " Whatever, they did hurt, and kill a lot of us." Karen bit her lips.


    Jake stepped forward, and without hesitation he bowed to Karen


    " What you said is true, and I can never apologize enough for what my friends and my principal have done." said he." But please know I am doing my best to seek the truth, the truth that will do each of us here and each of those in the beyond justice, but to achieve that I need your help."


    Jake''s words partially soothed Karen''s anger as her scowl slowly melted. She sighed then asked him what he needed to know.


    " Wander, what kind of hunter is he exactly?"asked Jake.


    " That creep?" Karen clenched her fist." Is he behind this?"


    " We don''t know yet. But for now it''s certain he''s involved with the mastermind."


    " Darn it, I know this day will come. He''s been shady from day one!"


    " Shady?"


    " I am boredom-prone, so you can say that I...snoop around a lot." Karen cleared her throat." I usually saw Wander sneaking in and out of the forest a lot. God knows what he did in there! Urg, and that creepy smile of him when he enter Mirilad. "


    " What about at school?"


    " He talked to Hiatus and Aria." said Karen."He talked to the teachers. He read books. That''s all he did at school. Can you believe it? He didn''t even bother trying to talk to us, people who had never bullied him before his battle with Jonathan. "


    " You really hold it in for a long while, don''t you?"


    " You bet. That guy is manipulative, I tell you. Wallowing in self-pity, and using that to cling to Hiatus and Aria. I''m surprised someone as sharp as Aria failed to see through him. "


    " Did he have any violent tendency?"


    "Well, no. Sometimes he glared at the bullies, but that''s all."


    " I see. Anything else worth mentioning?"


    "Not really. I never want to know too much about him. You should ask Jonathan for more. Man, his history with Wander will amuse you."


    " Thanks for the suggestion. Any idea where we can find him?"


    " Try Marsianos, first floor, Mr. Aidan''s office."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Jonathan was talking to Aidan when Alicia and Jake walked into the office, a room with weapons and trophy hung on the walls. Contrary to Jake''s expectations, the two did not show any sign of disgust or anger when he appeared. He asked to talk to Jonathan in private, and Aidan agreed to leave after noticing Jonathan''s nod.


    "You are surprised, aren''t you? Jonathan smirked." The jerks can act nice, what a surprise!"


    " Yeah, you read my mind." Jake smiled."But I''m not here to make witty remark. I just want to ask you some questions."


    " About Wander, I suppose?" Jonathan rolled his eyes.


    "Yes."


    "What about him you want to know?"


    " The real Wander."


    "Never thought a stranger would be the first to ask about his real face." said Jonathan."I thought Aria and Hiatus would ask me first. They are more blind than I think."


    " Someone said you had a history with Wander."


    " Yeah, say thanks to Karen for me." Jonathan smiled." Well, she''s not wrong. I have a history with all three of them. I used to be their friend."


    " Friend? Like friend friend? Not class friend or school friend?" Jake frowned.


    " Yes, friend friend. Hanging out, talking stupid, mocking each other."


    Jake and Alicia stared at Jonathan. They glanced at each other, then at him.


    " I can never imagine."


    " Yeah, me too." Alicia shook her head.


    " You idiots can either believe it or not, I don''t give a darn." Jonathan raised his voice.


    " Okay then, what happened?" Jake raised his hands.


    " Wander happened." Jonathan clenched his fists." He wanted to monopolize Hiatus and Aria."


    " Monopolize?" Jake raised his eyebrows.


    " That guy had an unhealthy obsession with those two. He clung to them, he wanted to keep them for himself." Jonathan leaned back," That''s why he framed me for the wound on his head. He bang his head against a rock then told the two I hit him."


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.            Both Alicia and Jake stared at Jonathan with eyes wide open. Both tried to swallow something stuck in their throats.


    "I''m sorry. What?"


    " He bang his head against a rock, then blamed it on me. Aria and Hiatus severed all ties with me after that."


    " They believed him?"


    " Oh please, you yourself find it hard to believe me. Do you really think they would choose to trust me and not him? Yeah right, trust the cruel bully instead of the tragic, weak boy. Even Hiatus. He befriended me before he befriended Wander, and he trusted that guy."


    Jake felt like Jonathan could cry any moment. The supposed bully averted his eyes from Jake''s.  He thought of what Aria said in Mirilad, what she almost said.


    " He did that? Someone like him?" asked Jake.


    " Someone like him? Nice? Cowardly? He was none of those. He ran from a fight, he ran from conflict, but because he deemed them unimportant, not because he was afraid. When he was convinced that  he wanted something, he would go to any length to achieve it, even if he must resort to the most repellant, most immoral act. Back then, he didn''t have to raise his fist, and he made me crap my pant. I still remember, Hiatus and Aria defended him and snapped at me, while Wander stood behind their backs, do you know what he did?"


    Alicia and Jake shook their head.


    " He smiled. He freaking smiled. That psychopath smiled while blood was flowing down his face, into his mouth. And his eyes, I have never, even now, seen such menacing eyes. He was telling me to get lost." Jonathan trembled.


    Both Alicia and Jake shuddered at Jonathan''s words. They felt goose bumps all over their bodies.


    "I ran to my house after that, crying. I told my brother, and my parents. Only the former believed me.  He trained me to make me stronger, make me more confident in myself. But I agree, both he and I hold too long a grudge, torturing Wander like that."


    " Wait, your brother is ..."


    " Yes, Aidan Miller is my brother. And he targeted Wander because of what he did to me many years ago".


    "Darn! Your school is one heck of a drama! Sorry, that was rude. Anyways, he changed, right? Wander changed. You bullied him, Aidan ridiculed him, but he didn''t retaliate. He could, but he didn''t."


    " Have you been listening?" Jonathan slammed his fist down the table." He hasn''t changed. He deemed the whole school, my brother and me unworthy of his attention. That''s why he didn''t fight back, because he did not freaking mind. Sure, he''s angry sometimes, but that''s it! I''ve been trying to humiliate him as much as possible, in the false hope that he would react. But, he just glared, he just shudder, then nothing."


    Jonathan trembled with rage. He grimaced, then let out a sigh.


    " To hell with this, after all these years, he still scares me. Now he doesn''t even need to smile, his poker face is more than enough." Jonathan lowered his head.


    Alicia and Jake opened their mouths, but then quickly closed them. They couldn''t find an appropriate reply. They just stared at Jonathan the bully, this time in a different light.


    " You said he would resort to any repellent, immoral act to achieve what he wanted." said Jake.


    " Yes."


    " Like turning himself into a demon?"


    Jonathan headed up, staring at Jake.


    " This isn''t good at all," Jonathan shook his head." Last time, just to monopolize his friends, he hurt himself real bad. This time, he demonizes himself. What does he seek then?


    The three felt a chill sent down their spines.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Jake and Alicia left the office in a frightened state. Their hands sweated profusely, and their mouths went dry. They saw Aidan and nodded at him. He smiled at them in sympathy, then returned to the office to join his brother.


    Alicia and Jake walked out of the building like soulless people, still processing what they had heard. After a while, Jake turned to Alicia.


    "We must see his parents." said he.


    " I''m not sure I''m ready for another revelation."


    " Alicia." Jake looked into the girl''s eyes." We need the truth, I feel like we are close. If we delay it any longer, the consequences may be even worse than last time. I need you to guide me there."


    Alicia looked down, biting her lips. After a few seconds, she nodded, and together with Jake she headed for Wander''s home.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Principal Xixin was brooding in his office when Hannah entered. Both of them were exhausted.


    " What''s now?" asked Xixin.


    " Sir Hamilton, he had regained his consciousness. And he is asking to see you, immediately."

 Thank you!

    I want to give my sincerest thank to all of my readers, who have chosen to embark on this journey with me. It is pure joy to know that my writing has become a part of your routine, no matter how insignificant that part is. And my special thank to my first three followers! You guys have really made my day! Throw me a word if you can/


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    If you have any question regarding the story, any contribution you want to make, you can post them under a chapter, or twit me on twitter: https://twitter.com/bakamoshi</a>


    See everyone soon!

 Chapter 16: A new stranger

    Veritas opened his eyes. He had thought that when did so, he would find himself chained to a wall, or at least imprisoned in a rusty cage. However, in reality, he was lying in a very soft bed, in a very well-lit and cozy room. Next to him were two empty beds. It seemed Aria and Hiatus had woken up before him.


    His throat was burning, and he noticed a huge cup of water next to the bed. He gulped down all the water ."How considerate of the host." With that thought in mind, Veritas felt much more secure as he exited the room and explored the place.


    This mysterious place, like the room, was cozy and well- lit. Veritas noticed that the incandescent light was coming from the runes on the walls. He could see paintings hanging all over the place, depicting people and sceneries beyond his knowledge. A thick red carpet covered the floor, thus each step he took felt soft. Fynbos grew  throughout the place.


    " Aria? Hiatus?" Veritas shouted.


    " We''re over here, captain! Just follow our voice!" Aria replied.


    It took Veritas a while to locate Aria and Hiatus. They were sitting in what seemed like the dining room. There was a round table at the center with cutlery and crockery neatly set up. Various cans, bottles, packages and boxes lied on a shelf that circled the room. A few steps from the table, a masonry fireplace was warming up the room.


    " Where is this place?" asked Veritas.


    " We don''t know," said Aria." It seems we''re still in Vuur, the hidden part of it."


    " Yes, you are in the hidden part of Vuur." A loud voice emerged from behind Aria and Hiatus."This is my home. "


    An old man stepped forward the three, and his appearance surprised Veritas. He was tall and well-built, but moved around swiftly. He got tanned skin and an unkempt beard. His most striking characteristic, though, was his thick chestnut-colored hair that matched perfectly with his glowing eyes. He gave off the air of an old sage.


    " Please, have a seat. Let''s me pour you some water."


    After everyone had settled in their seats, Veritas took the initiative to introduce Aria, Hiatus and himself. The old man listened, his fingers pressing against one another , eyes gazing at all three.


    "I see, you are demon hunters." The old man furrowed his brow." Wander''s acquaintance, I suppose?"


    " So he really was here." Aria raised her voice." Mister, is he alright?"


    " He''s okay. Physically at least."


    " Mentally?" Hiatus frowned.


    " A little unstable. Lost."


    Veritas thought it was obvious that a turn would feel that way. He knew those who betrayed the Hunters and the Council would never feel at peace.


    " Mister, you know, right?" asked Aria.


    " Yes, I know he''s...demonic."


    " You didn''t....kill him?" Aria fidgeted.


    " I failed," he smiled." That girl stopped me."


    " Maria?"


    "That''s her name?"The old man frowned."Yeah, this Maria, she stopped me. I  may consider her my king candidate."


    "King candidate?" asked Veritas.


    " Yes, the candidate for the "Regis Magus" title"


    " So you are..." Aria gasped." No way!"


    " Oh, I forgot to introduce myself: My name is Ignitus, also known as King of the South- one of the level seven Familiars."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The three stared at Ignitus with their mouths open. They had not expected to meet a legendary familiar this easily.


    " Jake is so going to be envious when I tell him I met a level 7." Hiatus grinned.


    " But this doesn''t make sense." said Veritas. "You look..human."


    " This is my human form. My familiar form is more beast-like, more believable, I guess."


    "But wait, Maria stopped you?" Aria raised her eyebrows."You are one of the most powerful beings in the world."


    " Life is full of surprises, isn''t it?" Ignitus smiled." I guess Maria is one level above me then.."


    " This is not good." Veritas shook his head.


    " Why?" asked Ignitus.


    " Sir, that girl manipulated a massacre back at a hunter institution. She indirectly killed hundreds of hunters and summoners! She coerced Wander into demonization. She''s in league with hostile forces, most likely the demon."


    Ignitus''s face twisted into a grimace of shock and disgust


    " You''re sure?" asked he in a grave voice." She was nice."


    " Yes, we''re sure. The Council, the Round table, M.O.M, we''re all sure"


    Ignitus inhaled deeply. He clenched his fists.


    " I''m hope you''re wrong. Or else, things will get quite ugly."


    " Sir?" said Veritas.


    " She''s heading for Fulish''s island. I don''t know why but after hearing what you said I doubt she''s going to there for a party. "


    " Foolish?" asked Hiatus.


    " Fu-lish. King of the West- The lightning god and tons of other fancy self-claimed titles- he is also a level 7 like me."


    " Fulish the treasure hoarder? Lightning God?" said Veritas."By any chance, would he be in possession of an artifact called Pillars of Light?"


    "Pillars of Light? That sounds like something Fulish would possess. I''m not sure though. Maria told me she was looking for her lost item. Is that it?"


    " That''s it" Veritas shook his head." Maria, now I''m sure  she''s working for the demon lord Samundo."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.            " Samundo?" asked Ignitus." That thing is back?"


    " I guess it''s futile to conceal the truth now. The demon lord is back. Must have been more than 4 months."


    Next to Verias, Aria went pale. Hiatus did not change his expression.


    " Samundo, he''s looking for two artifacts: the pillars of light and the key of darkness." said Veritas. "We were trying to stop him from achieving that goal, but I guess we''re one step behind."


    "Then you must go now!" Ignitus slammed the table." To Fulish''s domain. If lucky you can still warn him. Damn, my contact device is broken thanks to that girl."


    Veritas nodded.


    " How can we get there as quickly as possible?"


    " Use the Gate to get to San Francisco, and from there fly to Fulish''s island. I will give you the coordinate and the way to access it. Fulish will kill me for this, but the world''s at stake so I guess no time for his privacy."


    " Thank you," said Veritas." Please send it to my phone. The number is... Wait, where is Tetrax?"


    Veritas''s question startled everyone in the room.


    " Sir Ignitus, another one was with us." said Aria. "Do you know where he is?"


    Aria''s question was followed by a earsplitting noise from above. They could hear Tetrax call out their names, and Ignitus'' settlement trembled under a strong force.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Aria, Hiatus and Veritas followed their host upwards the staircases as rocks were falling off the ceiling. They realized they had been underground all the time.


    " The reason you couldn''t find my house was because I conceal it in a mini Halcyon." said Ignitus." And sorry for the heat, that is to keep people out. By eternity, this Tetrax you talked of is ripping my Halcyon apart. Too many unwanted trespassers in two days."


    When they emerged to the surface, they were taken by surprise by the surreal surrounding. The sky was constantly changing from being starry to being cloudy then to being crystal clear. Pieces of it fell apart then were instantly replaced.


    With a simple hand gesture, Ignitus vanquished his Halcyon, and the sky broke into millions of pieces. Tetrax appeared, holding her medal.


    " Tetrax!" Aria called out." Stop, we''re not in danger!"


    Noticing that her friends were still okay, Tetrax put away her medal, then dashed towards them.


    " I was worried dead! Where were you?" she panted.


    " We were with sir Ignitus. He took us in."


    " Ignitus? Like the legendary Ignitus?." Tetrax stared at Ignitus in disbelief.


    " Nice to meet you. Quite an overwhelming tool you have." Ignitus pointed at the medal.


    " I''m sorry. I was panicking."


    " That''s okay. Hmm, what''s this?" Ignitus leaned forward."Oh , you friends are mistaken then. You''re a woman."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Only after assuring her companions that she was truly a woman and her rough voice was synthesized  did Tetrax get a chance to ask them what news they had. Veritas promised to tell her later when they reached the place they need to reach. He asked for his phone back, and Ignitus input the coordinate of Fulish''s island.


    " Go back to Simon''s Town, and gain access to the Gate. This is the best I can do for you."


    " Thank you for everything." said Veritas.


    " Don''t mention it. But I do need you to keep this location and me a secret. Can I have your words?"


    The four all nodded.


    " Now, off you go then so I can rebuild my Halcyon. I was about to finish fixing my signal transmission and you screwed it up again" Ignitus sighed."  And one thing I want to tell you, that girl Maria, I don''t think she''s capable of all that killing. She showed great concern for Wander''s well-being. She was nice when we talked. Can a mass murderer do that?"


    The hunters stared at Ignitus, frowning.


    " It sounds like she put on a good act." said Veritas." And to answer your question, yes."


    " Sad truth, huh." Ignitus nodded as he raised the Halcyon.


    " And I won''t trust her caring girl act. Maria Gwendolyn- whoever she is- messed with the minds of  hundreds of Summoners."


    "Maria Gwendolyn?" Ignitus raised his eyebrows."A fake name, right?"


    " How do you know?" asked Veritas.


    " Her appearance just doesn''t match Lady Gwendolyn. And I don''t want a dubious person to bear that name."


    " There exists a real Maria Gwendolyn?"


    " Why, yes. But Lady Gwendolyn died a very long time ago."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    On the way back to Simon''s Town, Tetrax was informed of all the news gained from Ignitus. She was visibly shaken.


    " She''s with Samundo. said Tetrax." And it doesn''t make sense."


    " What doesn''t make sense?" asked Aria.


    " Something just doesn''t add up." said Tetrax." Why does she bother visiting New York? Why didn''t she go straight to Ignitus? Surely the Pillar of Light should be her first priority?"


    " Two birds with one stone"said Veritas." She must have discovered Ignitus'' position thanks to Hamilton- a summoner of high rank. At the same time, using him to execute her plan: the massacre."


    "I just hope that''s the reason." said Tetrax." If not, the other possibility is much more frightening."


    " And that is?" asked Aria.


    " We talked about this before. She specifically chose to demonize Wander. Maybe she came to New York because of him. Now, I must ask you two, do you really know that friend of yours?"

 Chapter 17: Two layers of deception

    Xixin sat down next to Hamilton. His friend looked much healthier than he had predicted. He reclaimed that spark in his eyes, and his complexion was by no means pale or waxen. His hand reached towards Xixin.


    " Xixin" he said in his brittle voice."I''m sorry. I''ve ruined everything."


    Xixin held the trembling hand of Hamilton. He smiled at his friend.


    " My fault too, Hamilton. I should have stopped the contest. "


    " You stopped me. You were right to have scribe the runes. I don''t know how worse it could have got had I been unrestrained."


    Xixin''s eyes drooped down." Hamilton, this ruined everything. Hundred of hunters are out there demanding to punish you. Summoners are being incriminated. All the works over the years have evaporated in just one day. The contest, it worked against us."


    Hamilton shook his head. "I know. But what''s done is done. We must focus on another matter, friend. Focus on the real enemies. That creature, Maria, she is beyond us. I don''t know what she is, but she is extremely dangerous. However, what worries me the most, friend, is that student of yours, Wander."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander''s mother was a women with a bland face with no resemblance whatsoever to her demonized son. Her hair was let down, covering one of her eyes. Nonetheless, she looked unexpectedly energetic during Alicia and Jake''s visit, and that surprised them a great deal. She eargerly invited them in, led them to the living room and offered them tea. Jake did not dare touch her set of porcelain cups and spoons lest he broke it. He enjoyed watching Alicia nonchalantly use them, and being skillful at that.


    " Mrs., Uhm, I''m sorry about your son" said Jake, trying his best not to look at the broadsword hung above the woman and worry about her head.


    " What''s there to be sorry about? He made his own choice."  She raised her eyebrows." I''m just glad that no one in this family was hurt by him."


    The two young hunters stared at the woman, then glanced at each other in confusion.


    " Mrs., what kind of son was Wander?" asked Jake.


    " Hmm, what kind of son?" She sipped her tea." Well, distant, aloof, reserved, I guess. But he''s not always like that.  When he was smaller, he was really a problem child. He would break things, hit me and his dad, and disobey our requests. Hah, fun time! Time when he still acted his age."


    " Uhm, okay?" said Jake, forcing a smile.


    " Oh, sorry, I come across as too nonchalant right? Ha-ha, you must excuse me. We''ve failed to connect ourselves to him for years. He never opened up to us, and just did what we told him, like a machine. Oh, more like a shadow."


    The woman''s attitude started to instill discomfort in the two.


    " Did he... do anything you would consider...evil?" asked Alicia.


    " Uhm, not really. I mean, he was still just a child when he pushed his younger sister down the stair. The boy must have been jealous of our love for the girl." she laughed.


    Alicia and Jake both shuddered at the words of the woman. The former tightened her grips on her clothes, while the latter cleared his throat.


    " You seem quite... relaxed. Even after what happened?"


    " Hah, is that so? Maybe I am?" She grinned." Okay, this sounds terrible, but I''m glad he''s gone."


    "What?" Both Alicia and Jake asked with their brows furrowed.


    " I mean, who knows that a child you picked up in the forest can grow up to be a demon. Just like in a cheap horror movie. How hilarious is that?"


    " He is not your blood son?" Jake asked, feeling his mouth go dry.


    " Yes, isn''t it obvious? My husband and I found him in the forest sixteen years ago. Back then we still don''t have our baby girl, so we adopted him. Biggest mistake ever."


    The young hunters stared to feel extremely uncomfortable.


    "You know, I think it''s better this way. Wander, now I think about it, has never seemed to be one of us.  One of the hunters, that is. Maybe from the very beginning he has already belonged to the demon race. He can be himself now, and that''s a good thing. Right?"


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Hamilton coughed." Maria, if that''s even her name, she fooled us all. She brainwashed me, directed the massacre, activated the contraption. All of that to keep us too occupied, to divert out attention from her real target: Wander."


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!            " He''s just a nobody, isn''t he? Why must she¡ª"


    " Xixin, don''t you see? She could have brainwashed dozen hunters and forced them to demonize, but she didn''t. She only needed one: Wander. Xixin, that boy must play a very vital role in the scheme of Maria. We must reclaim him at all cost if we want to thwart her plan. Worst case scenario, her plan is also Samundo''s plan, and we are losing hard."


    " No, it can''t be. This is too coincidental. Our contest went down the moment Maria decided to set her plan in motion? And Samundo must choose now to return?"


    " You told me that something big was going down, didn''t you? That every event in the world, chaotic as they seem, is  transpiring in harmony towards a single point. I trust you now, Xixin. I was the one who suggested the contest, and after everything, I doubt it was even my own will to make that decision.  Nothing is coincidental anymore. A chaotic convergence is engulfing this world. We must act now, or else it''ll be too late."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Jake and Alicia left Wander''s house. Jake looked back once, and saw Wander''s mother go back to her chores.


    " I don''t even know what to tell Aria and Hiatus anymore." said Jake." This changes everything."


    " Yeah, it does." said Alicia.


    The two strolled casually towards the institution. Mirilad loomed in the distance, reminding them of all the mysteries they had uncovered and ones they had not. Jake glanced at Alicia, and noticed she had turned pale.


    " Alicia?" asked he.


    " Sixteen." Alicia murmured.


    " Yes?"


    " Wander was found in the forest sixteen years ago, right?"


    " Yeah?"


    " What happened sixteen years ago in New York?"


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    "I will contact the council to urge them to hunt down Wander. Rest some more, Hamilton. It''s going to be fine."


    "I hope so." Hamilton felt drowsy." Xixin, my wife and my children, are they here?"


    " Soon. Don''t worry." Xixin said, smiling, clenching his fists.


    " Oh, and the ticket money, you can keep all." Hamilton grinned.


    "After I cover the cost, there won''t be much left. Make that 9 to 1, okay? Now, sleep well, old friend."


    After Xixin left, Hamilton could feel all of his strength vanish. He could not resist closing his eyes. His head ached again.


    The images of his wife, his children and his students flashed through his mind. He wondered if he had disappointed them, then he told himself he had.


    He could see himself in his youth once more, standing next to Xixin, dreaming of a world where Summoners and Hunters could move forward, hand in hand.


    " Such a time. So long ago."


    The dream was left unfinished, and he felt empty. He really needed a rest. A long one.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Jake invoked his memory. The result struck horror in his heart, and he could feel the whole world darken.


    Sixteen years ago, in New York, the final battle with Samundo took place. He was defeated, then vanished.


    " It can''t be, no, that''s impossible." Jake trembled.


    " How did the demon lord return to life? What made him come back?" Jake still remembered the questions.


    Jake recalled Hiatus telling him that Wander said no summoner was involved in his turn.


    " It''s not a lie," Jake said as he  fell to his knees." There has been no manipulation since the beginning. He turned by his own will."


    Alicia could not hear him anymore. She herself was overwhelmed by all the revelations.


    " No manipulation. No lie." Jake said, feeling like laughing." It has happened right under our nose: the resurrection of Demon Lord Samundo."

 Chapter 18: Towards One Place

    San Francisco, California, United States


    Veritas, Tetrax, Aria and Hiatus stepped out of the Gate and arrived in the Transitional Dome of San Francisco.  Welcoming them were dozens of hunters in military outfits and summoners clad in their armors.


    " Captain Veritas, we have prepared everything." a hunter approached the team." The car is ready. It''ll be less than 6 minutes to your jet."


    Veritas nodded at the hunter before leading the group towards the automobile. His phone rang as soon as they got into the car. Cautiously staring at Tetrax, he picked up the call.


    During the call, the other three grew more restless as they witness his complexion turn paler and paler, his hand and face sweat profusely and his grip on the phone tighten. When the call was over, he sat in shock, and did not bother putting the phone away.


    " What happened?" asked Tetrax.


    " Hamilton," Veritas frowned."He''s dead."


    The news put all of his companions in a trance. Words got stuck in their throats.


    " Not a natural dead," Veritas went on." He was...assassinated. A killing spell was implanted in his heart. The summoners, they only focused on his brain. They neglected other body parts."


    " Jake, he must be devastated." Aria said, shaking her head." This is too much."


    " All the summoners there are devastated." said Veritas." Dessina wasted no time spreading the news. The whole Summoner Community must have known."


    " This has gone beyond what I expected." said Tetrax." It was supposed to be just a chase after a turn. Well, a special turn. But still...."


    Hiatus'' phone rang, and everyone turned their attention to the device. These days, it was only sensible of them to associate phone call with omens. And they were not wrong.


    Hiatus answered the call with hesitance.


    " Hello?" said he.


    " Hiatus, where are you?" asked Jake with a grave voice.


    " San Francisco. With Aria, Veritas and another hunter," Hiatus glanced at Tetrax." We have located Wander, and are going to where he is."


    A brief silence occurred.


    " Turn on the speaker," said Jake."I want  others to  know what they''re dealing with."


    The four gave one another nervous looks. They knew what they were about to hear would not be uplifting.


    " Hiatus, Aria, this is going to be hard on you two, but, Wander, he is not who you think he is."


    With a broken voice, Jake informed the hunters of everything he had discovered. Veritas listened with his face slowly twisting into a grimace of disturb. Tetra''s body got all tense. Hiatus and Aria just stared at the phone like it was the most abominable existence ever existed and found themselves unable to react to the news. Invisible hands grabbed their hearts and squished them as hard as possible.


    As if realizing that he was overwhelming the hunters, Jake stopped. A long moment of silence elapsed for the news to sink in.


    " I hate to be the one to reveal all this," Jake went on." But I know you deserve to know the truth. It is very likely that your childhood friend is the demon lord himself."


    Another brief silence surfaced. They all swallowed hard.


    " It''s a mess back at the institution," said Jake." Chaos. The conflict between hunters and summoners have worsened. I..I''m really worried. The contest, I''m afraid it''s only the beginning. You two, wherever you are heading, please be careful. Things are goings to be quite nasty over there."


    The sound of Jake hanging up was amplified by the silence engulfing the four. They lost their awareness of the outside world.


    When the driver opened the car door to announce they had reach the jet, he only saw four motionless figures staring at Hiatus'' phone in complete bewilderment.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Aria let the driver guide her all the way to the jet. She lost all the will to move her body. She did not bother observing the jet. She wanted to go home and bury herself in a long sleep. She wanted to close her eyes then open them, to find Wander  standing in front of her telling her " it was all a dream".


    As Aria stepped on the steel ladder leading into the jet, a series of cold "thud" sound harmonized with her heartbeat and her footsteps. Her body dropped on the armchair closet to the passenger door like a soulles doll, her mouth half open. She forgot to blink.


    Just one month ago, she could see the future beckoning sweerly. Now, she dared not to think about it, let alone see it. She had thought her world was finished when she discovered Wander''s demonization. Now, she truly felt the end. This moment, all she could see was an ivory armchair and the window shut tight behind it. She could only bring herself back to reality when Hiatus sat down in the armchair, his hands on its armrests. He stared at her, and she stared back.


    "What do you think? Maybe we should have turned him in?"


    Aria''s lips trembled. It took her all of her strength to reply. " He could have been killed."


    Hiatus''s gaze became so sharp she felt it cut her skin. She had never seen him use that gaze ever since that day, the day when Wander framed Jonathan. Even when learned of Wander''s turn, his gaze was nowhere near as sharp. The gaze of rage and disgust. His eyebrows did not help.


    " I''m sorry, okay? But how am I supposed to know that he''s the freaking demon lord? How am I supposed to know Samundo could return that soon?"


    Hiatus said nothing. His gaze persisted.


    Aria shook her head, her hands covering her face." This is not how it''s supposed to be. We were supposed to graduate together, get a job, live our life in peace before Samundo even gets a chance to return. We were supposed to, we were supposed to... "


    Before she knew it, her sobbing had replaced her voice.


    " We can still fix this." said Aria as she wiped her tears.


    Hiatus tilted his head and narrowed his eye.


    " Our goals will not be any different. We find him and ask for the truth. I need to hear it directly from him. I want to hear him say it."


    Aria clenched her fist. If her world would truly break, then she would want to see the end with her own eyes.


    ____________________________________________________________________


    Tetrax stared at the two young Hunters, and felt sorry for them when she noticed the lifeless expression on their faces. She to some extent could sympathize with them.


    Aware that any word of comfort would just prove to be counterproductive, she left them alone and went searching for Veritas. The councilman was two cabins away. Other hunters were with him. They all sat in front of computers with their headphones on and paid no attention to her presence. Veritas was talking on the phone. She knew on the other end was Alados. It just could not be any more obvious.


    " Yes, that is the coordinate, sir. And this Wander may be more than we bargained for. Please deploy as many troops as possible to Fulish''s domain." said Veritas with his back leaning against a door.


    Tetrax waited for him to finish the call before approaching him. He was so lost in thought he failed to realize her coming.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.            " Bah!" she shouted, starling him.


    " Tetrax? What the..."


    " You were too serious. I was trying to liven you up." said she after letting out an innocent laughter." And was that Alados?"


    He stared at her with cautiousness.


    "It''s irrelevant to you."


    " I guess you''re right. Say hi to him for me."


    " I suggest that you refrain from your carefree attitude. We are in a serious situation here."


    She gave no reply and just shrugged at Veritas'' remark. When she turned her back to him and was about to leave, he called out.


    " You called my name, back then at Swordgrave." said he without looking at her.


    " Yes, I did. What''s wrong?"


    " You know me?"


    " Captain, you''re on TV like five times a week. Of course I know you."


    " No, do you know me personally?"


    Tetrax shook her head.


    " I see. Sorry for wasting your time."


    For a moment, there was something in Veritas'' voice that made it tempting for Tetrax to tell him the truth, but her rationality, or perhaps a more ardent feeling overwhelmed her desire to go back to the past. To her, Veritas was living in a different world, and what once had been, no matter how heartening, seemed meaningless.


    " Hey." She broke the awkwardness." Was it wise to send hunters to the domain of a level 7? This can be treated as a declaration of war."


    " With Samundo there, I don''t think neither Fulish or the summoners will bother with us. They have a bigger enemy to worry about."


    " That is if Samundo is really there" said Tetrax.


    " What do you mean?" Veritas said, turning to her.


    " I mean we can be wrong and Samundo may not be there. That''s a possibility. We still  don''t have any concrete proof that Wander is the demon lord. Who knows, it may as well be a coincidence that he was left in the forest right after Samundo was defeated."


    " What kind of cheap coincidence is that? Need I remind you every single hunter was evacuated from the city back then? And I''m more than sure none of the soldiers brought a baby with them. Besides, even if it''s coincidental, we can still use the his demonization as an excuse to get access to the domain. We also have Maria: she''s with Samundo, and she''s associated with Wander. There is a link."


    " Whatever you say." Tetrax shrugged, then left the cabin.


    She intended to walke back to the first cabin, but the desire to be alone kicked in.


    " Weird. Wander tried to escape before. Without Maria. And the beasts tried to capture him. If he is Samundo...Is there a third force here?" She thought.


    Her phone rang. She opened the new message." No matter what you have to do, bring the turn to us. He is too dangerous to be on his own. Just keep him barely alive, if he shows resistance."


    " He can be Samundo. I can''t take the lord." She texted back.


    " You can. Just be quick, before his power returns."


    " If I fail?"


    There was no reply, no matter how long Tetrax waited.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Xixin''s Institution had never experienced such turmoil. Outside the campus, hunter protestors threw rocks, cans, tools and even their own clothes at the school buildings, demanding to confront summoners. Even though many had left due to Hamilton''s death, still a great number remained. Within the buildings, summoners were also protesting, urging hunters to let them leave the institution and accusing them of letting this crisis happen with their negligence. The authorities of both species tried their best to keep both sides from getting into contact for fear of an outburst of violence, thus the whole campus was locked down, preventing both exit and entry.


    Dessina stood in front of Scientia, frowning in disgust as she contemplated the situation. She shook her head at the crowds of hunters shouting outside the school campus. What surprised her was that none of them had jumped over the fence and charged at her. Still. they did manage to throw the most hateful words they could think of. She wished people could, at times like this, exert better control of their emotions.


    Hamilton''s death was a great loss to both hunters and summoners, but instead of crying or mourning, Dessina turned his death into a media stunt, trying to win some favor and sympathy for her species, and she succeeded. At least for now summoners would not be looked upon with total hatred. Soon, Hamilton''s wife and children would arrive, and their tears, their mourning and their pain-stricken expressions would have an even greater impact, and Dessina was certain summoners would gain the support of various sensitive and empathetic hunters.


    The approaching footsteps of a summoner interrupted her thoughts.


    " Miss Dessina, Sir Hamilton''s body has been preserved." said her subordinate." And we have successfully made contact with  High Grandmaster Vivien. The orb is ready."


    Dessina nodded as she took  the orb in her subordinate''s hand. She hold it close to her mouth.


    "  Can you hear me, old lady?"


    " Hear you, hear you, Dessina. You don''t sound as tired as I expected."


    " I''m used to this kind of situation. Any news?"


    " Some. Our investigation into Maria Gwendolyn paid off. The name is quite rare, so lucky us. There are several people in history who had that name, but most were common folks. One was a famous baker. They had nothing in common, except one: death."


    " Doesn''t sound like a pay-off." Dessina said.


    " True. What''s that noise? You''re still at Xixin''s? That Veritas kid hasn''t let the summoners go?"


    " No. The council maniac threatened me. Can you tell Alados to do something?"


    " I''ll take care of it later. Alados and I are not very friendly recently. Well, it''s not like we have ever been friendly. That aside. another thing you should know: Fulish  made contact with us hours ago."


    " Fulish? That Fulish?" Dessina raised her voice.


    " Is there any other Fulish with such a foolish name? Yes, King of the West, the Lightning Brat. First times in centuries he contacted us, and he brought us bad news: his island is under attack. From demons."


    " The demons could enter that place? This is getting dangerous. He''s asking for help?"


    " Of course. He revealed to us the coordinate. Can you believe it? I already sent heaps of summoners there. Hah, it will be much fun."


    " Heaps? Specifically?"


    " One hundred. They will rock his island."


    " I just hope that when they arrive, the island is still there to be rocked."

 Chapter 19: Fulishs Domain

    " Captain Veritas, we have arrived!" shouted the pilot." Do you see the reservoir down there? That is the gate to the Halcyon of Fulish! The gate locator on your phone still works? Please advance, other Hunters will follow you shortly."


    Veritas nodded at the pilot. He checked his companions, and noticed all of them were as ready as him. He could not see Tetrax''s face, but her stance and her clenching fists were enough for him. Aria and Hiatus, as mentally disturbed as they were, showed him eyes filled with determination. Veritas felt like he wanted to get to know them better.


    " Maybe after all of this"


    With that thought in mind, he dived down first, into the ice-cold water. As he closed his eyes waiting for the moment his body blending with the water, he pondered when and how " all of this" would come to an end.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Under any other circumstances, Aria might have found the desire to admire the beauty of Fulish''s domain, but after d¨ªcovering that her best friend was possibly a psychopath, and even more so the demon lord himself, it was only understandable that she was completely oblivious to the scenery. Furthermore, the scenery was not that admirable, either.


    What welcomed Aria and the other when they entered Fulish''s Halcyon was not a stunning, vast steppe basked in sunlight  but rather a barren land beneath a smoky sky filled with lightning and thunder. Looming afar were spreading flames and colossal demons whose roars engulfed everything. The whole island was ready to fall apart.


    " We are too late," said Veritas." The Pillar of Light, it must have fallen into the demons'' hand


    " Don''t give up yet," said Hiatus." We must go there. That tower, it must be where Fulish is. It is the only one still standing."


    " It must be at least 12 miles from here to there," said Veritas.


    " Well, we''ll run there," said Tetrax."If I use my full speed I may reach that tower in less than 10 minutes."


    "You can reach that kind of speed?" asked Veritas with his eyes wide open.


    " Duh. You guys stay here and wait for reinforcement, I''m going ahead."


    " Hiatus and I will go with you," said Aria.


    " Sorry, but I don''t really think you can keep up."


    " We can. Well, Hiatus can, and he will carry me." Aria glanced at Hiatus.


    " Runes! Yeah, how can I forget that?" said Tetrax as she palmed her forehead."But will runes be enough?"


    " Hiatus'' speed and runes will be more than enough," said Aria and she took out a piece of chalk.


    "Aria, you are overestimating me¡ª"


    " This isn''t the time to hide your true strength, Hiatus!" she raised her voice." Wander is there, and we will know the truth no matter what!"


    Aria felt bad about raising her voice at Hiatus, but she was determined that she must catch up with Wander. She could tolerate any thing, but not lie, deception and betrayal.


    " You three will be fine, right?" asked Veritas."The reinforcement may not arrive soon enough"


    " They are with me, Captain." said Tetrax.


    " Is that supposed to sound assuring?" Veritas raised his eyebrows.


    " Yes. Worry not, it''ll be just fine, Veritas."


    "Done. Stand in there, Hiatus." said Aria." I don''t bring catalyst substances, so the effects are weakened, but your speed will more than suffice."


    Aria climbed on her friend''s back. She nodded at Tetrax before chanting the incantation. Simultaneously, Hiatus activated his demon form. The three bid Veritas goodbye, then dashed towards the tower.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The path to the tower was clear at first. The three did not have any trouble running across the steppe, which was devoid of obstacles, rendering it quite simple for them to observe the surroundings. However, the steppe soon gave way to a much more treacherous area: forest.


    Just like Mirilad, the island''s forest instilled anxiety and uneasiness in Aria and Hiatus. However, worse than Mirilad, the trees of this forest possessed crowns so interwoven that they turned themselves into the sky of the forest, a sky painted black. Without the lightning above and the spreading fire, the three would have had much difficulty advancing.


    All the creatures in the forests, at least ones that the three could discern from the darkness, had fallen unconscious. Hiatus shuddered, this scenery was eerily familiar to him.


    " You okay? Does the Demex upset you?" asked Hiatus.


    " I''m doing okay. Just a little nauseous." Aria answered, tightening her arms around Hiatus''s neck." I''m sorry."


    " For what?"


    " For raising my voice, and forcing you to do this. I know you want to hide your true power, but this situation does not allow that."


    Hiatus did not reply.


    " You know me. I cannot tolerate it when lied to, big lies that is. I want to trust Wander, yet deep down, there''s this voice telling me he did deceive us. Then again, I still hope that he didn''t do those terrible things. And that he is not Samundo. I must see him, no matter what."


    The flames around them started to grow in size and in intensity. The noise from the battlefield grew in volume, stimulating the senses of the three. Before long they realized that they had escaped the forest, or rather the fire had help them burned down large groups of trees, clearing their path, enabling them to see the figures of the demons.


    "Keep your eyes open." said Hiatus."You see those shadows over there? They are demons, and they will be the first you ever fight."


    Aria was overwhelmed by the outburst of emotion within her. For the first time in her life, with her own eyes, Aria saw demons. They came in all forms and sizes, and despite the frightening appearances of some, Aria could not stop gazing at them. She felt fear, excitement, anxiety, and joy simultaneously. Her whole body trembled, and she absorbed all of her surrounding into her consciousness.


    " You guys take the left, I take the right." said Tetrax.


    In a blink an eye, Tetrax vanished from their sight. Instantly, the demons on their right got cut down without even knowing what struck them. Tetrax flashed through waves of demons, leaving only a shadow and a trail of defeated demons behind her. She swung her sword with so high a speed that it resembled a fleeting air current rather than a chunk of metal.


    " She really lived up to the name of a Singulus Digiti." said Aria." I want to try too."


    She reached for her sword with her shaking hands then unsheathed it. She tried to recall the lessons she learned at the institution.


    " Stance, breathing, sword position, what''s else? It must be perfect"


    "Aria," Hiatus patter her shoulder."If you get bogged down in theoretical lesson, you will never truly fight. Stay close."


    Aria nodded and charged at the demons along with Hiatus.  The demons roared as they saw the two approaching. Their pupils moved frantically, their claws grew longer and their muscles veins emerged under their skins.


    Hiatus was not as fast as Tetrax, but he was no less efficient. Each of his strike was decisive, neutralizing the enemies instantly. Aria did not get to fight a single demon since all of them failed to even approach her. Her friend''s sense of combat was too keen, enabling him to detect every approaching enemies. She was  deeply impressed by his technique and his stance on the battlefield.  Reflected  upon her irises was a experienced hunter who calmly put his enemies down; his whole presence blended in with the blood and fire of the battlefield. At that moment, Aria knew her doubt was no more: both of her friends were more than they showed her.


    " You are distracted." Hiatus said in a cold voice as he struck down another demon


    " I''m sorry. But none on the demons can take advantage of that, not with you here."


    " One is approaching from the left. I leave that to you. "


    Aria glanced at her prey. It was a medium-size demon with a hunch on its back and its mannerism akin to that of a monkey. Its two disproportionately gigantic hands slammed on the ground with each stride it made.


    " How will it attack? Its hands are the most developed body parts."


    Aria conceived a dozen ways the demon could attack her with its hand, and for each way she thought of a counter-attack. The demon plunged itself at her, both arms raised over the head ready to grind her into jam. Aria had already predicted this move, and so just nanoseconds after its arms were raised, she dashed forward and let her sword run through its torso. The monster let out a painful cry as it turned to look at Aria with fierce eyes.


    It was an acknowledged truth, though not universally, that the first time one vanquished a life, the act would leave one greatly distressed. Aria experienced the same thing. She thought she was ready to put the demon down for good, but when she witnessed its struggle for survival, her heart sank. The demon, instead of being threatening, were pitiable.  She could feel her grip on the sword loosened as she watched the demon stagger towards her. And so, not until the demon was only 2 meters from her did she swing her sword and end its life. She wanted it to live for just a little longer.


    Aria stared at the carcass of the demon, knowing that all the others had been taken care of by her companions. Hiatus walked towards her, patted on her back.


    " You did well."


    " No, not well. I was pathetic. I couldn''t finish it in one strike. And for a second there I wanted it to live."


    " It''s normal to feel like that. Had you been completely nonchalant about killing it, I would have been disturbed."


    " First time huh?" said Tetrax as she approached the two." That brooding expression cannot be mistaken. And boy, where did you learn to fight this well? Too well, in fact."


    " What to say? I am a genius" Hiatus shrugged.


    " Genius? Or experienced?" said Tetrax." Well, I would like to know more, but ain''t have time for that. Listen, the tower is close, but the demons will not let us pass that easily. I will clear the way , and you two follow me. If we are lucky, people in that tower will let us in."


    " People?"


    Tetrax pointed at the tiny moving dots upon the sky. Hiatus and Aria could see those dots were actually people, most likely summoners, riding horse-like  creatures, attacking the demons below.


    " I have been wondering where all the colossal demons we saw go." said Tetrax. "It seems they have defeated them."


    " How did the demons even find this place?" asked Hiatus."It''s super well-hidden."


    " Obviously not well-hidden enough. Let''s go, yo¡ª."


    An earsplitting roar emerged blasting away everything around the three. It was like a nuclear bomb that swept away everything in its path. A nauseous sensation overcame her, and she vomited. Next to her, Hiatus was thrown off balance a bit, and Tetrax was greatly disturbed.


    Miles away from them, a massive demon spread its wings and leapt into the sky. Its Demex overwhelmed even its fellow demons.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    " A Titanium demon out of nowhere," Tetrax ground her teeth." Only one answer: the demons are coming from within the island."


    " What shall we do now?" asked Hiatus." Aria won''t get used to it soon enough. Another Demex like that will knock her out cold."


    " I know. We can''t fight that thing in this state. We still aim for that tower. Carry her. "


    With Aria in his arms, Hiatus ran towards the tower. Tetrax ran ahead of him, clearing the path. As they got closer to the tower, the number of demons grew higher and their density also increased. Nonetheless, Tetrax was not slowed down or made less efficient. Her sword still cut beautifully and decisively.


    " Hey, watch this." she shouted.


    She stopped her advance for one second, sheathed her sword, lowered her knees to gain momentum. Without warning, she dashed through waves of demons, and her the after image of her sword proliferated in space, creating a web made entirely from the slashed of her sword, dismembering every demon in her way.


    " Impressive, righhht?"


    " I will compliment you when we are inside that tower, not outside it."


    " Oh shoot, incoming magical balls!" shouted Tetrax.


    Hiatus looked up at the sky and detected hundreds of projectiles hurled at them. The summoners had decided to use mass destruction spells, wreaking indiscriminating havoc on all those that moved beneath them. Hiatus could feel his ears turn deaf from the all the explosions caused by summoners'' spells. The ground he treaded on quaked aggressively, the demons approaching him all got blasted to pieces. Hiatus was forced to push his concentration to the breaking point, for just one slip-up would be more than enough to critically wound both Aria and him. With none of his handicap, Tetrax reached the tower before him.


    " The tower is inaccessible" said she, nodding up." Look."


    The Singulus Digiti pointed to the entrance of the tower. What had once been a beautiful gate was now reduced to a massive hole infested with dozens of demons trying to find their way into the tower. Their bodies were pressed against each other, blending into something resembling a lump of meat with hundreds of veins trampling on each other. From time to time, the summoners inside the tower would cast a spell that blow away the demons, but soon enough the creatures would fill the hole.


    " Who knows how far those demons have reached." said Tetrax." They may as well have invaded half of the tower. We cannot go in that way. "


    " We must get into contact with the summoners up there then." Hiatus pointed up.


    " You find cover. I will take care of the communication."


    Tetrax observed the surrounding to look for a medium-size demon. After the prey had been pinpointed, she charged at it and let her sword run through its stomach. She did not detach her weapon from the carcass, instead she used the former to drag the latter on the ground, and the blood from the body left a vivid trail on the ground, providing Tetrax with enough blood to write the letter H. She repeated the process with other preys, and after a few minutes a huge " Help" appeared on the ground, vivid enough for people up high to notice.


    "I swear, demons get fatter and fatter each year!" said Tetrax as she swept the sweats on her forehead.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.            " Remind me to never get stuck on an island with you, alone." Hiatus stared at Tetrax." I don''t want to think what you will do to write S.O.S. with only one body."


    " Our ride has come! I really should appreciate my writing skill more."


    A summoner landed a few meters away from the three hunters. The thing he was riding resemble a legless pegasus. Its skin was transparent, revealing cogs, wires, belts, cylinders and other machineries enveloped in electricity.


    The summoners signal the three to get on, and they wasted no time doing so. After they had got on, the creature took off, and the hunters got a full view of the battle.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Half of Fulish''s domain was engulf by fire and infested with demons. Hundreds of smoke pillars joined to create one enormous blanket shadowing the island. The summoners hurled at their enemies any spell they could think of, further devastating the terrain. Explosions manifested mere meters apart with increasing frequency. The titanium demon was no short of a more sinister version of Muloculus, shooting beams at everything that moves while releasing its Demex at intervals.


    " This is hell." said Hiatus." What exactly happened here?"


    " We don''t know." said the summoner." Grandmaster Vivien sent us here, and we only arrived like two hours ago. Those who came before us said that Fulish had gone missing, and out of nowhere the demons came. "


    " Did they mention anyone named Wander or Maria?" asked Tetrax.


    " I don''t have time to ask. And why are you hunters here? How do you even know this place? "


    " I don''t want to bring more bad news to you guys." said Tetrax. "But it''s very likely Samundo is on this island. Well, not that likely, now I think about it."


    " The heck? That son of a gun''s really good at picking the time and place for his return, isn''t he?"


    " You seem much calmer than expected?" asked Tetrax.


    " Well, this is the 20th time, isn''t it? It''s getting ridiculous rather than scary!" the summoner said laughing.


    "You won''t laugh like that for long," said Hiatus." This time is nothing like before. "


    " I bet they say that last time, too. But enough, I''m going to drop you guys off at the tower. You guys can''t help much up here. Is that ok?"


    With no concern for the hunters'' answer, the summoner drove the creature towards  the top of the tower. His comrades noticed his arrival, temporarily disabling the protection spell to let him drop the hunters off. He then returned to the battlefield as his comrades watched on in anxiety.


    " Is that girl wounded?" asked a summoner.


    " No, she just passed out from that Demex."


    " Take her down the medical ward. If you want to assist us, please help fend off the demons on the 30th floor. Don''t let them advance any further. This tower is the last place we have."


    " Roger that," said Tetrax. "By the way, did you see a certain boy named Wander"?


    " The hunter boy? He''s in the forest."


    " You mean that hellfire down there?" asked Hiatus.


    " Yes. Callus told me he went there with Elecaimant to seek lord Fulish."


    " What about Maria?" asked Hiatus.


    " That girl was also down there. She was with king Fulish."


    Hiatus and Tetrax exchanged glances. The two both feel their guts suddenly twisted by a invisible force. After thanking the summoners, the two descended to the medical ward.


    " You''ll go help them stop the demons." said Hiatus." I''ll take her to the ward then catch up later."


    Tetrax nodded. As she watched Hiatus heading for the ward, she looked out of a nearby window and wonder what took Veritas and the reinforcement so long.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Miles away from the tower.


    " What do you mean you can''t get in?" asked Veritas.


    " Captain, there''s something wrong with the Halcyon," said his subordinate."Its gate is changing non-stop! We cannot pinpoint the location. All attempts to get in fail. We suggest you leave before that becomes impossible too."


    Veritas closed his eyes and thought of a solution. Not one was satisfying to him.


    " All troops on stand-by mode until further notice. Keep locating the gate, and once it''s fixed, move in immediately. "


    " Yes, Captain."


    Veritas looked at the sky, and realized that there was no real sky, just the  Pacific ocean with millions of megatons of water looming above his head, as well as the heads of anything within Fulish''s Domain.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Tetrax was busy cutting up demons when Hiatus arrived at the 30th floor . All the summoners were greatly impressed by her sword technique and her speed. No demon could escape her watch. She was in the front, while the summoners stood behin, hurling spells at the demons and turning carcasses into walls.


    " Over here!" she playfully shouted."Hiatus, join! This isn''t as hard as I thought."


    " Sure, why not." said Hiatus as he unsheathed his sword."I take the left"


    Hiatus again utilized the style he adopted back on the battlefield. He did not rely on speed but utmost precision. He let the demons come to him then cut them down with one strike.  His effort combined with Tetrax''s ensured no demon could advance.


    " I talked to them a bit." said Tetrax." Basically your friend is still a nice kid. Or so they were told. Watch out for that one."


    Hiatus beheaded a Pil- a small type of demon with a jaw of sharks and claws of lions.


    " Do you trust him?"


    " No."


    Tetrax swung her sword as she added." Too straight-forward."


    " How am I supposed to answer?"


    " You could have said "I don''t know" at least,considering he''s your friend."


    " Irrelevant."


    " What will you do then, if he''s truly Samundo?"


    Hiatus cut another Pil in half. He tightened his grip. He cursed Tetrax: the hunter had known the answer before she even asked. Whether the answer she had was righ or wrong, it was up to him.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    When Aria woke up, the smell of disinfectant instantly worsened her lingering nauseousness, and she found the urge to fall back into her sleep. However, the moans of pain coming from the wounded disturbed her so much she forced herself to get up and make sense of her surroundings. The first time she wished she found herself in Mrs. Matilda''s office.


    What she saw in the medical ward she would never forget, for that was the first time she truly witnessed war casualties. Back at the institution, everything had been happening so fast she hardly paid attention to the dead and the injured. Now, she had all the time she needed to absorb the pain of others. Others that were struggling to breathe, desperately looking for their gone limbs as tears streamed down their faces or staring at the ceiling with lifeless eyes.


    " What have you done this time, Wander?"


    A passionate anger surged within Aria. Everything had been one big lie. Wander turned out to be a sick psycho, and very likely the demon lord. Jonathan, despite his long-standing grudge, had a reason for being a bully, and a darn good one. Hiatus hid his power. All the dead students at the institution might have been rescued if she had forced Wander to tell everything. How many lies would she be exposed to next, she wondered.


    " No use tormenting myself over that matter."


    Suppressing her emotions and thoughts, Aria stood up then offered her assistance to the summoners. They smilingly nodded after brief hesitation. She helped them move the injured, clean the wounds, applied medicines, and change the bandages. The summoners were delighted by both her enthusiasm and her skill with first-aid.


    " Young Hunters aren''t so bad after all," said one of the summoner." Your friend Wander was also very nice. He helped save someone important to me."


    " He was the one who indirectly caused the massacre back at the Institution." replied Aria.


    The summoners all suspended their job and stared at Aria, unable to believe what they had just heard. Only the moans brought their attention to their job.


    " For whatever reason, he''s needed by the demons, and that girl Maria, in order to get to him, chose to sacrifice both summoners and hunters back at our school." Aria clarified.


    " The demons have plan?" asked a summoner."  Samundo has returned? And what massacre?"


    " You haven''t known?" Aria asked in disbelief.


    " No, not until now."


    Aria''s brow furrowed as she contemplated the summoners'' ignorance of current affairs, then she realized that Samundo''s return had yet to make it to the public media. She only knew what happened thanks to Veritas.


    " Samundo has returned and even now they haven''t announced anything?" asked the summoners


    Aria knew they had a point. It was not a good idea to hold back this type of information. The sooner everyone knew of the demon lord''s return, the better prepared they would be. If what Veritas said was true, then it must have been a few months since his resurrection, and Aria wondered why the mass of people were still kept in the dark.


    " This is unbelievable." said Aria."No one knew? Your comrades from the higher-up didn''t tell you anything?


    All the summoners shook their heads.


    " At least you do know Maria is here because she''s after the an artifact Fulish is protecting, right?"


    The shaking heads again, accompanied by grimaces of terror.


    " What artifacts?" One of them asked.


    " Oh wow, you really don''t know anything," said Aria. "That''s... discomforting."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Even at his full speed, it would take Veritas 16 minutes to reach the tower. He wished he had asked Aria how to write the speed-enhancing runes.


    The reinforcement told him they would not be able to enter the Halcyon anytime soon, and suggested that he headed for where the others were then informed them of the overall situation. It was unnecessary, since even though he was miles away from the battlefield, he still felt the terrorizing Demex of that colossal winged demon. He knew it must be hell on earth over there, and he hesitated.


    Those events had been more than he bargained for. He had never expected to meet a Singulus Digiti, ventured into the territories of 2 level 7 Familiars, and chased the demon lord himself. Maybe this would not have happened if Chancellor Alados had not decided to conceal everything.


    " They don''t need to know. Not yet."


    " But why, sir?"


    " Just carry out my order, Veritas."


    With just those words, hundreds of millions hunters were kept in the dark, and from all the bits of information he salvaged, the majority of summoners suffered the same fate. Vivien and Alados seemed to have join hand in one of the grandest cover-ups in history.


    " Maybe they assume they can defeat Samundo without letting people know he''s back"


    A deafening  sound interrupted Veritas'' train of thoughts. The smell of ionized particles pervaded the air. Veritas looked up and got goose bumps all over his body as he noticed a convoluted web made out of lightning threads enveloping the sky. From the direction of the battlefield, a blinding light manifested as the winged monster got pierced by lightning.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The summoners at the tower all relished in the signs of Fulish''s return. They looked on with satisfaction as hundreds of lightning bolts relentlessly struck the demons below, either burning them or turning them to ash. The winged demon could not even locate Fulish''s location, thus it was subjected to merciless attack without even a chance of fighting back. In mere minutes, its burning enormous  body fell to the ground in the joyous cry of all summoners.


    " Everyone, king Fulish has returned." A summoner rushed into the medical ward." He''s okay. The king is okay."


    " Is Wander with him?" asked Aria.


    " Yes, the boy is with him."


    " Excuse me, I must see him," said Aria as she left the medical ward.


    The short path to Wander seemed to extend forever for Aria. Each step she took, it became harder to keep her composure. She suddenly lost her confidence, she doubted she was ready to handle the truth.


    " You have nothing to fear. Wander is in the wrong"


    She kept repeating the sentences in her mind to keep herself moving forward. Her mouth went dry, her fists tightened. She could hear Wander''s voice, not much different from what she remembered. Just a few steps more, and she could see her friend. She stopped.


    Had it not been for Hiatus patting her shoulder, Aria might have found herself unable to move an inch. She looked at him.


    " It''s okay," said Hiatus" Let''s go."


    She nodded. And with Tetrax and Hiatus, she walked towards Wander.


    <hr />


    We have reached the end of part 1. I''m pretty sure part 2 will turn your view on this story upside down. Ready for a ride! For the next few days I will try to post bonus chapter, some lore and part 2 simultaneously. Thank you for reading!

 Part 2: Dark Path - Chapter 20: Divergence Point

    The smell of disinfectant was more than enough for Wander to be aware of his whereabouts. The institution''s infirmary had been more familiar with him than his own house, how could he forget this smell. It had always signaled the beginning of his long breaks.


    To wake up without no one by his side saddened Wander a little. However, he was sure Hiatus and Aria must have been here earlier, and to him that was enough. For now.


    The wound on his stomach had closed, and the pain had gone. Before leaving the infirmary, he left a thank you note for Mrs. Matilda.  And he knew he had Jonathan to thank for too. The "bully" never manged to handle Wander''s provocation. Whispering anything to him, and he ran his claw into Wander before he even knew it. Wander doubted that he would be expelled, but Jonathan''s expulsion was never Wander''s intention. The fun should not end that early. Aria''s and Hiatus''s increased contemp was what he sought. And the wound also.  It would give him valid excuses to take a leave from school. Even though it did not  bother him much, from the perspective of others, there must be some kind of trauma or mental damage associated with his physical injuries. He had long grown tired of correcting that misconception, so he let it benefit him.


    He knocked on Miss Hannah''s office''s door, just a few steps away from the infirmary. The teacher invited him in, and was relieved when she realized it was Wander. Wander looked at her, wondering this time whether it would be his shoulders or his hands.


    " How''s your wound?" asked she with a concerned smile.


    " It''s no trouble now," he sat down in front of her." I''m sorry. I''m such a disappointment."


    " No use saying these things, Wander. You can always get better in the future."


    " I don''t think school is right for me. I''m considering dropping out." said Wander as he frowned.


    " No, you must not," Miss Hannah raised her voice." I''m sorry. I mean, you shouldn''t drop out."


    `           " But it''s too hard. I can''t..." Wander trembled, his eyes all teary." I can''t bear the hostility. It can be so cruel. I know I''m weak, but..."


    Wander choked. He did not even have to look up to know which kind of expression was on the teacher''s face and which type of look was directed at him. Just as he expected and wanted, Miss Hannah patted his shoulder, giving him a sympathetic smile.


    " Shoulder, eh?" Wander thought.


    " How about you getting some weeks off? Well that''s still too much, but it''s better than having you dropped out. "


    " I''m not sure about this, Miss. You are doing too much for me."


    "No, no, it''s ok. Use those few weeks to regain your strength and resolution. You told me once that you would never give up, right?"


    Wander looked into his teacher''s eyes as he counted to three in his head. Then he smiled and nodded.


    " Okay, that''s that. I will  help you fill out the form."


    " And Miss, please tell Aria and Hiatus not to visit me. Tell them I request that.  I truly want to be alone."


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Wander left school without looking back. He was filled with euphoria as he thought about all the free time he could spend in Mirilad, experimenting and training on his own. He thought of the rune formations he had devised, of the discoveries he had made with those ancient letters. Mirilad was his true school.


    It all begun when he turned twelve. A few days after his birthday, he gained an interest in the forest. He loved the fact that it was tranquil, that it was undisturbed, always ready for his exploration. He knew that beyond those trees lied a vibrant world, and he was right. Since then, he visited the forest at least once a day, getting to know all the trees, all the creatures  and all the paths. The creatures of Mirilad had grown so familiar with his presence, to the point that they became curious of other outsiders. He guessed they thought others would be like him. Every day was a new adventure with new things to discover.


    Wander let himself fall on the soft grasses and breathed in a lungful of sweet aromas coming from the nearby wisterias and hyacinths. He felt the grass tickle him. A satisfying smile bloomed on his face as he absorbed all the sounds, images and fragrances of the forest. This part of the forest was at the base of Hunter Hill- an ideal place for Wander to keep watch of his school. Xixin Institution- Wander wanted to run it. He knew that he lacked power, and  he had the plan to gain more. Aria and Hiatus would help him get what he wanted. He saw their potential the first time he met them. He knew they would make a name for themselves a few years from now. He had hundreds of ways to take advantage of that.


    His train of thought was disturbed by a burning smell.Forest fire would be impossible, he thought. He cautiously stood up and made sure he got the smell right. After ascertaining the unexpected existence, he could not resist the urge to trace its origin. Could it be a new type of flower? Or perhaps the breath of a new animal? Wander read about the discovery of Crimson Wings before, and the amount of fame and money went to Professor Madiv for that discovery also. Wander hoped luck would favor him.


    The smell did not lead him too far from his comfortable zone. He must walk through several new bushes and cross a new stream before being stopped by a huge slab of rock. It was leaning on what once was the wall of a forsaken ruin. Wander had been aware of this place for a long time, but was not interested. The smell came from behind the rock. Without hesitation, Wander shimmied himself through a small crack and into the ruin.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Inside, it was not as dark as Wander had expected. Light streamed in through cracks on the ceilings. But most of all, there was a fire burning fiercely, and next to it lied someone, or rather something covered in smoke.


    Wander stared at the thing, unable to make a move forward or backward. Even thought it was faint, Wander could still feel it, Demex. The thing in front of him was certainly a demon. His heartbeat began to accelerate. Wander knew one wrong move and he could end up filling the demon''s stomach. He used all of his brain power to find a solution, but his anxiety prevented his mind from working properly. Unconsciously, he took a step back, but his shaking legs could not keep balance, and he fell.


    The creature immediately woke up and, in a blink of an eye, positioned itself right next to Wander, its hand on his neck, lifting him off the ground. As he struggled to break free of its grip in vain, its two illuminating emerald eyes examined him. A few second passed, and it let him off.


    Wander gasped for breath, his visions got all fuzzy, his heart beat like a drum. It took him a few minutes to return to normal and recovered from the shock. He looked up at the creature that was looking down at him. It looked at him with curiosity rather than hostility.


    " Sorry for nearly killing you," said the creature in a husky voice.


    " You speak?" Wander''s eyes bugged out as he immediately forgot his panic.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.            " Yes, I do," the creature said, extending its hand to him.


    Wander hesitantly took its hand, letting it pull him up. Even when he stood upright, the creature was still much taller than him.


    " What are¡ª"


    " The smoke." said Wander." I smelled it. From the fire. Or maybe from your body. I followed it here. Out of curiosity."


    The creature rubbed its chin." I see. You are a hunter?"


    " Uhm, yeah. "Wander tilted his head."I guess."


    " Why the vague answer?"


    " Well, let''s just say I''m very under qualified as a hunter. "


    The creature stared at Wander with contemplative eyes. It then walked towards the fire, and with  simple hand gestures, the fire turned to blue before engulfing both Wander and the creature. Wander closed his eyes as it happened, expecting a scorching heat. However, he felt nothing, and when he opened his eyes, the surroundings have completely changed. The ruin was no more, and instead he was standing within a huge globe whose surface resembled that of a Halcyon.


    "A pocket dimension!" Wander shouted in excitement.


    " You know stuffs." The creature said."What''s your name?"


    " Wander."


    " Wander, call me Nito."


    Wander took time to observe the stranger. Nito''s body was enveloped by a layer of dense smoke. The only visible feature was his two glowing eyes and his horns.


    " You are...a demon?"


    " I''m certainly not a hunter."


    " You have Demex"


    " Yes, I do."


    " Then you must be a demon." Wander shook his head.


    " Good logic, boy" Nito approached Wander." Then you are a demon too."


    " No, I''m not." Wander stepped backwards.


    "You smelled the smoke, right? When I''m in this form, only my kind can trace me by smell."


    Wander stared at Nito and clenched his fists.


    " The smoke was from the fire. It must be."


    " Oh, then do you still smell it? The fire?"


    Wander realized that he could still smell the smoke, even though the fire had disappeared. The realization made him nauseous.


    " I think the answer is obvious. You have the potential to be one of us."


    " I am not a demon!" Wander yelled.


    "Me neither. "


    " But you have Demex!"


    " So? Demons have Demex, but does possessing Demex make you one?"


    Wander could not reply. Nito''s remark actually made sense.


    " I''ve been searching for another one of our species. Took me long enough. I need you to join me."


    " I feel like Anakin right now." Wander palmed his head.


    " This is not like that, boy." Nito chuckled." This not the dark side. In fact, this is the opposite of the dark side. "


    Wander gave Nito a look of curiosity.


    " We are the ones that killed Samundo 19 times before."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Later that day, Wander found himself unable to sleep. He recalled the event of that morning, deeming it all too surreal. An unknown creature popped up in the forest, dragging him into its dimension, telling him that it and he shared the same species. And defeating the demon lord? Wander had never even thought of meeting Samundo, let alone defeating him. The intervals between Samundo varied greatly. It could be 84 years. Or more than a century, like his 2nd return. If Nito told the truth, then this time it only took 16 years for him to return.


    " Come back here tomorrow, and tell me your answer. One day is enough, right?"


    Wander curled up in his blanket, biting his thumb''s nail. He considered telling everyone about Nito, but  he knew no one would trust him. Maybe some would, but he deemed Nito too dangerous for others to meet. They might think he was in league with the creature. Wander shuddered thinking of what would have happened if Nito did not think of him as his kin.


    " I can make you stronger. Much stronger. Hunters'' education does not work for you, because your body is different. In their eyes, you fail. However, with my guide, you can make full use of your potential. And who knows, you can succeed where I fail."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Next day, when Wander returned, the fire was put out. Nito had cracked the ceiling to allow more light stream in. He was standing against the wall, arms folded, as if he knew Wander would come and was waiting for the boy. This time, Wander felt no Demex from his body.


    " So, you''ve got your answer?"


    " Just one thing I want to make sure: This power will enable me to defeat Samundo?"


    " Yes, it will. Practice is needed, but the newfound power guarantees your success."


    Wander stared at the stranger, feeling unexpectedly relaxed. He  did not care about defeating Samundo, power was his only objective. A power rivaling that of Samundo would speed up Wander''s plan by at least 10 years. Only one demerit: The power would transform his body, rendering it more similar to a demon. Yet Wander felt nonchalant about that. And so with a smile, he told Nito his answer.


    "Please give me that power."

 Chapter 21: Metamorphosis

    Wander watched and fidgeted as Nito took out of his pocket a medal scribed with foreign symbols. It fitted his palm and its appearance did not differ much from a scrapped  piece of junk. Wander guessed it must be of prime importance to Nito, since it seemed to be the only thing he kept in his pocket. He held it tightly in his hand, stared at it intensely before signaling Wander to come close.


    " Before we start, I need you to know one thing: the existence of us is an absolute secret, more than that of the Singulus Digiti, more than anything in this world. You must not reveal it to anyone."


    Wander answered instantly. " I give you my word."


    Nito stared into his eyes. After confirming Wander''s resolution, he nodded.


    " For the ritual to be completed, we need a constant stream of your blood."


    Wander took a knife out of his pocket and without hesitance used its point to make a long cut on his hand. His blood leaked out in a thin but steady stream. He showed the wound to Nito.


    "Will this do?"asked he.


    " Yeah," Nito squinted at the boy, frowning." That will do."


    " What''s wrong?" Wander noticed the expressions.


    " No, nothing''s wrong. Let''s start."


    Nito extended the medal to Wander, order him to let the blood drip on it. Upon contact with Wander''s blood, the medal emitted a glow of sanguine color. A few seconds passed, and the glow turned darkish jade- the color of demon''s blood. Threads of light from the medal emerged and coiled around the bloodstream. They began to find their way to the wound on Wander''s arm in the manner of a snake slithering towards its prey. Wander realized that the blood was the medium needed for the threads to enter his body. When the first thread forced his way into the wound, it was like a bee sting. But then came the second, the third and the others, merged, so the pain and the sensation took the form of a nasty slug ripping open the wound to assimilate with the host. Wander could feel the threads run in his vein, to his heart then dispersed across his whole body. His heart twitched violently from the straining entry of the threads like it was ready to explode, causing him to undergo excruciating  pain and fall to the ground, screaming in agony. His eyes got all teary as his whole body shook frantically as if thousands of razor were let loose in its blood veins. Wander''s vision went blurry, his ears failed to pick up any sound, forcing him to focus on the pain. He could imagine the threads incorporating into him like parasites, dissolving in his blood, coiling around his heart, eating into his brain.


    "Blutch, vuum, origos, ooh, king, dimonas ima, blutch, halcyon." said Nito as he watched Wander suffer.


    That moment, a wave of electricity ran through Wander''s body, and pain morphed into severe pleasure, an overwhelming sensation that left Wander gaps for breath. His brain wanted to explode, and images ran through his eyes. He began to see white, and the last things he saw before falling unconscious was the silver light from the medal and the disturbed expression on Nito''s face.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    "Wake up, Wander."


    Wander felt no lingering pain when he opened his eyes. He felt that nothing about his body had changed. He turned to Nito, who was inspecting the medal like he had seen it for the very first time.


    " How long had I been sleeping?" asked Wander.


    " One hour at most," replied Nito without looking at the boy." In the real world, that is."


    " Then how much time has passed in here?"


    " 10-12 hours or so."


    Wander tried to stand up and almost fell over on his first and second attempt. When he was finally able to stand, he realized he had grown taller.


    " Physical growth is the most obvious sign." said Nito." Taller and bigger, all the better, huh?"


    " I guess," said Wander as he stared at his new body.


    " Your face changes too."


    " What?" Wander raised his voice as he took out the knife and used the blade to look at his face." Haha, very funny."


    Nito chuckled as he walked towards the boy. He smiled at him.


    " Since you are the same as me now, I suppose there is no need to keep secret. What do you want to know?"


    Nito''s question gave rise to even more questions from Wander. Nito spent the next few hours  sating as much of Wander''s curiosity as he can. He told Wander that beings like them both called themselves Exsomnis- a name created by someone whose own name had been long forgotten. Nito expressed doubt that Exsomnis was the true name for individuals like Wander and him. He went on to confirm that Exsomnises were powerful enough to defeat the demon lord Samundo, mostly due to the fact that they were a unique combination: the martial skills of hunters, the berserk strength of demon and the arcane ability of summoners.


    "An unfair advantage!" Wander raised his voice.


    Nito just smiled in return, and Wander knew that smile meant nothing good. Just as he predicted, Nito told him of the price that came with the power.


    "The power eats away your existence. Most of us don''t live past 30. At worse, not past 22. And the time we spend living is not exactly enjoyable."


    Wander stared at Nito, brow furrowed. After a while, he lowered his head, and melancholy took over him.


    " I see. That''s... sad." he said in a guttural voice.


    " You take the news quite well. I had expected you would yell at my face."


    Wander also marveled at the fact that he harbored no anger towards Nito for keeping such an important fact hidden from him. He wondered if the joy of attaining great power had completely overwhelmed the fear of death, or maybe for a long time he had always been like this, seeing age as nothing more than number, and living till 30 or till 90 simply had no difference for him.  But he realized he did feel melancholic about that truth, and he wondered why. Deciding to stop dwelling on the matter, Wander changed the topic.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.            " I wonder how my blood looked like now." said Wander and he poked at his fingertip with his knife.


    A drop of green blood leaked out. Wander clicked his tongue.


    " So it''s still normal." said Nito, squinting at Wander''s blood.


    " Were you expecting something else?" asked Wander.


    " No." Nito shook his head. "Not at all."


    " Anything else I need to know about us?"


    " Yeah," Nito suddenly got all fidgeting." Uhm, so, an Exsomnis is created, not born. You know what this means right?"


    It took Wander more than 10 seconds to process the information and draw the conclusion.


    " I see." Wander said, looking down.


    " You are nonchalant about lots of things, huh? Are you usually like this?"


    " Well," Wander went silent briefly before continuing." I''m not sure. But, I... "


    Nito stared at him, waiting for him to finish.


    " I don''t know anymore." Wander frowned.


    " Anymore? You used to know then?"


    " I don''t remember. This is weird. Does becoming an Exsomnis alter your memory?"


    " In my case, it doesn''t. And in other cases I know, it doesn''t, either."


    "Maybe I will remember later." said Wander." How exactly does the transformation process work? What does it do to our bodies?"


    " I don''t know.  It just turns us, somehow." Nito said, shrugging.


    " Aren''t you supposed to answer my every question?" Wander raised his eyebrows.


    " Don''t be absurd.  I''m young enough to be your older brother. And at my age, you really don''t get anything figured out."


    Wander looked up. The pocket dimension was too silvery for his liking.


    " Then can you at least tell me where do we come from and why we need that medal to turn?"


    " Well, the first Exsomnis lived more than a millennium ago. You know, that guy who named us Exsomnis. He was just like us, a normal being, until the day he found the medal. "


    " He just found it? Like randomly?" Wander frowned in doubt.


    " Uhm, yeah. Our creation was mere luck. This medal," Nito said, showing the metallic piece to Wander," is the key to awaken our potential.  Without it, we would be like all the others."


    Wander inspected the medal. Nothing was particular regarding its appearance, saving for the insignia resembling a tornado chiseled onto it.


    " So we are not the chosen ones? We are the lucky ones?"


    " You can say so."


    " Cool, I prefer it this way. The idea that the fate of the world is dependent on chosen individuals always repels me."


    " Oh, why so?" Nito asked, smiling." Boys and girls your age love to be the chosen ones.  You sure you aren''t one of them? From what you tell me I know you''re not quite the popular kid at school."


    "  I''m not one of them," Wander said, clenching his fists."Why do I hate the chosen ones?  Because their existence means  that no matter how hard other people work, how tremendous their efforts, how desperate they are, in the end they have no choice but to put their faith in the hand of a few people to save them. Don''t you realized how twisted, cruel and horrendous that is?"


    Nito stared at Wander, then gave him a smile of pity.


    " But that''s how the world works."


    " Yes," Wander said, biting his lips." That''s how it works. And I hate that. But now I know we are the exceptions, we are lucky, not chosen. That''s good."


    " Hum, yeah. We''re not chosen."


    " I suppose you have nothing else to add?"


    " There are few things left. Nonetheless, you will figure out by yourself sooner or later, and that''s the best way to learn something new. I leave them in the dark for now. And prepare yourself for an annoying friend."


    Wander frowned.


    " Then I''m going home. I need some rest. Oh, and by the way, will you take me out of this city? To wherever Samundo is? I cannot just find him on my own."


    " Yeah, of course. That''s a given. Get ready for some worldwide traveling."


    " Sweet." Wander smiled." I''m looking forward to that."


    Nito nodded as he cancelled the pocket dimension. Wander bid him goodbye and left the ruin without looking back.


    <hr />


    Sorry for the late update! Leave a comment if you can <3

 Chapter 22: The girl He met in the forest that day

    The next morning, Wander experienced a belated panic  attack. He freaked out thinking about what would happen if his family or his friend noticed just one drop of his blood. Death was a foregone conclusion. He thought of Hiatus and Aria and dared not imagine how they would react if they knew. He pictured the pain, the disappointment, the anger he would put them through and suddenly became resentful of himself.


    " This is stupid. Why did I not think of that before I decided to turn? Yesterday I was so calm, and now it''s a mess inside"


    He stayed in bed half an hour more than usual. After he had gather enough mental strength to leave it, he found himself unable to do things with as much ease as before. He was in a constant state of cautiousness, distancing himself from all objects he deemed too pointy, and eventually a ball soon reached his standard of what was pointy. Brushing teeth, dressing up, cooking, all was tiring. His parents did not notice his sudden growth spurt, but they had never really noticed him that much, and even though he enjoyed the freedom their negligence granted, recently the loneliness made his heart ache.


    After breakfast, Wander headed for Mirilad. His transformation had fortified his love for the forest. His enhanced senses now enabled him to observe the forest more thoroughly. He was sure he could see the colors of animals and trees vibrate and change. Wander looked up at the crowns of trees. For the first time, he bothered to look beyond the "green" of leaves: Wander could see each shade and tint of the color mixed together and construct  the wholeness of leaves, losing their distinctiveness in the process. Bases of leaves were actually dots of parakeets scattering across the emerald background and their veins consisted of chartreuse and lime threads tangling with each other. And these were only  the most ordinary types of leaves he saw. The others were nothing short of masterpieces of color mixing. Some leaves had changed color with the arrival of autumn. Patches of marigold and tangerine colors lied side by side like tiny suns drawn together through the forces of apricot gravity, while yam stars tried to outshone one another  nearby. Wander was overwhelmed by his new optical perception of reality, and he closed his eyes, but the sound of the forest would not grant him piece. The sound of wind was a song itself, with all the whispers, the whooshes, the hisses in all degrees of tone and pitch combating for dominance. Breezes of wind caressed flowers and grasses, and came a wave of psithurism along with the aromas of the forest. Wander inhaled deeply, and he underwent the most incredible  olfactory pleasure in his life. All that fragile and transient, nameless fragrances phased in then out of unison and division. One second they were one, the next hundreds. The soaked fur of squirrels and birds, the mosses on wet rocks, the flourishing dianthus and gardenia, the lingering moisture, the delicate dews, the scabrous tree barks and hundreds more, truly a symphony of aromas. Wander was awestruck, and he let out a sigh of satisfaction.


    After minutes of drowning himself in the sea of sensual euphoria, Wander decided to continue his visitation to Nito. The path he usually took seem longer and stranger today. That was when he heard a sound, a sound that came to him very naturally, but its presence was unnatural , for it was the sound of the humming waves, the sound of oceans amidst the domain of a forest. Wander listened attentively to the sound, and was sure he did not mistake it for anything else. His curiosity was piqued by the out of place phenomenon; he could feel his heart thumping in his chest as a nameless feeling overflowed his soul. He let the sound draw him to a part of the forest he had never known. It lied behind layers of bushes, and with his enhanced ears, he could pinpoint exactly the direction in which the sound originated from. As he traveled further and further after the sound and into darkness , Wander felt like he had left the whole world behind him. With the most gentle gesture possible, he brushed aside layers of drooping odd-pinnate leaves, and the dazzling light emerged from the other side made him squint, but still in the blurriness he could see the ghostly figure standing there.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    To Wander, that moment when he saw the girl was somehow surreal. She looked detached and otherworldly with a pensive, yet calm expression on her face.  Her eyes were fixed on the unnatural waves she raised from the pond nearby; their rhythmic movements had captivated her. Surrounding the girl was specks of dust illuminating brilliantly due to the pillars of light showering upon the forest. Time seemingly stood still in her presence.


    For minutes, Wander refrained from making any sound or movement for fear of disrupting the serene atmosphere. He stared at her, waiting for her to notice his presence.  Only in a brief moment of thoughtlessness did he call out to her by saying hi with the silliest tone.


    She was unnerved by the sudden greeting; instead, she leisurely turned to look at Wander as she slightly tilted her head. She smiled at him before saying hi in return with a voice resembling the faintest breeze, and immediately the pond water froze into pointy spears, charging at Wander at frightening speed.


    " What the?" Wander yelled as he jumped backwards to dodge the spears.


    The girl''s projectiles chased him with the stubbornness of heat-seeking missiles. Had it not been for Wander''s enhanced physical strength, they would have hit him in less than 3 seconds. Wander''s reflex had become significantly faster, and his body at times moved faster than his thought. He became so focused on evasion that the surrounding got blurred in his perception. Despite the enhancement,  dodging the girl''s attack quickly became nearly impossible for Wander. She spawned even more spears without ,literally, breaking a sweat and made them into a convoluted web that closed in on Wander. He gradually ran out of space for his maneuvering. With no intention of being reduced to minced meat, he sought a breach in the constantly changing web. As the web got closer and closer, he decided to take risk by plunging himself at a random place on the web. Wander got through the web but failed to escape the spears. Before he could recovered from the plunge, they already made their way to him. Wander closed his eyes , anticipating his painful end.


    To his surprise and delight, none of the spear pierced his body. He only heard a plash then shuddered at the ice cold water pouring all over him. The spears, pointy as they were, dissolved the moment they came into contact with  Wander. His racing heart slowly settled down; he could hear other sounds again.


    The girl walked towards Wander with her crossed hands behind her back. Her graceful steps created the impression that she was gliding on the ground. She stopped her march a few meters away from Wander and gave him half a smile.


    " Can you stand up on your own?" asked the girl in a modulated voice.


    " Yeah, I just..." Wander clumsily lifted himself off the ground." You aren''t hiding a knife behind your back or something, right?"


    " No, not a knife." The girl said, chuckling." Just my hands."


    " That is not very assuring coming from you," Wander said, grinning." You didn''t even move your hands while trying to chop me up. I dare not think what they are capable of."


    " Sorry about the sudden attack," The girl glanced at the water puddle." I was just trying to ...break the ice."


    " Oh, I see." Wander scratched his head." It was quite a warming welcome. You can say that I''m melted."


    The girl shook her head, smiling.


    " Okay, let''s be serious now. That attack was necessary, since I don''t want us to get stuck in that overly dramatic encounter. Trust me, I''ve been there. It was super awkward, saying hi then staring at each other while figuring out what to say next. Lesson learned: put them in a life or death situation, talking will be real smooth later on."


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.            " I''m pretty sure that''s not the lesson, but we''re talking quite naturally right now so I guess it does work." Wander frowned as his eyes rolled up.


    As the two walked towards the pond, the girl drew some water from it and froze the water into a small cup. She filled it with more water, took a vial out of her belt and dropped some white liquid into the cup.


    " Here, a gift." she handed it to Wander." Water, with vanilla flavor."


    " Err, is it clean?" Wander frowned.


    " It is.  I was filtering the pond before you came. You followed the noise, didn''t you? "


    " Wow! I thought you were creating waves!" Wander raised his voice." And yes, I did."


    " Waves?" The girl said, brow furrowed." Why would I even create waves in a forest?"


    "Well, I think it''s a more effective method of greeting. You know, you can wave at somebody instead of scaring them to death with your cool magic."


    " Please stop ."The girl said, making the stop sign with her hand." And would you take the gift? My hand is giving out."


    " Thank you for the...water." Wander took the cup.


    He took a sip of the water, instantly feeling a chill breeze in his mouth, down to his stomach then all over his body as if someone injected ice directly into him.


    " This is mind-blowing! Really, thank you, uh..."


    " Maria, Maria Gwendolyn," said the girl, smiling at the awestruck look on Wander''s face." And you?"


    " Call me Wander," he gulped down all of the drink.


    " Wander what?"


    " That''s unnecessary, isn''t it?" Wander closed his eyes to fully enjoy the sensation.


    " That''s your name, Wander."


    " Well," Wander cleared his throat, his eyes still closed." My name is Wander, that''s that."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Maria did not bother asking for Wander''s full name after that and returned to her filtering work. This time, she created a whirlpool in the pond, compelling the water to move towards the center then outwards. After a few minutes, a tiny solid sphere, size of a marble, rose above the pond. Maria threw it at the base of a close-by tree before returning the pond to its usual calm state.


    " You''re really good at magic, aren''t you?" asked Wander.


    " I''m good at water school of magic." said Maria.


    " Yeah, good is an understatement here. The spears were frightening. That was no low-level spell, right?"


    " Maybe," Maria said, creating another spear." Wander, you''re a hunter?"


    Wander nodded.


    " You are one of those genius kids?" Maria glanced at him.


    " What? No!" Wander said, shaking his head hard." I''m actually a below standard hunter."


    " Then the standard bar must have been raised a lot. You successfully evaded my spears. That''s no mere feat."


    " Haha," Wander scratched his head." I''m flattered, but I bet everyone could have done that."


    " Your humbleness is an insult to me, boy. The spears  had a velocity of 170 meters per second-half the speed of sound. You evaded it by instinct. Those moves and skills belong to either an extremely experienced warrior or an incredibly blessed young one.  Which are you?"


    " I just.." Wander cleared his throat, evading Maria''s glace. "You know..."


    " Another unspeakable fact?" Maria said, raising her eyebrows." Well, no matter. Keep it to yourself. I''m hardly interested."


    " Sorry. It''s just...I can''t tell you much about me." Wander fidgeted.


    " Sorry?" Maria said, chuckling." We''ve just met. Why must you tell me anything? And I''m pretty sure we''ll part ways soon. Self-revelation is unnecessary here."


    " You''re not staying?


    Maria did not reply right away. She looked at the sky, pouting.


    " No, I''m not here to stay."


    " Too bad. I was expecting to get a new friend."


    " There are still a few days left. You still have a chance. I''ve just arrived here."


    " Oh, you are from that school right? Hamilton school, isn''t it? You came here for that contest! Weird, I didn''t expect you guys to be here this early."


    Maria glanced at Wander, frowning.


    " Hamilton school? What''s that?" she asked.


    " That school for summoner?"


    " What makes you think I''m a summoner?" asked Maria.


    " Well, you¡ª"


    It dawned on Wander that Summoners were not the only beings capable of casting spells.


    " Then you''re not a summoner from Hamilton school?"


    Maria shook her head.


    "I''ve never even heard of that school." said the girl.


    <hr />


    This chapter is the one of my personal favorite. The meeting between Wander and Maria is what I have in mind for years.

 Chapter 23: For us, what to come

    Nito gave Wander a menacing stare as the boy entered the ruin. Even though his face was completely covered in black smoke, Nito still managed to let Wander know his anger and irritation.


    " You are late." He emphasized each word." What''s the deal?"


    " I ran into a friend. Took me a while to finish the conversation. "


    " From your school?"


    Wander shook his head. " I don''t know where she''s from. "


    "And you call her a friend."


    "Well, new friend."


    Nito stared into Wander''s eyes. Wander stared back.


    " Fair enough," He took out the medal." We''ve wasted enough time. Let''s start your training."


    The pocket dimension emerged from the medal and separated the two from the ruins. The last two times, Wander was occupied by questions and forgot to carefully inspect the dimension. Now that he had more time to observe it, he realized there was nothing noteworthy. It was simply a room seemingly expanding nonstop with a layer similar to the Halcyon enveloping all.


    " Catch." Nito threw the boy a sword. " Show me your stance."


    Wander''s fingers caressed the blade. He examined the sword''s structure with an expressionless countenance.


    " Can we skip sword training? I''m really tired of it." Wander swung the sword nonchalantly.


    Nito''s eyes widened. It took a while before he could suppress his surprise and asked Wander why with a chilling voice.


    " I want to jump straight to duel. I think it suits me better."


    " You want to fight me right away? You are abnormally confident for a boy saying that he is weak." Nito said ,hitting the ground with his sword''s point.


    " Don''t get me wrong. I am not saying that my skill is on par with yours. "


    " What is it then?"


    " I learn much faster by being defeated by someone superior in skills. And I want to test my strategy. I can think of how to defeat an opponent based on their weapons, but my body did not allow me to materialize my strategy. That''s why I''ve been miserable at fighting. However, with this strength, it''s different."


    Wander held up his sword, positioned his body like a straight line behind his weapon, his heels lined up and his feet formed a L.


    " My body will finally catch up with my mind."


    Nito smirked, and got into his stance.


    " Let''s see if you have skills to back your words."


    The two stared at one another for a brief moment. Nito went for the preemptive strike, making a horizontal strike at Wander''s neck with his claymore. The boy did not react, and Nito stopped before the sword cut his body.


    " Too fast?" he asked mockingly.


    " Again, master." Wander smiled." It is indeed very fast"


    " So you call me master now? Don''t expect me to be lenient just because of that."


    Nito took a few steps backwards, ready for his second attack. This time, he subjected the ground to the thrust force created by concentrating his weight on his feet, enabling himself to dash forward at great speed as if his feet had rocket engine attached to it. He effortlessly adjusted his wrist, making his sword turn sideway and aim at Wander''s neck again.


    The height difference between the two worked to Wander''s advantage in this battle. His right foot slid forward a few centimeters, pulling his body down to avoid the neck strike. Simultaneously, he swung his sword upward, aiming at Nito''s forearm. He stopped before the blade made the cut.


    The two held their positions for a few seconds. Nito glanced at Wander, smiling. He retreated and relaxed his body.


    " Quick and decisive. You want that style?"


    " I don''t know." Wander shrugged.


    " Do you know anything about yourself?"


    " I thought I preferred an aggressive approach. Now, I''m not so sure." Wander squinted at the blade.


    " Let''s find out by fighting a lot, shall we?" Nito pointed his sword at Wander.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Nito and Wander dueled for hours. The former won by a ratio of 5:1. Nonetheless, he felt like at many times Wander did not actually put his mind into the fights; he would observe and halfheartedly block or attack, giving the impression that he did not mind losing. When he won, though, he won with one strike; Nito would attack, only to be countered. The boy showed a strong preference for a defensive and counter style and rarely, if ever, put much strength in his blade.


    Nito realized that Wander''s incompetence did not only stem from the combat-orientated education he received but also from his once inherently weak body. Wander had managed to overcome the former by means of self-taught; the latter was impossible for him to fix on his own. Nito had given him the tool to realize his full potential, but somehow he felt unease. The way Wander cut himself with no hesitation disturbed him. Wander expressed no thirst for power, at least not in a straightforward manner, unlike the many Exsomnis, including him, did when they first attained the power. Normally, that would have put him at ease, yet Nito could not help but feel there was something very wrong with the boy. He lacked the passion usually seen in hunters of his age, which he compensated for his overly calm demeanor at times people should have panicked.


    " Have you always been like this?" asked Nito during their 3rd break.


    " Like what?"Wander swung his sword around.


    " Nonchalant. Dispassionate."


    " I''m not like that." Wander said, nonchalantly.


    " Maybe your personality makes you unpopular. Do you have friends at school?"


    " Yeah, I have three. Aria, Hiatus and Jonathan. The last one is a bit special." Wander grinned.


    " Not too bad. Are you bullied?"


    " Yes. With appalling frequency. I don''t mind though."


    " Why?" Nito frowned.


    " Hey, can you teach me how to transform? I''m eager to know." Wander''s eyes lighted up as a smile spread across his face


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.            " You scare me sometimes." Nito squinted at the boy.


    Nito decided to not inquire any further into Wander''s affair. He doubted he would feel better after hearing the truth. He returned to his teaching role, showing Wander the characteristics of Exsomnis'' transformation.


    " It is basically an upgraded version of Hunter''s transformation. Everything is better. One fatal flaw though: when we turn, we emit a very dense Demex. We will be no different from the demons we hunt. This is okay if you are alone, deadly if you are surrounded by hunters. One more thing: our form can attain new body parts. Horns and wings, to name a few."


    " I see." Wander scratched his chin."Very interesting. Condition for evolution?"


    " I don''t know." Nito was annoyed by the question he himself never asked.


    " The black smoke- that''s your transformation?"


    " No. It''s...uh... a temporary sickness."


    " Will I get it too?"


    " Not necessarily. There are chances, but it''s avoidable."


    " How?"


    "Don''t let yourself be consumed by darkness. "


    Wander''s brow furrowed. He slowly rolled his eyes.


    " So you are..."


    "  I''m lucky." Nito clenched his fists." I defeated the darkness within. It left a scar on me though. From time to time, I''m like this. It disappears after a few days. I don''t know what happens to the sick one before me. Must not have been nice."


    " The sickness can kill us?"


    " Yes, it can. Possibly one of the reason many of us die by 30."


    " That''s depressing." Wander tilted his head." Can I try turning now?"


    Ignoring Nito''s response, Wander stood up and activated his Demon Form. He watched his arms consumed by a black fire, his skin falling off like dusts, substituted by a solid charcoal-like layer.


    " No smoke? Lucky me." Wander shrugged.


    " Not at all, boy. The smoke is extremely useful, concealing our identity and distorting our opponents'' vision.  Don''t worry, it will come soon enough."


    " Where am I on the scale right now?"


    " Black Steel."


    " You?"


    " Red Titanium."


    " Samundo?"


    " Well, Samundo is a bit... special. He is somewhere beyond black titanium.


    " A whole new level?"


    " Not quite. His strength is not enough to be considered a new level. That doesn''t make him any less dangerous though. You know his smoke, right?"


    Wander nodded.


    " Let''s call it Aura. His Aura at full strength, can destroy everything within a radius of 5 kilometer. Some say even more."


    " Make me wonder how the previous Exsomnis defeated him."


    Nito shrugged.


    " You have never met Samundo?" Wander frowned.


    " No. "


    " You aren''t the one who beat him 16 years ago?"


    " It was my brother." Nito said, sighing softly.


    " Wow, your brother''s also one of us. Where is he now?"


    " I''m still trying to answer that question. I was looking for him before I came to this city. This smoke forced me to hide for a while. Can''t exactly jump around looking like a demon."


    " Then when you return to normal, we will leave New York and look for him while getting stronger to defeat Samundo.  Sounds like a plan. An exciting one. We three can work together to defeat the demon lord, and boom! We are the heroes!" Wander swung his arms in the air, grinning.


    " What with the sudden cheerfulness?" Nito smiled." Wander, have you ever heard of the word Exsomnis before you met me?"


    Wander stared at Nito and realized the meaning behind his question.


    " We will not be recognized, boy," Nito said, his eyes casting down." We will vanish after we defeat Samundo. Then we wait, wait for him to come back. We find a new Exsomnis, continuing the circle. Then we wait for our end."


    Nito enjoyed seeing Wander''s smile turn hollow.


    " That is our destiny. A short, but meaningful one. Don''t you think?"


    " I..." Wander''s eye twitched as his hand pressed against his head." I need to go. I need to go."


    " The practice is not done yet."


    " I''m sorry. I need to go. I really need to."


    Nito felt disturbed as he saw the violent twitches on Wander''s face.


    " Return tomorrow." he dispelled the pocket dimension.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander''s breath grew shorter and shorter even though he was just strolling. He fell on the ground and for the first time he understood how " the world collapses" felt like. A paroxysm of fear and panic exploded within him, paralyzing him. He realized he was crying.


    "What''s happening with me? Why am I crying?"


    Wander had forgot the last time he truly cried. Hiatus and Aria appeared on his mind.


    "Be with them forever. No, I don''t want that. Defeat Samundo. No, no, Aria and Hiatus."


    The boy trembled, his head ached. For the first time in his life, he experienced emotions he deemed intense.


    <hr />


    Thank you for reading! Leave a comment if you like. Tell me what you think about the story. Tell me about what other things you are reading. Every word is appreciated!

 Chapter 24: The final peaceful days

    Wander underwent endless mood swings for several days after that. He went to the extreme of panic and fell back to a state of indifference in mere minutes. Fortunately,  the intervals between the two grew longer as days passed; the panic he felt was no longer intense. It became a stinging sensation that poked at his heart at times. Wander realized his transformation had somehow seriously altered his emotions and memories. On several occasions, he was aware that he could no longer recall some events from his past. Wander asked Nito if he had experienced the same thing, to which he replied in the negative.


    More than a week had passed since Wander encountered Nito. He had cut off his contact with Aria and Hiatus. He needed someone to talk to other than the two and Maria came to his mind. After breakfast, he quickly left home and headed for Mirilad.


    That day, the path he usually took had a surprise in store for him. Jonathan was waiting for him right outside the edge of the forest. Wander knew his bully must have wanted to meet him. There was no reason for him to take the path that led away from the institution. More so, he was all alone.


    Jonathan was glaring at Wander as usual, but his arms not crossed nor his lips curved into a smirk. He looked so serious Wander did not believe it was him at first.


    " Hi, Jonathan." Wander said, smiling.


    Jonathan frowned, clenching his fist.


    " How''s the wound?" he asked with grave voice.


    " It''s healed."


    " I see. I should have used more force."


    " And forever giving up whatever chances you have of making up with Aria and Hiatus?" Wander said,  chuckling.


    Wander saw Jonathan''s fists tremble.


    " You are a disgusting demon, Wander."


    " Well." Wander smiled." You are more correct than you think. You came here all alone. What do you want to talk about?"


    " I will tell Aria and Hiatus the truth."


    " What truth?"


    " I will tell them about what happened 6 years ago."


    " Oh," Wander raised his eyebrows." Then why don''t you go ahead and do so? Why bother telling me this? Are you fishing for my reaction?


    Wander knew he got Jonathan, seeing the flares in his eyes.


    " Jonathan, they will not believe you. "


    " You can''t lie to them forever. It''s only a matter of time before they know you are a psychopath." Jonathan pointed at Wander.


    "It''s been 6 years since that happened. You are too obsessed with them."


    " No, you are. You are the one who hurt himself to keep others away from those two. I..only want them to know I''m not what they think."


    " By bullying me? You have good reasoning, my friend."


    " Why did you do it, Wander? Why pushed me away from them? We were friends, all four of us!" Jonathan asked, frowning.


    Wander just stared at Jonathan with a smile on his face. When Jonathan got emotional, it always got to Wander.


    " If that''s what you want, then so be it, dink-head. I will make you pay for what you did. I will make sure your sick intention is known. You will not keep that smile forever."


    " Are you sure it will not end up like last time? You run back home crying and that brother of yours will devise new ways of torturing me for that pathetic revenge of his?


    " Poisonous mutt!" Jonathan charged at Wander.


    Jonathan''s fist clashed against an invisible wall. Before he knew what happened, his body was blown away from Wander and slid on the ground.


    " You are late for school, boy." Maria said as she walked towards Wander. "I suggest you run fast."


    Jonathan stared at the girl, eyes widened. A few seconds passed, he stood up, brushed the dusts off his clothes.


    " You get a new friend, huh?" Jonathan smirked." Did you cut you arm to get her?"


    With a grudging expression, Jonathan turned his back on the two and walked away.


    After Jonathan''s back could no longer be seen, Wander turned to Maria.


    " Thank you for what you did."


    " You are not the one to thank me, Wander. That Jonathan boy is. If I had let him attack you, that would have gone according to your plan. He would further distance himself from Aria and Hiatus."


    " So you heard everything."


    " Yeah. You are not exactly the innocent boy I thought you were.  Hearing that conversation made me torn between letting him punch you and saving him."


    " Don''t worry. Even if he had punched me, I would not tell Aria and Hiatus about that. I just wanted him to punch me."


    " Whaat?" Maria raised her eyebrows.


    " Not what you think, Maria. I wanted him to feel better. Punching me would have soothed his anger a bit.  I did not try to incriminate him."


    "That''s hard to believe considering what you said to him."


    " I can''t just straight up apologize to him. I can''t even really explain to him why I did what I did."


    " Why?"


    " I have forgot exactly what I did to him 6 years ago. "


    " Maybe you just don''t care enough. That''s why you forgot."


    " It''s not a matter of caring, Maria. I have never forgot a single thing before. Now my memories is slipping away from my mind. What I did to Jonathan, what I said to Aria and Hiatus, and many things more, I''m starting to forget a lot of them."


    " Since when?"


    " Since last week."


    " Did you do anything that might have caused this?"


    " I don''t. Not that I remember." Wander scratched his head." But enough about this, I need the forest. I''ve been behind with my study."


    " Your study? In the forest?"


    " Runes. Wanna see?"


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander took Maria to the far north of Mirilad where redwoods, pines and firs grew in abundance.  She could immediately tell something was off with this part of the forest. The trees stood too close to each other and their crowns blocked most of the sunlight, yet vegetation still thrived under their shadow. Animals and birds stayed away from this place, even though food was plentiful. Not to mention the abnormal height of the trees.


    " What have you done to this place, Wander?" Maria squinted at the redwoods.


    " I use runes to accelerate their growth."


    " Wander, those trees are nearly 100 meters high. That is nearly the height of Hyperion. Even with runes, you cannot force them to grow that much. They have their limits."


    " That''s what I thought too. Watch!"


    Wander took out his knife. He scribed runes on a redwood sapling.


    " Grow."


    The sapling slightly quivered as if it was a cat sprayed with water. Its branches started to reach further, its leaves proliferated, its base widened and its trunk grew eerily larger. The process stopped after a few seconds.


    " It''s just 10 meters tall"


    " I know" said Wander as he scribed on another redwood." Now watch this. Grandio!"


    Like its counterpart, the redwood also grew at an abnormal rate, but this time the process lasted half a minute, enabling the tree to attain a height of 50 meters.


    " Wow!" Mari''s eyes widened" You change the language to Latin and the effects intensify."


    " Amazing right?"


    " What language did you use to make them twice as tall?


    " Hebrew. Litsmo''ach."


    The redwood spurted like a geyser burst through the ground. Before long it reached the height of its neighbors.


    " The older the language, the stronger the effect. Cool, huh?"


    " This is...impressive." Maria said in a faint voice." How long have you been experimenting with runes?"


    " Since I was 12. I read about them in a book and was mesmerized by their complexity. At first it was just a hobby, but soon runes turned out be my ticket to life."


    " How come?"


    " I''m not physically strong." Wander glanced up. " I''ve thought about that a lot. Aria and Hiatus will not be there for me forever, and most of all, I don''t want to be a burden to them. That''s why I did a crazy thing: I sent my paper on runes to Natsuki Moore, the captain of the demon capture team, proposing how runes can be implanted to improve the success of capture campaigns. My research is kind of an apply letter. I ask her to let me join her team when I turn 18. If she agrees, I will have a proper job, and Aria and Hiatus won''t have to deal with me anymore."


    Maria stared at Wander with her brow raised.


    "Good plan." She said.


    " Sometimes I like to plan too far ahead and talk like a middle age man. Sorry for that." Wander grinned


    " No, don''t be. It''s...fun. " Maria said, smiling.


    " It is?"


    " Yep," Maria nodded."I would love to hear more about your experiments with runes. Tell me."


    Wander''s eyes lighted up. He had never had anyone to talk to about runes. That day, he spent hours with Maria telling her all he knew about the ancient letters. He shared with her one of his most prized creation: the double effect of runes. She listened with a steady smile on her face, her chin pressed against her hand. She asked a lot of questions, and Wander enthusiastically answered her. At times he would make a joke, she would shake her head and smile in disapproval, only to chuckle when she saw he pouted in disappointment.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.            "The area a rune covers, if great enough, will allow for the addition of more runes. The activation of the bigger runes will lead to the activation of smaller runes. This can be repeated, in theory, infinitely?"asked Maria.


    "Just seemingly infinitely. Provided there exists a pen small enough to inscribe runes upon atoms, the process can be repeated for a number of times most being will not be able to conceptualize."


    Maria stared at Wander till he awkwardly scratched his head."You are close."


    "To what?"


    The girl gave no answer. She just told Wander to carry on.


    Maria also helped Wander with his study. After that day, she brought him lots of books on runes and spells. The two would read some lines before stopping to discuss the information. Maria knew significantly more than Wander, yet to him she seemed genuinely interested in all the knowledge she must have grasped long ago, as if she had just been aware of it for the first time. Wander did not complain, for he enjoyed the time he spent with her. He knew Maria felt that way too, seeing that she did not question him at all about the affairs with Jonathan. A normal individual would have been freaked out by what Wander had done to his supposed bully.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Nito had taken notice of the improvement in his fellow Exsomnis'' mood. Wander had no intention of telling him about Maria, still Nito found out. " Is it a girl?"- he asked just one question and Wander''s bashfulness gave him away. Nito laughed, saying things Wander did not understand like " So you are a boy after all". The mysterious teacher opened up more with Wander after that, talking with him about things other than Exsomnis, like his favourite movies, books, his parents, his siblings. Those things were all insignificant, but for Wander they sufficed.


    Nito did not teach Wander how to use magic, much to Wander''s frustration. He made Wander stick with sword training, which Wander unfailingly hated. At times, Wander felt like Nito did not want to teach him anything.


    "I know sword training is a must for every hero whatsoever, but can we move on to spells now? They are a must too, for every hero whatsover."


    "Be patient." said Nito.


    The Exsomnis killed every conversation with just those two words.


    The 3rd week after his transformation, it dawned on Wander that the days he spent with those two in Mirilad would soon come to an end. Maria started talking about leaving New York; Nito''s smoke was slowly but surely dissipating. Wander started to forget more and more of his childhood, even though the process had slowed down. He planned to call Hiatus and Aria, but the fear of them finding out his transformation still gnawed on him. Confused and lost, he could only tell himself it would be okay.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    One of those days, Wander caught Maria sitting on the branch of a pine. She was swinging her legs back and forth with a mischievous smile on her countenance.


    " Hey!" Wander shouted at her." What are you doing way up there?"


    " Why don''t you join me and see for yourself?" Maria shouted back.


    Wander hesitated but eventually decided to join her. It took him a minute to reach Maria. He carefully positioned himself next to her, directing his eyes at what she was watching. It was his institution.


    " What do you think?" asked Wander." Beautiful, right?"


    " It is a poorly constructed school" said Maria" One bishop at the center is enough to kill the rook."


    " What?" Wander smiled awkwardly.


    " Ah, sorry. I mean, one wide-range unit with a 90-degree attack positioned at the, let me see, about 50 meters away from all the buildings can destroy all three in minutes. I wonder who designed the campus. Probably an over-the -top, extravagant person."


    " Hah." Wander chuckled." You got that right. Principal Xixin is like that."


    " Xixin Howard Nate?" Maria said, raising her eyebrows.


    " Yes. You know him?"


    " That boy..So he did become a principle after all. Ah, I see, Hamilton school. That Hamilton. It makes sense now."


    " What makes sense? I am losing you here."


    " The dynamic couple. The bright stars of cold decades. I like them. Two of the few tried to conciliate the relationship between Hunter and Summoner. Wonder how they are now. Say, are they still dating?" said Maria with her tongue in cheek.


    " What? The heck are you talking about? Dating? They?"


    " So they are not. Political reasons I suppose. Anyhow, the contest you talk about must be another attempt from their side to pacify the hate. I hope it goes well. "


    " You don''t talk like a 15-year-old girl, you know that?"


    " Don''t be ageist. Well, I wasn''t interested in this city before, but talking about your school changes my mind. Mind showing me around?"


    Without waiting for Wander''s reply, Maria jumped off the branch. Just a second before hitting the ground, her body stopped falling and started floating instead, her toe touched the ground gracefully.


    " Jump down!" Maria shouted." I''ll catch you, my prince!"


    " Are you sure you can do it, Juliet?" Wander grinned.


    " Yeah, at worse my clothes will be dirtied, but I don''t mind."


    Wander shrugged and did what Maria said. After jumping he felt like he had been an idiot.


    " Strawberry jam incoming!" Maria shouted.


    " Maria!"


    The girl laughed as she slowed down Wander''s momentum. She held out her arms then quickly let them down along with Wander''s body.


    " You could have let me face up you know" Wander spitted out some dusts.


    " Don''t talk, Wander. You may accidentally bite the dust." Maria chuckled.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    While showing Maria his city, Wander wondered how Maria could stop herself from yawning out of boredom. Halcyon New York  had only 3 outstanding areas: Xixin''s institution, Swordgrave, and CyTech Complex- one of which Maria had seen, one was a barren land void of sceneries, one was off-limit to almost everybody.   Aside from those three, New York was a just a mass of disorganized trees and houses. Fortunately, unlike Earth New York, this place was free of traffic, its citizens chose to walk over driving. Although there was plenty of good food, food could not exactly be considered a place to visit.


    Maria walked next to Wander with her hands behind her back. Wander noticed that was her favorite gesture. Her face was as calm and pensive as the first time he saw her. After spending time with the girl, he knew that expression did not mean she was thinking hard, but rather enjoying her time. She did not complain about his poor representation, only chuckling from time to time.


    Wander walked the girl to the base of Hunter Hill. He showed her the River Road, which ran from the base of the hill to the other side of the city. Wander was afraid of running into Aria and Hiatus, but luckily he did not. And despite the obvious blandness of the tour, which worried Wander, Maria still kept a genuine smile of satisfaction on her face just by observing people passing by and never complained.


    When Wander guided her to the edge of the city, a group of five summoners were hanging around near a souvenir shop. They waved at Maria when they saw her.


    " Maria!" A boy in white t-shirt called out to her. "Over here!"


    Wander glanced at Maria. She was expressionless. After a few seconds, she walked past them.


    " I told you so." A girl sucking lollipop said." We are too low for the queen. Where are you going, Victor? Victor!"


    Victor ran up to Maria and caught her by the wrist.


    " Maria, come with us." said Victor, his eyes lightening.


    " I don''t think so." Mara glanced at the boy, shaking off his hand.


    " Are you going with this guy?" Victor said, glaring at Wander." Wait, isn''t he the famous loser ? Don''t mingle yourself with his like, Maria."


    Wander rolled his eyes.


    " Victor, isn''t it?" Maria frowned." Drop that attitude. It will not get you far in life. Now, forgive me, but I have to go."


    Maria turned her back on Victor and nodded at Wander. The two was about to go when Victor hurled a spell at Wander. He avoided it effortlessly. The spell landed on the ground and started a small fire.


    "Wow," Wander raised his voice."That could have hurt a lot."


    Victor smirked, his friends standing behind his back. The souvenir shop owner quickly moved all of his goods inside.


    "Maria, if you care about your little friend, we suggest you leave him."


    "Jeez." Wander rolled his eyes.


    Before Victor and his group could do anything else, the ground under their legs turned to mud and their feet sank deep  into it.


    " What the..." all the five summoners simultaneously shouted.


    " Let''s go Wander." Maria went ahead without looking back." Before this turns into a real drama."


    Leaving the angry summoners behind shouting and cussing, the two quickly made their way back to Mirilad.


    " You said you didn''t go to that school" Wander glanced at Maria.


    " I did," Maria replied in a cold voice.


    " Then what happened back there? They know you!"


    The girl stopped moving. She turned to Wander, smiling.


    " Whoever it is that they know, it isn''t me.


    " You mean..."


    " I wonder what the chances of a girl named Maria looking exactly like me go to that school are. You know what, I think I will stay a bit longer. It seems my long lost twin who I have never known about is here."


    <hr />


    Sorry for the late update! If you have any question feel free to comment!

 Chapter 25: Things seen in the forest that day

    The final days of September were passing in haste. Wander could not help noticing that the smoke on his mentor''s body had almost vanished. Finally, 33 days after his encounter with Nito, Wander witnessed the human form of the Exsomnis.


    There was nothing particular about his mentor. Nito had shaggy hair, waxen face and bags under his eyes. His appearance immediately let Wander know that he had been through hell and suffered sleepless nights.  Even though he told Wander he was young enough to be his brother, Nito looked like he was past 30.


    " Disappointed?" Nito asked, smiling.


    " I have no expectation for your appearance. Now I just want to know when we will leave this city."


    " In two hours."


    " What?" Wander nearly yelled." I haven''t even said goodbye to my friends yet. Can we move it to tomorrow?"


    " No. My plan is already one month behind. We cannot afford to lose more time. My brother will not loiter in one place waiting for us to come. Your training must continue too, and there are lots of things I cannot teach you if we stay in this city."


    " But...just one day!"


    " Wander, do you want to come or not?" Nito sternly stared at Wander.


    Wander opened his mouth but no word came out. He cleared his throat; a frown took over his face. He inhaled deeply then nodded.


    " Okay then. Do I need to bring anything with me?"


    " Clothes, money, small weapons. One book at most. That''s all. Go home and prepare your stuffs. Then come back here and we will leave."


    Wander showed Nito his pleading eyes in hope that he would change his mind. In return, Nito took out the medal and showed it to Wander.


    " Drop your blood on it."


    " I did it before right?" Wander frowned.


    " That was before you became an Exsomnis. This thing needs your new blood to synchronize you with ... the others."


    " I don''t get it."


    " I will explain later. Just do it."


    Wander bit his fingertip and dropped his blood on the medal. Nothing happened.


    " Does it work?"


    Nito frowned at the metal piece. After a few seconds, he glanced at Wander.


    " This will do. Go home and pack your stuffs. I''ll be waiting here."


    Wander nodded. He left the ruins and headed for his home. He ran and ran, mind void of thoughts. His heart sank, realizing how frightening the idea of leaving New York had become.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Arriving at home, Wander ran straight to his room and locked himself in. He hyperventilated, sweated profusely, heart jumping out of chest. The panic, the fear had their grips on him again, forcing the most uncomfortable thought into his brain. He tried to take a step forward, only to stumble to the ground.


    Wander lied still for nearly 10 minutes. It took all of his mental strength to stand up and drag himself to his wardrobe. He stared at his clothes, mouth half-opened, hands carelessly throwing some random hoodies and pants on his bed.


    The two-hour limit Nito set for Wander was mostly squandered on getting his act together and remembering where he put his things. After packing his clothes and weapons, Wander decided to leave a note for his parents and his two best friends. He intended to conceive a long tear-jerking letter but ended up with a curtly one resembling a Christmas card, minus the happy and merry part. He carefully placed the letter on the table; his fingers briefly lingered on it. Taking a deep breath, he jumped out of the window.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander walked the same path back to the ruin, the path he had taken so many times. He kept looking back en route, at the city he was leaving behind, the city in which his friends were. Suprisingly, he realized they would not be the only people he would miss. As he got closer to the ruin, his anxiety intensified. He told himself that it would be okay, that defeating Samundo would allow him to return to the city one day, full of pride.


    " Nito?" Wander called out as he entered the ruin.


    The ruin turned eerily darker compared to just 2 hour ago. The light from outside seemed to have drowned in the unexpected silence. Wander''s voice failed to breath any life into the place. Instead it amplified the air of abandonment that have pervaded the atmosphere. Wander sensed an invisible ice-cold hand creeping up on his back. The lack of response made his skin crawl.


    " I''m here, Nito!" He shouted.


    His second attempt was met with another hair-raising silence. His mind immediately spawned hundreds of dark scenarios, all involving killing, jail, interrogation, contempt, torture and a man with a white wig.


    Wander stared at the now empty ruins. He took several steps forward, then stopped and sat down with his legs crossed, his fingers interwoven. He waited in the withering hope  that Nito would appear and tell him " let''s go".  It took him an hour to finally accept that the Exsomnis had abandoned him, leaving him with his demonized body ready to be discovered at any given moment.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    There was no anger, no fear, no confusion. Nothingness overwhelmed Wander, temporarily sucking his soul of his body, leaving behind an empty shell lying on the stony ground. He imagined himself blending with the surrounding, forever remaining in Mirilad forgotten by everyone. He thought it would be better.


    "And to think I was so afraid of leaving New York."


    Wander laughed at how silly he was, at how meaningless his anxiety turned out to be. He understood now why Nito made him stick to sword training. The Exsomnis ( he wondered if that name was even real) must have planned to not teach him anything worthwhile from the beginning. He was hiding things from Wander.


    "Maybe I should leave this city on my own."


    Wander sighed. He wanted to give up.


    " Take me away," he whispered.


    The whole place was abruptly swallowed by darkness. Wander heard a huge clash; then light streamed into the ruin with its ceiling broken into hundreds of pieces. An unknown creature spread its wings wide, casting a gigantic shadow on the ground before turning the wings invisible. It swooped down on Wander like an arrow and he barely invaded its charge. He pulled out his knife but it was faster, piercing his shoulder with one of its feather. It proceeded to pin him to the ground, its claws attached to his body. Wander screamed out in pain, shaking off its grip in vain. The creature took off and charged at the sky at a frightening speed.


    It was a feeling Wander hated the most: being in the air, without nothing to hold on to. Mirilad looked like a sea of colors from above, a sea of green, orange, red and brown, a hideous chaos . Wander prefered looking at it with his feet on something firm.


    "I need to get back to the ground. I can break free. But if I fall from this height, it can catch me again."


    Wander knew victory would be certain once he brought the battlefield off the air. He scribed his runes all over Mirilad, and he perfectly memorized their locations. Recently he had doubts about his memory, but he knew he remembered enough to defeat the beast. He just had to land on the ground, and the rest would be done.


    "It could have killed me. It did not." Wander looked up at the beast.


    Wander activated his Demon Form.. His body flared up, and he knew the amount of oxygen his body needed to keep functioning just went up- the price that came with enhanced physical prowess. As the creature flew higher, the lack of oxygen struck Wander, and he began to gasp for breath, his demon form phasing in and out. The creature noticed, and began to descend. Wander feigned being unconscious, and just as he wanted, the grip of the beast loosened.


    Wander wasted no time, freeing his arm from its grip, piercing the beast''s body with all the force he could muster. He  rummaged its inside, crushed an unidentifiable organ, causing it to completely let go of him. He fell, facing upwards, blood of the beast on his hand.


    "Now, " Wander used his fingers to scribed runes on his hand." Push!"


    The runes propelled his body towards the ground. Wander screamed "push" repeatedly, causing the runes to burn into his hand. The beast, after seconds of self-pity, returned to the chase, charging at him, shrieking like there was no tomorrow. Wander got hold of a branch, swung forward, sunk his claws into a trunk, dropped to the ground, then ran northward. He could only hoped that no hunter felt his Demex. He felt relieved that he was in Mirilad, where no one was.


    " Let''s see if you can win in my territory.'' Wander said.


    The creature''s oversized body rendered it unable to move as swiftly as before with all the trees blocking its vision. Still, its body was disgustingly flexible, slithering in a manner of a snake through barriers of redwoods and pines. Wander knew it would catch up to him in no time. He turned to face it with a smirk, taunting the creature. It accelerated, eyes glaring.


    "Push!" Wander shouted as loud as possible.


    An array of spike burst through the ground and impaled the creature from head to tail. The attack was quick and decisive, leaving the creature no time to even realize what hit it. Wander watched as his enemy trembled then dropped dead in seconds.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander had no intention of staying and gazing at the carcass of the monstrosity. He failed to deactivate his demon form and had no choice but to venture deeper into the forest. He wondered what would happen to him now. He considered leaving New York on his own. He had $ 103 with him and that could help him stay fed at most a month. He recalled the article about how to make a hut out of card boxes and smiled. At that moment, his eyes met Hiatus''.


    Wander had never acted so much by instinct as he did at that exact moment. He immediately turned away from his best friend and ran as fast as possible away from him. The fear he experienced was even greater than when the mysterious beast chased him. The surroundings became fuzzy and he could not hear anything but the approaching steps of Hiatus behind him. He wondered how his friends could catch up to him at this speed.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.            Wander could hear a whoosh. He knew Hiatus had taken his weapon out and was going to attack him. He looked back and realized it was not only Hiatus. The beast, having made a complete recovery, was charging in his direction.


    "Hiatus!" Wander yelled.


    No coherent sound was coming out of his mouth, only a roar that sounded like a threat. The sound pushed Hiatus back, staggering him a bit. Wander intended to approach his friend to save him but realized how it would look like in the eyes of Hiatus. He decided that he could only run, letting Hiatus follow him and with luck he could turn his attention to the beast.


    " Please, look back, look back, Hiatus"- the thought overflowed his mind. He heard another whoosh, and  his shoulder was pierced by a knife. The force was such that the wound seemed to cause his shoulder to explode. The scenery blurred as Wander tripped, falling to the ground. He could feel his blood flowing out of the wound. He could hear footsteps. Then it all faded.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    "Wake up, Wander."


    Wander opened his eyes. The blue sky was the first thing he saw. He tried to move his body; the grass rustled under him. Wander realized his back functioned just fine. He had expected to be incapable of moving after being hit by Hiatus''s devastating attack. He looked around and noticed Maria sitting a few steps away from him, reading a book.


    " Maria." Wander called out.


    The girl looked up from the book. She stood up, walking towards him with a nonchalant expression.


    " Can you stand up on your own?" asked she.


    Wander nodded. He effortlessly rose on his feet.


    " Are we still in Mirilad?" Wander observed the surroundings" Oh, this is where we met."


    " Yes. Do you need some ice?


    " No no, I''m good" Wander instinctively denied.


    Wander recalled what happened earlier. He remember the beast chasing him and Hiatus.


    " Hiatus!"He panicked."Where is he?""


    " The boy chasing you? He''s okay. I saw hunters and summoners take him out of the forest."


    " I see," Wander sighed in relief" I was worried the beast got to him. You saved us both. Thank you."


    Wander realized that Maria must have seen his blood. She must have discovered that he was a demon for sure. He feared her composure.


    " So you know?" he asked, scratching his neck.


    " Know what?" Maria raised her eyebrows.


    " Well, you know, about me" Wander avoided her stare


    " Oh, your blood. Of course I know. I treated your wound. That is an abnormal case of blood infection."


    " No, that is not blood infection! I am...a demon." Wander knew he should not talk about Exsomnis.


    "A demon?" Maria frowned. "You are not. Your blood does not react to my thermal type-3 spell. You know, the spell used in protection layer to keep out demons? Yours is immune to it. Mostly."


    Wander once more was surprised by Maria. Normally people would have drawn the falsely obvious conclusion the moment they saw green blood.


    " So at first did you think I was one?"


    " Of course. Your blood is as green as it can gets. I''m not buying that story about drinking too much Pepco making your blood change color."


    " Thank you for not killing me immediately then. A hunter would have decapitated me the moment they saw the blood. Still, how could you be so calm? You were not afraid that I might wake up and hurt you while you tested my blood?"


    " I knew you would not do that." Maria smiled." You are a nice guy. Well, to me at least. Besides, it''s not like you are able to hurt me in any way."


    " Yeah, you have all that water spear thingy."


    A breeze made the trees and grasses rustle. The sound reminded Wander of the mysterious monster he encountered a few hours ago.


    " The beast. Did you see it?" Wander asked.


    " I did. It was closing in on you and Hiatus. That thing is monstrous. Did you see its body? All those elongated limbs."


    " What happened to it?"


    " Well, I tried to knock it out with a spell. It escaped, though. Ah, say sorry to Hiatus for me, I might have caught him in the spell too."


    " Thank god it did not turn on you. That thing is unbelievably powerful."


    " Enough of that. I want to ask more about your blood infection. How did you get it?"


    Wander swallowed hard. "My Demex, did you feel it? I''m sure that was not a blood infection."


    " Your Demex? Oh, yeah, um, I felt it. Sure." Maria frowned.


    " Then you must know it''s not a blood infection."


    " Why are you convincing me it''s not an infection? No, why are you convincing me that you are a demon? Normally shouldn''t it be the opposite? Or demonization is the new thing now?"


    Wander''s heartbeat accelerated. He had the impression that he should be careful around Maria than around any demon. The impression perhaps came too late.


    " I just want you to be careful around me. The demon within me may rise and hurt you, you know?" He shrugged.


    Maria burst out laughing.


    " Are you trying to be heroic now? You''re not that type. Poor little Jonathan may agree with me."


    Wander frowned." It happened 6 years ago. I was just a child back then. Children do stupid things."


    " Boy, what you did back then was by no means stupid. It was clever, or should I say manipulative. I had the honor of hearing it from your victim."


    " You talked to Jonathan?" Wander''s eyes widened.


    " Yes. Do you want me to tell you what you did back then?" Maria smiled.


    " No. I don''t think I want to know. Not now."


    " Too bad." Maria shrugged." The amount of trash talk behind your back is overwhelming. It makes me wonder if I have been talking to the true Wander."


    Wander''s face twisted into a grimace. He clenched his fists.


    " You believe the trash talk, then?"


    " You did admit you did something to Jonathan. There is no reason for me to not believe the stories of others."


    " Well, I can''t blame you." Wander turned away from Maria. "Anyhow, thank you, again. I''m going home."


    " Are you being angry with me?"


    " No. I just need to be alone. Too many things happened today." Wander was too tired to being angry with anyone.


    " See you later then."


    Wander waved at Maria without looking back. He wanted to leave Mirilad as quickly as possible.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander climbed into his room through the window. Nothing changed. The room had been left undisturbed since his failed escape 3 hours ago. He did not know what to make of it. He did not know whether he should be sad or happy.


    He lied down on his bed, wondering if his blood had been discovered yet. Only now did he realize Maria had wiped all the blood off his body, and even his clothing.


    " Maybe tonight the Council will charge into my room and put an end to me."


    Wander smiled at the scenario. To him, it did not sound so bad. He had ruined his every chance of thriving in this world by turning into a demon. The hunters would not believe in the story of Exsomnis. They would just treat him like a monster and put him down the moment they saw his blood. He thought of Maria- the only one until now that treated him the same despite her knowledge of his blood.


    " She still thinks it''s just a blood infection, though. I wonder if she will buy that Exsomnis story. Anyways, she can be considered an ally."


    He thought of Nito, the one who set him down this path. He wondered if Nito abandoned him, or he was eaten by the beast. He did not know which possibility to root for.


    " Maybe all this Exsomnis things are just a farce."


    Wander got up and sat down at the desk. He stared at the letter he left behind. It seemed so out-of-place and ridiculous now. He folded it in half and put it in his pocket. He opened one of his note book. He looked at his bed and asked himself whether he should go back there and cried himself to sleep. It would certainly feel nice.


    With a bitter smile, he put pen to paper and wrote. It was time for another future plan.

 Chapter 26: Awakening

    " Wake up, Wander."


    A strange voice disrupted Wander''s sleep. For a moment, he thought the voice was from his dream and tried to ignore it. He closed his eyes to bring himself back to sleep.


    " Open your eyes, idiot. I''m talking to you. It will take just a few minutes"


    Wander fell off his bed in panic. He realized the voice was coming from his head.


    "Who are you?"He asked, knocking on his head.


    "It won''t work, silly. Don''t talk out loud. Just think, it''s enough"


    "Okay, I''m thinking. Who are you?"


    "If you like, you can call me Doom Mark, like those before you did. "


    " That''s not terrifying at all. Those before me? You mean the other Exsomnises?"


    " Who else? Seriously, I have never awakened this late. Usually it would take just 1 week, at most 2 weeks. For you it took a month"


    Wander remembered Nito had warn him about this. He felt sick that he had to deal with this problem without Nito''s help.


    " You must be the annoying friend Nito mentioned. What exactly are you and why are you talking in my head? And how did you even get there? More..."


    " Slow down, brainiac! You are overwhelming me with those thoughts. Okay, let''s me explain. You can say that I''m your personal tour guide- here to make your Exsomnis experience as pleasant as possible, and as least deadly as possible."


    " Where do you come from?"


    " The medal, you see, it''s like a server. All Exsomnis is connected to it, across time and space."


    " So I can talk to people from the past?"


    " No, you can''t. They''re dead already. What remains is just a bunch of battle experience and jumbled...personalities. I am a manifestation of the server, created through combining the personalities and experiences of the previous Exsomnises"


    "I see. You are a mess of information."


    " Rude! I am an aggregation of information, you hear? Better be nice to me, or else I will mess you up with bad advices"


    "How great.Being a demon is bad enough, now I''m also schizophrenic. Can I get rid of you? You must be why I am forgetting things!"


    "Hold your horse there, Herr Shlock. I have nothing to do with your amnesia. You heard Nito? He suffers no such thing even though I''m in his head, too. Well, another me."


    "You are in the head of each and every Exsomnis? I see, an effective way to pass on knowledge and power. The Exsomnis cannot have offsprings, so another way to pass down genetic information You are the language of us Exsomnis."


    " You graps things fast, eh? Nerd alert."


    " Can I hurt you by overwhelming you with a stream of thoughts?"


    " Uhm...no. Wow wow! Stop! Darn you. Yes, you can! You can hurt me!"


    " You will be a good toy. I can hurt you while I''m bored"


    " I know if you''re joking or not, you know?"


    "Just want to test if you can read my subliminal thoughts. Seemingly you can"


    " Stop with all the hypotheses. They''re hurting me. You know what, I''m turning myself off. I just want to let you know about me. Now that''s done, goodbye. I''m going to sleep."


    " Wait, what, you can sleep? Doom Mark? Hey?"


    Wander could hear a buzz, then Doom Mark could no longer be heard. He knocked his head for several times. Seeing that his new friend had no intention of waking up, he climbed back into his bed. It irked him that Doom Mark''s existance did not bother or frighten him much. Shortly after, he fell back to his sleep.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Next morning, Wander returned to the ruin in hope that Nito would be there waiting for him with an apology. As he expected, no one was present. The ruin had reclaimed the silence that Nito once broke. He left the place with something stuck in his throat.


    Wander decided to visit Maria when he heard the waves again. It was the second time he caught her filtering the pond. This time she did so while reading a book.


    " So you''re really not mad at me" said she without looking up, smiling.


    " I have no such intention. What are you reading?" Wander asked


    " The Art of Mind-Bending"


    " Haruki version?"


    "Yes."


    Wander stared at the girl. He liked her when she was like this, with her half-closed eyes, her chin against her fingers, her lips curved into the faintest smile. He always found her presence tranquil, blending in with the scenery; as if she was just  another stroke of brush on a painting filled with vivid colors and shapes.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.            "I like your existence, Maria." Wander blurted out.


    She looked up at him, eyebrows raised.


    "Did I just say that out loud?" he said, closing his eyes.


    "Yes, you did," she smirked " Don''t apologize. It''s been a while since I heard a compliment. A refreshing one, even rarer"


    "I had no such intention," Wander smiled " I don''t apologize for speaking the truth"


    Maria stood up. She walked to Wander and looked him into the eyes.


    "You  make me curious. I can''t see you through," she pushed the book''s spine against his chest. " I hurt you back there with what I said. I will let myself believe that this is the real you and take the risk of trusting you."


    Wander could see the sun reflected upon Maria''s eyes. He fancied himself thinking it was a sign the star was validating her remark. Her irises seemed to change color.


    "Now, about your blood infection." Maria turned away from him.


    "Maria," Wander clenched his fists " I turned. I am not a demon, but I am similar to them. Biologically. It''s really not a blood infection."


    Wander held back his breath. He stared at Maria''s back, guessing her expression. He glanced at the pond, fidgeting.


    "You are one of them."Maria said without looking back.


    "What?" Wander''s heart sank.


    "No, my mistake. You''re not. Can you tell me how you turned?"


    Wander hesitated. He wanted to keep the existence of Exsomnis a secret. However, with the disappearance of Nito, Maria might be the only one that could help him. Keeping her in the dark could work against him.


    "Wander, don''t do it. Don''t tell her. If you tell her, you will put our whole species in danger." the voice of Doom Mark echoed in his head


    "I need to survive. She may be the only one that can help me."


    "Help you? You''ve known her for a month only right? Do you think she will risk herself helping a demonic being? Would you if you were her?"


    Wander''s mouth went dry.


    "Wander, can you?" Maria asked


    "I''m sorry. I can''t."


    "It''s okay.  Self-revelation is a choice. Don''t be sorry about that," Maria stopped the filtering work " Now, if I were you, I would get out this city as soon as possible. You have any plan for your escape?"


    " I do. Not a good one though. I''m leaving here right after I say goodbye to Hiatus and Aria. Maybe spend one last day at school" Wander shrugged                    .


    "You leave before me then. I''m still investigating my twin."


    Wander was about to leave when he remembered what Maria said just a minute ago.


    "You said I was one of them. Who were you referring to?"


    "The Singulus Digiti"


    "They are not demonic. How can I-"


    "I know, that''s why I said my mistake."


    "Why did you even think I was one of them in the first place?"


    Maria looked back at Wander.


    "Revelation is a choice." She smiled.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander was on his way back home when Doom Mark struck another conversation with him.


    " Going back to school? Are you a fool? Why don''t you show your friends your blood while you''re at it?"


    " It''ll be fine. I will be careful. Besides, with my instinct, I can evade attack."


    " One slip-up and you are dead meat. Avoid conflict, you hear?"


    " Geez, why so up-tight? I just want to see my friends before I leave. I miss them. It''s not like I''m going there for a fight."


    " The fight will come for you."


    " Like that''s gonna happen. Don''t worry, it will be fine. No one will find out. I''m sure of it."

 Chapter 27: The true departure

    "Maria?" Wander murmured, noticing Maria was standing next to him.


    " You have finally awakened, my demon prince." The girl said, smirking.


    Memories flashed through Wander''s head. He remembered playing cat and mouse with some classmates, then that thing got him again. The image of the beast made him shudder. It would not give up no matter what.


    " I got saved again. This can become an embarrassing habit."  Wander stood up, wincing at the pain on his shoulder as he did.


    He looked in the direction of his school and noticed the overwhelming Demex. Now that his body was similar to that of a demon rather than a hunter, the demonic miasma did not hold true to what he read in the book. It did not give him a chilling, paralyzing cold, but rather a whispering sound that pleased the ears. He unconsciously walked towards his school.


    "The Demex is not in that direction," said Maria."It''s from Swordgrave."


    "We must go there. The demons must be attacking the city."


    "No, we will leave New York immediately."


    "We can''t abandon Aria and Hiatus!" Wander raised his voice.


    "The Demex does not belong to the demons, Wander. It''s from a machine. A contraption capable of generating Demex"


    "How do you know?"


    "I put it there." Maria said nonchalantly.


    Wander stared at the girl with eyes wide open.


    "Why did do you that? Didn''t you think of all the panic it can cause? An  Demex of that degree can knock most of the hunters out cold!"


    Maria lifted herself off the ground. She hovered mid-air for a while, long enough to observe the city whole.


    "It seems my plan works well enough." She said, landing next to Wander."The city is in a relatively peaceful state."


    Wander frowned. Even from here he could hear the helicopters, the sirens and the screams." Your definition of "peaceful" is skewed."


    "Oh look, our friend is back." Maria pointed at the sky.


    Wander looked up as an earsplitting shriek enveloped the sky. He knew what to expect. The beast that chased him two times in the forest spread wide its eight wings and shot down its steel hard feathers. Maria raised the ground and shielded Wander and herself from the projectiles.


    " That thing is fast," said Maria "and annoying. Be prepared, the trip will be a little rocking."


    Maria trapped Wander and herself in a globe made out of rock, then covered it with layer of ice. Before Wander could grasp the situation, she shot the globe across the forest at a terrifying speed. Wander could still hear the cry of the beast above the sky and the sound of feathers stabbing the ground.


    " How are you driving this thing?" Wander shouted."Can I help?"


    "Be quiet. I''m trying to focus" Maria shouted back " It''s arcane magic. You can''t use it anyways."


    " Actually, I can. Now."


    " What? Why didn''t you- Wow, so close!" Maria turned the globe to the right-" Why didn''t you say so in the first place? Okay, put your hands on the globe. Done? I''m connecting you to it."


    Wander could feel his hand sink into the globe a little. Electric currents ran through his fingertips into his body. A blinding light similar to the flash light of a camera struck Wander; before long, he felt connected to the forest. His feet become tangled with  the roots in the forest through an invisible thread.


    " What the- It''s like I am the earth!"


    " You can sense the trees'' root now, right? Evade them all. Give me a minute"


    Maria closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against one another. She whispered strange words that Wander could not understand. He shifted his focus back to controlling the globe.


    It was a bizarre sensation for Wander. He had become the globe itself. He could sense the boy that was driving it, as if he were not him but an entirely different being watching Wander. It was the feeling of staring into the mirror and realized you were the reflection.


    The feathers of the beast hit the globe , inducing a tingling pain all over Wander''s body.  The pain was minimal but before long Wander realized it could drive him insane. It turned into itches, itches that Wander could not scratch. Wander bit his lips to suppress the maddening itch, losing his grip on the globe. Its movement turned volatile, and the forest became a ping-pong game.


    " Wander, lend me your body." said Doom Mark


    " Silent, Doom. I''m trying to focus."


    " I can endure the pain for you. If this goes on you will completely lose control!"


    " Then just take it already!"


    Wander heard a bang in his head. Another flash appeared before his eyes. He watched his body turn black, heard the cracking sound of his skin falling off and smelled the bitter smoke. Apart from the three senses, he could no longer feel anything. He had taken the backseat of his own body.


    " This is freaking weird. I have never been one with nature and now I can be sure I have no regret about it," said Doom Mark.


    " You''re saying? In one day I''ve experienced becoming happy trees and a mere thought in my own body. Urg, this better be the last time for both of these things."


    " Ouch! That chicken is shooting laser beam now? Will it transform next?"


    " Don''t jinx it. Drive!"


    The explosion made the globe shake even more. It was now no more than a ball being kicked across the field. Cracks appeared on its wall and got wider by seconds.


    " The ball is breaking!" Doom Mark shouted.


    A lustrous orb manifesting between Maria''s hands. She opened them and the orb flared up, engulfing the whole globe and painting the surroundings with white. A loud thud sound ensued as the ball fell to the ground, broken into pieces.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.______________________________________________________________________________


    Through the eyes of his own body, Wander  saw a forest with nothing like Mirilad. He doubted if he could call the vegetation here tree. Their height was no less than that of a normal redwood or pine back at Mirilad but their shape and structure were foreign: A few of them had a huge spiky part at the top that resembled a blooming lotus; others developed red flag-shape leaves while some looked like a multitude of hands enveloping each other.


    " It''s getting freakier every minute." said Doom Mark


    " Can you give me back my body now? I''m not used to being an electric current of the brain."


    " Wander, I''m sorry but I can''t return this body to you."


    " Make it more convincing next time. Come on, Doomy, don''t waste my time."


    " Tch, you are no fun. I''m leaving you."


    Wander saw flashes and heard a buzzing sound resonating. A minute later, he was still just a mere thought and did not regain the control of his body.


    " Doom Mark, this is not funny."


    " Wander." Doom Mark said with a grave voice.


    "What?" Wander asked in a threatening tone.


    " Uhm, something''s off. I can''t go back inside."


    " Bull!" Wander yelled." Okay, first, deactivate the demon form, you are exuding Demex like there is no tomorrow."


    "Is everything okay?" asked Maria as she finished concealing the broken globe.


    Doom Mark turned to her, at a loss for an appropriate reply.


    " I cannot turn off this thing! What is wrong with your body? How to turn off the mode?"


    " For God''s sake, tell her, tell Maria you can''t turn it off!"


    " Maria" Doom Mark said " I cannot turn off my demon form."


    Maria stared at him like he was a monkey scratching his flea-ridden fur. She raised her eyebrows, pouting , clicking her tongue.


    " This is purely stupid. A joke has its limit you know."


    " I am not joking! I really cannot turn this thing off!" Doom Mark shouted.


    " What do you mean you cannot turn it off?" Maria frowned " You have been doing it since forever right?"


    " Darn it! I just can''t."


    Their conversation was cut off  as the three heard a series of cling clang resonating in the air. They immediately realized it was the sound of swords clashing against their scabbards. The hunters had caught on to the trace of Wander.


    Maria glanced at Doom Mark, then squinted at the approaching shadows of the hunters.


    "Carry me." she said " We''re heading South."


    "Don''t question her, Doom Mark. Just do it." Wander said.


    Doom Mark nodded, taking Maria into his arms. She pointed at an overgrown field looming miles away.


    " That direction. Run as fast as you can."


    " What about them?" said Doom Mark as he began to run.


    Maria stretched her arm towards the hunters. The ground under their feet began to quake, throwing them off balance. The vegetation around them developed at an abnormal rate, trapping them in a circle of grasses, flowers, roots and leaves. The overgrown flora swiftly spread across the forest, turning into a natural labyrinth


    " I thought you were good at water type of magic, not earth type." said Doom Mark.


    " I''m best at water type and very good at almost anything else."


    " Show-off."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    On their path to the field, the hunters kept emerging and attempted to hinder their advance. Maria had no trouble holding them at bay, creating mazes even more convoluted than the first one. The hunters could only catch a glimpse of Doom Mark and her before getting blocked by the plants they were used to stepping on.


    "At this rate nothing can harm us," said Doom Mark.


    Maria did not reply.


    "She is too powerful even by Exsomnis'' standard," said Doom Mark to Wander " I cannot gauge the power of a non-demonic being, but she is not below titanium level."


    " How about that thing back at Mirilad?" asked Wander.


    " I don''t know. We''ve never really fought it head-on. Still the rate at which it recovered from its wounds is frightening."


    " Recover? That thing straight-up came back to life. Nothing recovers from having its head impaled or half its torso blasted away."


    " Hey, is it me or they have stopped chasing us?"


    Doom Mark looked around so Wander could observe the surroundings. There was no  sign of the hunters: no more the sound of metal clashing against each other, no  more the sound of people running in haste, no more the sound of people swearing or cussing.


    " Hah, they''re afraid. Good job Maria!" said Doom Mark.


    " They do not fear us," replied the girl."They fear what dominates the field."


    Doom Mark frowned as he charged into the fynbos-overrun field. He immediately became aware of the rise in temperature. The rise was sudden and sharp, rendering him even more cautious.


    <hr />


    Till now, can you picture the true events that have been transpiring since the beginning? A glimpse of it?

 Chapter 28: A clash of masters

    Even with the enhanced endurance of an Exsomnis, Wander''s body still suffered from the heat: it pumped out so much sweats that both Wander and Doom Mark felt their consciousness fade and their vision blurred at times. They looked at Maria, who was nonchalantly inspecting the area. Her body was as cool as ice, leading them to believe she was the only reason they had not passed out right away.


    " How can you not faint yet?" asked Doom Mark.


    " Don''t talk. It will dry your mouth and throat."


    Doom Mark closed his mouth quickly. He kept running forward, sometimes turning left or right as Maria told him to. The heat became more of a nightmare as they advanced. Maria''s body emitted cool air, enabling Doom Mark to stay on his feet. The fynbos started to rustle, as if they were asking each other why the strangers had not  blacked out yet. The rustling sound became louder and louder until Maria, Doom Mark and Wander reached an area where the plants were dwarf and frail, only half as tall as the others.


    " Put me down ," said Maria " stand close to me. Things are about to heat up."


    Doom Mark released her. The girl stood still for a brief period, seemingly absorbing the air around her. She stretched her arms forward with her hands opened, then slowly closed them using much more force than a normal person would. Without warning, she made a violent gesture as if she was ripping a piece of paper.


    The space itself shattered as if it was made of glass. A rumbling noise burst out; gales engulfed the field, making all the fynbos stoop to the ground. Wander and Doom Mark was awestruck at the crack in the air that was slowly becoming more apparent. Amidst the supposed emptiness, a cave entrance appeared, like a hidden lines of texts only manifested when hovering on fire.


    " Brace yourself. The firestorm is coming," Maria said.


    The cave entrance sucked in all the wind, screaming out a scorching flame like a dragon. Maria stood still, unfazed. A transparent shield kept her safe from the attack, constantly cooling off the heat. The attack stopped after a minute. The heat, however, did not. It got to the point where the scenery turned all hazy under the high temperature. A huge creature emerged from the entrance.


    Wander instantly felt intimidated when he saw the creature. It was nearly 9 feet tall, covered in fire with the legs of a lion, only more muscular. Its arms were the size of a tree trunk; one swing seemed to be enough to break all the bones in a fully grown hunter''s body.


    " What is that thing, Maria?" asked Doom Mark, frowning.


    " The legendary familiar, Ignitus," Maria answered.


    " We are officially doomed," said Wander.


    " That wasn''t pun intended, was it?," said Doom Mark .


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Ignitus charged at the intruders like a rocket. He left behind a trail of fire that quickly engulfed the surroundings. His advance was met with the indifferent attitude of the intruders  he deemed insolent enough to break into his home.  The strange girl looked at him with empty eyes while the demon behind her trusted her enough to remain calm.


    He leapt off the ground , swinging his arms up, ready to slam them down at his enemies. Right at the moment his arms moved up, the girl shot a blue beam at him. The attack caught him by surprise, disrupting the flow of his movement. Nonetheless, he quickly got over the surprise; his body instinctively curled up into a sphere that deflected the beam.  He plunged himself at the duo.


    Ignitus  had never been in doubt of this attack. He invented it 380 years ago, just before Samundo''s resurrection. Since then, he had laid waste to thousands of demons, destroyed hundreds of building and ended the lives of 4 demonized hunters. The sphere was a constant stream of fire propelling itself forward with increasing momentum. Its force increased by seconds, putting relentless pressure on its enemies. Ignitus could sustain this form for 10 minutes; most of his opponents surrender in seconds, the strongest in 5 minutes. An attack created for pure destruction.


    The girl, to his surprise, did not flinch at the threat coming at her. She stood with confidence, hands behind her back.


    " Such arrogance will cost you your life," thought Ignitus " no shield can save you."


    Ignitus'' body slammed against his opponent''s shield. He had expected to break it in mere seconds. The clash, indeed, only lasted less than two second. However, it was not because his attack had broken it,  but rather he felt something was off about it. For a fraction of second, his momentum seemed to diminish. At first he thought it was his imagination; it took him the next second to confirm that the sphere did slow down. He immediately bounced back from the shield. He relinquished the idea of a direct attack, circling the two intruders, trapping them in a circle of fire. He closed in on them, intending to remove their source of oxygen. However, the shield had increased tenfold in size, preventing him from approaching the two.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.            " Let''s make this a battle of endurance then," he thought " either she runs out of energy, or I do."


    Ignitus charged at the shield with no hesitance. He did not believe his pool of energy could be inferior to that of a young girl. The clash between his body and the shield emitted an increasingly loud buzz. The fire from his body burned everything around him except for the shield.


    Ignitus realized his body began to suffer fatigue. His muscles were aching. His breath grew short.


    " Impossible. It hasn''t even been 5 minutes," he thought.


    The decreasing momentum had become so apparent that he could feel its detrimental effects rising by the second. His body seemed to gain hundreds of kilogram as time passed, a phenomenon he had never encountered before. Contrary to his state, the shield showed no sign of breaking down. He could never have imagined the battle would end with him on the losing side.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Doom Mark and Wander could not believe the sight in front of their eyes. Just minutes ago, the fire sphere charging at them, albeit huge, was only the size of a four-seat car. Now, it had grown to the size of a container truck. It was no longer a fire sphere but rather a mini sun covered in a strange substance that  multiplied as the fire increased in intensity. They watched the sphere, expecting it to detonate any second and set everything on fire. To their relief, it slowly shrank to the size of a bus, then a car; finally, Ignitus could be seen again, covered in the substance, glaring at them. He staggered; the fire on his body melted like water. Before long, a man was standing in his place.


    Maria stepped towards him. Ignitus was much taller than her, so she positioned herself at a distance that did not force her to look up to observe his facial expression.


    " Good afternoon, High Ignitus," said she. "Pardon our intrusion. We hold no ill-will towards you, King of the South."


    " I find it hard to believe, considering one of you is a demon and you ripped apart my Halcyon," Ignitus glared at her.


    " My apology. I had to do it for my friend''s sake," said Maria. " Normally, I would have let your spell make me unconscious. I know you use this spell to check whether those intruding Vuur can be allowed to advance. However, with him, things get complicated. I''m quite sure you would kill us both, or at least, him, had I not destroyed your Halcyon to have a direct confrontation with you."


    " Yes, I would certainly do that. Give me a reason to give up that intention."


    " He is not a demon, High Ignitus."


    The familiar glanced at Doom Mark then burst out laughing.


    " That thing is exuding Demex like crazy. Did you really think I would buy your lie?"


    " Wander, your blood."


    Wander knew what his friend was going to do. He told Doom Mark to acquiesce to her request. The being made a small cut on Wander''s finger, letting his blood drip out.


    Ignitus''s face twisted into a grimace of disgust as he saw the green liquid. Maria, on the other hand, let the blood fall on her hand without flinching. She whispered an incantation. Her fingertip illuminated as she touched the blood. Nothing happened.


    "Type 3 thermal. No reaction," Ignitus frowned. " Little demon, come here."


    Ignitus  grabbed Wander''s shoulders, lifting him off the ground and staring into his eyes.


    "Mr. Fire Pikachu is making me uncomfortable," said Doom Mark to Wander.


    "Let''s hope his hands do not wander," Wander said.


    "Stop, you are making me even more uncomfortable."


    After a while, Ignitus let Doom Mark down. He scratched his chin." This is bizarre. If he''s not a demon, what is he?"


    " I''m a demon hunter." said Doom Mark.


    " Deactivate this form then."


    " Well, I can''t." Doom Mark fidgeted.


    Maria sighed. She put her hand on his head." I think you better sleep for a while."


    <hr />


    Sorry for the late update! Dear readers, I want to ask: Who is your favorite characters thus far?

 Chapter 29: Left behind

    Wander regained his consciousness upon hearing the whispers of his friend and Ignitus. He felt somewhat disconnected from his body, as if his mind was a liquid yet to fill up the shell. Turning his head, he saw Maria sitting with her back against him. Ignitus was leaning on the wall, arms crossed, frowning. " Fulish will not be happy about this. We promised not to reveal each other''s location." He said.


    " Is that promise bound by a blood contract?" asked Maria.


    Ignitus shook his head.


    " Then you can break it."


    " It''s not a matter of where I can break it or not. I don''t want to break it. I promised that child."


    " I see."


    The room fell into silence with the only source of sound being the crackling fire from the hearth, whose light danced on the walls. Wander sank into the softness of the bed; the cozy atmosphere induced a drowsiness feeling in him. He wished one of them would say something. His wish was answered by Ignitus. " How old are you? No sixteen-year-old girl can fight like that."


    " I''m more than a century old. Don''t ask for a specific number. It''s rude to ask an old lady her age," she said then chuckled.


    " Strange. I have never seen or heard of you. You are too powerful to remain undetected."


    " It''s easier than you think."


    Ignitus frowned."Anyhow, why do you want to find Fulish?"


    " He''s keeping something of mine. I need to take it back."


    " He stole it from you?"


    " Someone stole it from me then gave it to him. I need that thing back to discover the thief."


    " What is that thing, actually?"


    " I cannot reveal that piece of information. Its name alone is too dangerous to be said."


    " So Fulish is keeping something of that caliber and all along other familiars knew nothing about it. That child is still good at hiding stuffs from his comrades."


    " I don''t suppose he knows what that thing is. Let''s just say in the eyes of strangers that item is nothing special. But who knows, he may have already figured out how to use it and is planning to show his new power during the crowning ceremony of the next Eternalia Regis."


    Ignitus walked towards the hearth, his arms crossed behind his back. His large build overshadowed the fire. " Only less than two years left for me to choose someone," his voice turned soft." I''m really tired of that title. Fulish, Kaze, Aniu, and others, we have grown distant because of that Eternalia Regis stuff. Those guys have a cult for themselves now, while this old man becomes a recluse living amidst fynbos."


    " This place is not so bad, you know? I mean, it''s cozy, and warm, and homely," Maria said with an upbeat voice." What''s so bad about living alone?"


    " I''m the socially needy type. I crave connection. Living on my own does not help."


    " Then why don''t  you leave?"


    " I just...can''t quite fit in with the world now."


    Maria stood up, moving to Ignitus'' side.


    " Let''s make a new promise then. You reveal to me Fulish''s location, and I... give you the last volume of Until That Day."


    Ignitus turned his head at Maria, his eyes widening, his mouth half-open. Wander could feel how hard he tried to utter a reply.


    " How? But..."


    " Every question is irrelevant. I just want to give you the last volume. And to be honest, even if you refuse, I will still leave the book with you. Just to make life seem fairer, perhaps you will partake in this exchange?


    Maria glanced at Ignitus. The fire reflected upon her eyes.


    " Yes, I will." Ignitus answered with a slight nod.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    When Wander and Maria left the cave, the moon was still shining. The field had returned to its usual calmness, and the heat was no more. Vuur successfully transformed into an idyllic picnic site instead of a hellfire on earth.


    Maria observed the surrounding. Her hands illuminated. "Can you dispel your Halcyon for a minute? It''s troublesome to cross space when it is twisted." She said.


    Ignitus nodded at her. He raised his hands, clenched his fists; the spell layer disintegrated quietly.


    "Time to go, Wander."


    Wander turned to Ignitus. "Thank you for not killing me. It''s been super cool to meet a legend." He said. "And what a nice field you have!"


    " Well, good fertilizer can do anything," Ignitus smirked."Little demon,  I''ve not let you off the hook yet. We''ll meet again."


    Wander smiled and nodded at Ignitus. He ran towards Maria, looking back twice to see the melancholy face of the familiar.


    " Goodbye, old lady and little demon." Ignitus waved at the two.


    The light from Maria''s hands engulfed the two. " Goodbye," she whispered as the scenery faded to white. "Vuur."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander and Maria emerged in an alley, behind a dumpster. Wander winced at the putrid odor. He said, observing the surroundings. "I had expected you to land us in another forest."


    Maria did not reply. She lifted the impact lid, jerking her thumb at the dumpster. "Jump in."


    Wander stared at the girl with his eyes wide open. He sighed, climbing into the dumpster. With his eyes closed, he let himself fall into the pitch black bottom. Maria jumped after him.


    Contrary to his expectation, his body did not sink under layers of rotten vegetables, decomposing meat or questionable liquid.  He opened his eyes and saw light down below. He extended his arms towards it; to him that light was somehow mesmerizing. He glanced at Maria, and noticed she was looking at him. She smiled, pointed at the light. "Heaven," said she.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.            Wander shook his head. He knew too well what that is. The dumpster was a gate that led into a Halcyon. One that he might have never seen before. He had been to Nova Scotia before on a field trip with his schoolmates, and Washington also.  Those were the only Halcyons he visited aside from New York.


    Thinking about New York reminded him of the two friend he left back home. He had never missed Aria and Hiatus as much as he did now, which surprised him, considering he had been away from them for at most 3 hours.  They helped him escape, and even though the attempt was a failure, he still appreciated their loyalty. His heart sank as he thought of Hiatus'' and Aria'' faces when he revealed to them he was a demon, when he hid the truth from them.  He bit his lips, realizing he had left without saying anything to them, and one day he had to tell them the truth about Jonathan. What would they say, what would they do, what faces would they make, Wander kept wondering. Ten years of friendship, built upon thousands of truths and one big lie, one day might crash because of that one lie. Wander did not want to part from his two friends.


    The other side of the dumpster was an empty alley, except for a vending machine Maria and Wander walked out of.  Wander looked up and noticed this halcyon was limited in size. The layer was only 40 meters above his head. " Where are we?" He asked.


    " A hidden Halcyon. Earth Realm, San Francisco. Stick with me. This place is quite small; you may accidentally traverse the Halcyon and end up in Earth," said Maria.


    Wander nodded. As he walked by Maria''s side, he heard the sound of waves again.  He saw a dock just few meters  away from him. This time he was sure no one was filtering the water, since in front of him lied a port and the Pacific Ocean.


    The  port seemed to have been abandoned for years.  Rusted anchors leaned against dilapidated cabins. The wood planks under Wander''s feet had become the home for mosses. A musty smell perverted the air; rats gnawed on  pieces of junks lying around. No ship or boat was present.


    Wander glanced at Maria. She had regained the pensive look on her face. Only this time it had a tinge of sadness. Her downcast eyes was fixed on the surface of the ocean.


    Mustering his courage, Wander broke the silence. " You were not telling the truth back then, weren''t you?"


    Maria turned to look at him with the stares of a drowsy person. " What do you mean?"


    "You know, when you told him his place was cozy. To me, it indeed was. But you didn''t think so. "


    The girl closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh. She turned her face away from Wander. " How do you know?"


    "Intuition." Wander shrugged his shoulder.


    Wander could not tell the girl that when she was saying those words to Ignitus, he found her voice oddly familiar to that of Nito, the voice the Exsomnis was using when he promised to get Wander out of New York with him. Wander wondered if when people lied and made false promised, their tones converged. He wondered if he was using the same tone when he talked to Aria and Hiatus.


    " Maria," Wander clenched his fists." Please tell me what I did to Jonathan."


    " You banged your head against a rock, then blamed it all on him." Maria replied instantly.


    Wander stared at Maria with eyes wide open. He looked up, then down.  There was no inner screaming, aching remorse, vindictive glee, just emptiness swelling inside him.


    " It''s horrible that I did such a thing. But... I can''t feel anything. In my memory, I did not do it. Yet I know I did do it."


    Maria glanced at him. " It''s meaningless to say it''s horrible if you don''t really feel that way."


    " So I must have really pushed my sister down the stairs" Wander murmured.


    Maria frowned. " What is wrong with you, boy?"


    " I really don''t know."


    Wander looked up at the sky. Even though the Halcyon had blurred everything outside, he knew it still must be early. For the past hours, he had traveled past so many time zones that it had disorientated his sense of time. It felt like days had passed since he left New York.


    " What are we doing here?" he asked.


    " Waiting for our ride."


    " Can''t you just teleport us there?"


    " Hawaii is among the many territories that I have not marked. I can''t travel to a place I have not marked."


    " I was thinking you could pop up anywhere in the world."


    " Eastern Russia, Southern China, Southeast Asia, North Africa, Mexico, to name a few region I cannot travel to. Not to mention other realms."


    Wander scratched his head." Oh yeah, I think it''s time you explain to me why you activated that Demex machine back in New York."


    Maria''s answer was interrupted by the sound of water splitting in two, signaling the arrival of their ride. From beneath the ocean, a submarine emerged. Its length was that of 5 buses combined, its width the length of a container. On its side was the name, N.Y.L. Wander could tell the submarine he saw was only the tip of the vehicle. The rest of this thing must still be under the surface.


    The water in front of Maria and Wander froze, creating a path towards their ride. The hatch of the submarine was unlocked and a man in white blouse stepped out to greet the two.


    He nodded at the Maria and Wander, but  extending his hand only towards the former. " Welcome on board, lady Gwendolyn. Your room has been prepared." He said with a smile.


    " Good day. You must be new here. Nobody calls me lady anymore." Maria smiled.


    " My boss will kill me if I call you Maria, my lady."


    " She won''t know about it. Okay, we waste enough time here. Let''s head for Hawaii."


    " Right away, my lady. Please follow me, I will show you to your room."


    <hr />


    We are coming close to the end. Which will be a mess.

 Chapter 30: Marias suspicion

    " Investigation is still being carried out. However, at this rate, if the true culprits are not determined soon enough, Xixin''s Institution is most likely to become the battlefield for Hunters and Summoners  once again."


    Maria turned off the TV, lying down on her kingside bed with her arm on her forehead. She stared at the transparent ceiling with her half-closed eyes. " I miscalculated the power of the one pulling the strings."She said.


    Wander, sitting in a chair across from her bed, his feet on a table, put down the newspaper he was reading to look at her. "How?" He asked.


    " I had expected my machine would generate an Demex strong enough to knock out 99% of New York''s population. Both summoners and hunters."


    Wander frowned. " Why do you want to knock them out?"


    Maria closed her eyes. " A few days after we ran into those Summoners, I visited your school. I walked straight into it, without disguising myself. No one batted an eye, even the summoners. They really are under the strange impression that I''m one of them."


    " Did you find your long-lost twin then?"The golden wallpaper began to sting Wander''s eyes.


    " I wish I could say yes. It would have ridded my mind of the creepy conclusion that someone was using my face to execute their scheme. I knew immediately that it was no random they chose my face. It was actually impossible to choose it in the first place. I have no trace in this world. Well, not in form of pictures."


    Wander inhaled. He recalled that Maria was over 100 years old.


    " This person, or worse, these people, they know me, Wander. If you''re in my shoe, you will understand how eerie that possibility is. It''s like you have lived like a shadow all the time, and suddenly one day you wake up a celebrity without knowing how you get there. Every student from Hamilton School, and a lot from yours, recognize me. I talked to some of them. One particularly caught my attention. His name is Jake Malton."


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Xixin Howard Nate- born 1945, the charismatic co-leader of the Union Movement, the head of the External Affair sector within the Council, a former candidate for the High Chancellor position, the star of the Cold Decades.


    "And yet you want to be a principal till the end. Such extravagant resolution."


    Maria touch the cold brick wall surrounding the institution, feeling its rough texture. Thanks to the energetic atmosphere exuded by the students, the institution managed not to resemble a prison, what with the high walls and steel gates. Perhaps Xixin once had the inkling that his school would be mistaken for a prison, and thus planting as many Green Firework as possible to prevent the misthinking.


    Leaving her contemplation behind, Maria walked towards the nearest school gate. It was then she heard her name uttered, with a voice she had not heard before. "Well, well, well, Maria Gwendolyn! And  I thought you would never appear again!"


    Maria smiled at the boy she had never seen before. She took the time to observe him."Retractable Staff, Tech-On, summoner most likely. Perhaps Mulattoe. Upright posture, small but quick steps, privileged family. This Aura...he has great potential.


    "Sorry, I just want to stay away from school. I bet you feel the same from times to times, right Alan?"


    The boy frowned. "Alan? Who? I''m Jake."


    Maria chuckled. "That was just a joke, Jake."


    Jake grinned. " Never thought you got a sense of humor."


    Ignoring the somewhat subtle insult, Maria continued."So have you guys done preparing for the contest?"


    "You really don''t care about school. We have not prepared anything yet."


    "Sorry to hear that. And how''s principal Hamilton? He''s not pushing you guys?"


    Jake scratched his head. " Yeah, principal Hamilton, he''s not feeling well, so I doubt he can care much. Especially after what happened in Mirilad."


    " I see. No surprise he''s like that. The demon is still on the loose."


    Jake stared at Maria with eyes wide open.  He stopped scratching his head." How do you know it''s a demon?" He asked.


    Maria raised her eyebrows. " Jake, it was also a joke. We all know it''s not a demon, right?"


    Jake''s entire body froze. It took a few seconds for his facial muscles to move again. He burst out laughing. " Of course it''s a joke!"


    " Really? Because from what you said, it seems like you seriously think there is a demon."


    Jake stared at Maria, grinning to his ears. His hands fidgeted. "Hahah, I was just playing along."


    " Are you doubting principal Hamilton?" She stared into his eyes.


    Jake shook his head hard, a sweat rolled down his cheeck. " No, of course not. I trust him. There must be a good reason he brought that machine to New York."


    " Where is it now, by the way? If we are not careful, chances are that it will activate again."


    " It''s in the Scientia building. Don''t worry, it''s broken, and many people are guarding it. "


    Maria nodded her head. " That''s good to hear. Anyhow, I''m going to town. See you later!"


    Jake waved at Maria, then quickly ran inside Afflia as if he was running away from a demon.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander chuckled. " You really made that guy anxious."


    " I assume he was one of the few in Mirilad that day. He knew stuffs."


    " Indeed he was. He also helped Hiatus and Aria with their investigation."


    Maria touched her chin. " I did some research into him. His family is politically influential."


    " Back to your investigation, I doubt you left school after that conversation."


    " Of course. I needed to see the machine."


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Scientia made Maria squint as soon as she entered. The lights inside the building was unpleasant, making her eyes, which had never been accustomed to artificial light, teary  and aching. She closed her eyes, massaging them.  It took a minute or two for her to be able to adjust.


    The building''s walls were built out of a type of plastic with great reflectivity, which in turned made it a well-lit place. The walls gave an impression that they were emitting light on their own. To others, this instilled a sense of security; for Maria, it was nothing but an irritability.


    The entrance of the building was followed by a short corridor, which led to the great hall where a few summoners and hunters were attending their business. Some talked, some read books, some showed off their power to one another. Maria clicked her tongue and frowned as she noticed Victor and his gangs. She made a brisk walk towards the elevator, turning her face away from them and praying she could finish her investigation without them noticing.


    Maria''s wish was not answered.


    " Oh, look, the ice queen." The high-pitched voice of the girl sucking lollipop made her cringe.


    Victor and his gang turned their heads at Maria. They approached her, not forgetting to put on their dagger looks. Victor raised his hand, signaling them to stop. He walked towards her alone.


    "Titanium Staff, how the heck did he get that at such an age? But then again, why do I bother?"


    Victor smirked. " Bored of playing truant, Maria? What brought you here?" He said.


    Maria ignored the questions. She impatiently glanced at the up and down buttons.


    " Why so cold? We were having quite a good time back then, right?"


    Maria let out an urg from her throat. She glanced at Victor. " What exactly did we do again?"


    " Well," Victor leaned towards Maria, whispering in her ears." Our lips touched."


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Wander and Maria stared at each other. Their lips curved into a grin, and they burst out into gales of laughter simultaneously.


    " Oh wow. I don''t know who the imposter is, but they are sick. " Wander held his stomach. " Now I understand why he glared at me."


    Maria shook her head, smiling." I was almost dead back there, trying not to laugh. Mostly because the way he said "our lips touched".  I mean, who even says that? Well, my ex did but he was centuries ago."


    "Agree. Tho- Wait, what, your ex?"


    " Anyways, back to the topic."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Maria raised her eyebrows.  She clenched her fists and pursed her lips, trying to hold her body still. After a while, she let out a sigh. " Can we talk about this later?" She asked.


    " Sure, anytime you want." Victor put his hand on her shoulder." But that loser who was with you, he''s nothing, right?"


    " Yeah, he was just showing me around. We met accidentally." Maria knew she did not lie.


    " Well then, see you later. I''m looking forward to our next date."


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.            Maria nodded. She enter the elevator as soon as it opened. She covered her mouth, suppressing her laughter as her whole body trembled.


    The elevator brought her to the top floor in a flash. A couple of summoners blocked her ways as she stepped out of it. They squinted at her, then their eyes widened.


    " Maria?" A blond girl raised her voice." You? At school?"


    Maria started to feel annoyed.


    She smiled. " Principal Hamilton warned me of my excessive truancy. Don''t want to be expelled, so yeah, here I am."


    " You''re here to see the machine, right? That thing is a tourist attraction now."


    " It''s in that big room at the end of the corridor?"


    The girl nodded. " Don''t stay there for long. The Demex can get into your head." She chuckled.


    Maria thanked the girl then proceeded to finish her investigation. She noticed all the rooms, except for one, had been locked down. " No more classes. No hunter has any reason to be on this floor, except for Xixin. And the summoners."


    Maria attracted the looks of every Summoner in the room  the moment she walked in. They whispered to each other, and Maria knew they were puzzled by the fact that she suddenly appeared at school, or for that matter, that she appeared.  She ignored their curiosity, focusing on the machine instead. She leaned towards it, disregarding the warnings from others. Her eyes reached its every nook and cranny, missing not even a small piece of metal. After a while, she reached her conclusion.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    "That contraption is a malfunctioned electricity generator at best, and at worse, it''s nothing more than a pile of metallic junks." Maria said, gazing at the triggerfish swimming outside the ship."A Demex generator cannot be without the black core, a component that can mimic the chemical process of a demon when it exudes Demex. The core is very unstable. If it''s destroyed, it will instantly cause the inside of the machine to scatter meters away from its original location. That machine, though, was destroyed by a wind-type spell, and its components did not scatter."


    " So it''s a fake." Wander frowned.


    Maria nodded." I believe that thing is part of the attempt to conceal your existence. Everybody assumed it emitted Demex, not you. "


    " Someone was trying to help me?"


    " I would like to think so. But unfortunately, they had no intention of helping you. It did not take a genius to see that the fake contraption was a clumsy last-minute gimmick to conceal you. Whoever put it in Mirilad must have previously assumed they would not have to use it. They were sure."


    " About what?"


    " About capturing you, boy."


    Wander nodded. " The beast and the fake machine owner was in league."


    " To be precise, the beast is very likely the owner''s Familiar. You were, and are, their target. And when they failed to capture you, they had to think of some ways to hide you in quite a short period."


    Wander felt a chill down his spine.


    " It must have something to do with your peculiar biological characteristic. Green blood of demon, Demex, but no reaction against thermal type-3. A hunter trapped in an interminable demon form."


    Maria stood up, walking around the room. After a while, she turned to Wander. " I think you are well aware of what you really are. Mind telling me what truly happened to you?"


    Wander stared at Maria, words stuck in his throat. A few second passed, and he averted his eyes from hers. " No, I can''t."


    Maria shrugged, pouting. "Fair enough."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Maria nodded at the blond girl and her friend as she entered the elevator.  She pressed the button 1. A song started playing.


    The elevator made a sudden stop when it reached floor 6. Maria glanced at the position indicator.  She assumed it was a technical problem and decided to wait.


    A few minutes passed and the elevator showed no sign of operating any time soon. Maria presses the alarm button. There was no one responding to the distress call.


    " The quick way then." Maria cut the cable holding the elevator with successive wind blades.


    She kept her body float in the air during the free fall of the elevator. A loud " Bang" incurred, and dust was everywhere. The light in the elevator went out of power and the panel shot out electric spark. Maria forced her way through the door, and stumbled on something lying on the ground. She knew that sensation, the softness of the skin when she stepped on it. Maria inhaled deeply; she knew what she would see.


    No one was conscious. The teachers, the students, Hunters, Summoners, Victor''s gang, they lied on the floor, deep in a slumber.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander  cleared his throat. " And you just walked out of there like nothing happened?"


    Maria knocked on a porthole near her." I checked their pulses. I made sure they were still alive. Then I left. I would be in deep trouble if people found me the only conscious one there."


    " The one who stole the fake machine was in that building with you. You were so close to catching them."


    Maria shook her head." Or they were very close to catching me. That incident made me realize one thing: The mastermind possesses great power, great enough to cause massive consciousness loss. Spells that mess with the mind are unthinkably intricate, and only master of masters could have cast such a widespread one.It worried me. I was made aware that they could manipulate a great deal of individuals if they wanted to. And I was right, they did mind control the summoners and force them to attack hunters and their own comrades. "


    Wander frowned. He lied down; his head rested on his hands."You wanted to knock out every one in the town to make sure that even if they were mind controlled, they would not be able to do anything." He said.


    It was only then did Wander realize that if most of the summoners had not been unconscious, the whole city could have turned into a blood bath. What seemed like a hostile act on Maria''s part turned out to be the best move she could have made without revealing herself. The city was saved thanks to her. And maybe not only the city owned her a debt. Had most of the summoners not been unconscious, a total war between hunters and summoners could have ensued.


    Maria tilted her head." Yes. And even though my plan would cause panic, even in the case the mastermind would not execute his plan during the contest, it would still alert the hunter community and make them be on guard. I created a threat for them. The mastermind''s plan would be hindered. That''s what I thought. However, the spell cast on the summoners was more dangerous than I had expected. It kept them conscious, albeit only a handful of them "


    " If the mastermind had carried out their plan before you activated the machine, what would you have done?"


    " I would have activated it right at that moment. Is it not obvious?"


    " I think instead of using the machine, you should have done something in person." Wander rolled around in his bed.


    " I''m sorry, but if I had done that I would have played right into the enemy''s plan. By impersonating me, they make me exposed to the world. I''m certain that both hunters and summoners are investigating me. The last thing I want to do is give them more proof of my existence." Maria clenched her fist." No, they already succeeded. They made it impossible for me to go back to hiding."


    "You are the real target then?"


    "Both of us are their targets. They are also seeking you."


    Wander shook his head." We aren''t sure if the forces after me is the same as the ones after you."


    A bubbling sound filled the room. Wander got up and cautiously inspected the surrounding: It was just Maria playing with the water outside the ship. Thousands and thousands of bubbles manifested in front of her; each one had marbles of impurities within them.


    " Yes, we aren''t. I need further information. What really worries me right now is the possibility that hunters and summoners will jump to a wrong conclusions. It''s easy to manipulate people. You give them a fraction of the truth and they can fabricate the rest. How disturbing it is to think of the assumptions they are making  about me." Maria glanced at Wander." And you."


    Wander bit his lips. " Aria and Hiatus knew what truly happened. They were there with me. They will figure out the truth. "


    Maria threw Wander a quick glance. " Do you really believe so?"


    " I do." Wander said, his lips curved into the most confident smile he had ever had, eyes brimming with glowing sparks.


    Maria gazed at him, eyes filled with pleasant curiosity. She let out a faint "huh" sound from her throat; a no less faint smile bloomed on her visage. All the bubbles behind her back popped simultaneously.


    " I see," She made for her bed, spreading her arms wide then fell on it." That''s good to hear. Anyhow, that machine is also meant to lead the investigation back to Hamilton, to the summoners and away from me.  It will be okay for now."


    Maria compressed her brows, recalling something. She lifted a cushion with a spell and threw it at Wander. He caught it, frowning at her. " Okay, what''s that?" He asked.


    Maria glanced at Wander. " That is for hiding things from me."


    " I apologize, Ms. Self-revelation-is-a-choice."


    " There is a limit to that rule." Maria turned off the light with a clap." You are approaching it fast."


    <hr />


    This storyline will converge with the one in part 1 soon. The true events back in Mirilad and New York are slowly revealing themselves. Hoep you guys enjoy! Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 31: Fulishs Domain

    Wander''s sleep was disturbed by the voice of Doom Mark. He still could not get used to this telepathic alarm clock.


    " You have a problem with timing." He said.


    " Your witch girlfriend knocked me out cold when she forced your demon form to deactivate. It was supposed to be physically impossible to do that. She''s a big problem."


    " She got us out of New York. She''s the least of our problem."


    Thinking so, Wander came to the realization that Maria had done him a huge favor. Without her, he would have been taken to a godforsaken place by that beast. And even if he had escaped its claws, it would have been a matter of time before someone knew of his demonization. His blood was everywhere.


    " They must have found out about you. No turning back now Wander."


    Wander knew that very well. He knew it from the beginning that he would be found out. He was not worried then, because he was so sure his supposed teacher would bring him on an adventure beyond the bindings of New York. He thought of Nito and wondered why he left him behind.


    " It isn''t because you aren''t good enough. Don''t blame yourself."


    " Then why? What did I do wrong?"


    " Nothing. The problems lie with him, not you."


    Wander could not believe those words. He knew the problems was with him. His detachment from his parents, his small circle of friends, his weak body, all his fault.


    " I don''t even remember why I agreed to turn in the first place," Wander held his head." That was the most asinine thing I''ve done."


    "Talking about that, I have detected an abnormality in your consciousness. A black area I cannot access. It must be the amnesia you are suffering from."


    "Is it spreading?" Wander glanced at a curious dolphin swimming on the other side of the porthole. He got the urge to let his hand go through its body.


    "It is. Slowly. It seems your body isn''t compatible with being an Exsomnis. This is the first time I''ve encountered such a case. Wander?" Doom Mark began to realize something was off.


    "This is stupid. Freaking stupid. Give me back everything." Wander was sure he heard his skull crack."Exsomnis, Hunter. Why did I turn? Why did I do that to Jonathan? Why did I push my sisters? Darn it, darn it, darn it!"


    "Stop thinking!."


    Wander wanted to sink his fingers into his brain, force it out of his head and inspect it with his own eyes. He glared at the shoals of fish, making them swim away with his hostility. Everything had been a mess. His plan to become a rune expert. He destroyed it with his own hands. Thousands of times the word why ran through his mind in mere seconds, completely drowning Doom Mark''s voice. His teeth sank into his lips like a knife. His blood dripped on his cushion; he tasted it, bitter than black coffee.


    "Disappear! Disappear! Disappear!" Wander could feel the words leak out of his head through his ears. He wanted to scream.


    The shoals of fish that had been inspecting the submarine simultaneously lost consciousness, struck by the wave of Demex emitted from Wander''s body; their bodies graduallly turned upside down, floating in the water, against the submarine.


    The vehicle shook. Wander heard footsteps closing in on the room. He held his breath. One second, then two second passed.


    "BANG!" The door blasted towards him.


    Wander evaded the objects easily. He was about to charge towards his attackers when his whole body was forced to stop by an invisible force. To his relief, even the attackers'' were.


    "What''s wrong?" Maria said, clapping her hand.


    The light turned on, and Wander could see the attackers: all were dressing blouse. They were part of the crew.


    "That thing...its Demex is too strong. We were afraid it assaulted you." A woman said.


    Maria glanced at the fish, then at Wander. She got off the bed and released everyone from her spell.


    "Deactivate your form, Wander."


    Wander had already been in the process before Maria mentioned it. His bod turned to normal the moment Maria ended her sentence.


    "I''m sorry. It was unintentional."He mumbled, wincing at the pain in his head."


    The man who greeted Maria and Wander stepped forward."I apologize for the intrusion, lady Maria. We..."


    "None of this is your fault. You could not know. "


    "But..."


    "It''s okay. Just leave us here. I will fix the door for you."


    Maria stared at the crew members. They glanced at each other.


    "Well then, we take our leave. Again, my apology."The man said, before gesturing his peers to leave.


    Wander could not take his eyes off the crew members. He sweated profusely, his body still trembled. His apology stuck in his throat.


    Maria walked towards the porthole outside which the fish could be seen. She put her hand on the glass, and light spread across the water. Moments later, the sea creatures were revived. They swam away from the vehicle, leaving behind chillingly still water.


    Wander waited for Maria to say something. Each passing second put pressure on his heart.


    Something knocked on the porthole glass, causing  Wander to look up. A dolphin was playing outside.


    "Go to sleep, Wander. I will make sure nothing happens."


    A surge of gratitude manifested in Wander. He murmured his thank, got back on his feet and climbed on his bed. He could not hear the voice of Doom Mark.


    Wander wondered if it was the same dolphin he saw minutes ago. He thought it was really beautiful.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The next morning came in blue. Wander welcomed it with eyes of a dead fish and the aftershock of a headache. He glanced right and found Maria eating a piece of bread.


    " Strawberry jam?" He asked, trying to smile with his eyes.


    " Orange marmalade. Want some?"


    Wander nodded. He lifted himself up from his bed then walked towards the table. A slice floated upward, ready to be taken by him.


    " Was it a nightmare last night?" Maria watched him take the first bite.


    " A migraine. Gone now."


    Maria nodded, chewing the bread slowly. She was playing with the bubbles again.


    Their breakfast was interrupted by a knock on the door. The man in white entered the room following Maria''s permission. He told the two they had minutes to prepare for the imminent docking before leaving, not forgetting to give Maria a slight bow. Maria and Wander did not ignore the man''s words. They were presented on the deck a few minutes later to his surprise.


    "You two are sure eager to leave."


    "After last night, I doubt our stay is welcomed."Wander shrugged." And I''m sorry for the inconvenience."


    The man in blouse stared at Wander, then turned his gaze back on Maria."We''ll be there shortly, my lady."


    Realizing he was making the man uncomfortable, Wander distanced himself from him. He tried to get a better look at the islands they were heading for. Wander squinted: his eyes yet to forget the soothing blue of the ocean, so sunlight made him teary a bit. When he caught sight of the islands, he felt excited like a child first laid eyes on Disneyland. He could not resist smiling; his body got all tense.


    Maria smiled. " Quite a quick recovery you got."


    Wander pointed. " It''s the Hawaiian archipelago! Who would not get excited?" He turned to look at his friend. He noticed Maria was giving him stares he did not understand. " What''s wrong?" He asked, lowering his finger, wondering if he had been too excited.


    Maria did not answer, diverting her eyes from his, still her smile did not fade.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The man in white bowed to Maria again as she and Wander left the submarine. She replied with a smile and stayed to watch the submarine vanish into the water before continuing the trip to Fulish''s domain.


    The two walked away from the beach overgrown with candlenut trees. The sand got into Wander''s shoes and he shook his feet in frustration as Maria watched him and chuckled.


    " I really thought we were going to visit Hawaii."Wander said.


    " This is not Hawaii?" Maria frowned.


    " This is Kauai. Hey, after we find your thing, how about heading for Hawaii next? You''ve seen those commercials right? Hawaii is paradise!"


    Maria laughed." Yeah, sounds good." She glanced at Wander." If we have enough time"


    Wander waved at a taxi. " And why we may not?"


    Maria opened the taxi door. " Waita Reservoir, please." She told the driver.


    The two entered the car. It was filled with the smell of coconut oil. The driver greeted them, grinning and showing his toothy mouth. Wander smiled back, while Maria looked out of the window, her chin on her palm.


    " Things are quite a mess now Wander. I don''t think we have the luxury of becoming a tourists. Oh, don''t worry about him. He can''t hear us."


    Wander glanced at the driver. " A mess? Is this about Samundo coming back?"


    " How do you know?" Maria''s eyes left the scenery outside the taxi. " This is classified information."


    " Not so much. People already talked about it." Wander scratched his ear.


    " Really?" Maria raised her eyebrow." Lousy intelligence bureau they have these days. Yes, Samundo is coming back and it''s a mess."


    " I don''t think we have to worry much. Someone will defeat the demon lord, just like previous times."


    For one second, Wander saw himself holding a sword and looking down at the ultimate demon, a triumphant smile spreading across his countenance. Wander smiled at himself for thinking about such heroism, and he was sure he heard Doom Mark chuckle at him too. The idea of defeating Samundo had become ridiculous to him. All the confusion, all the questions accumulating within him pointed towards a bad ending if he dared to face his supposedly destined enemy. He became more certain that Nito must have been bluffing. He just wondered why.


    A few minutes of gazing at Kauai sceneries made him feel less compelled to visit Hawaii. Rows of royal poinciana trees warmed up the streets with their massive clusters of flaming-red color flowers. Wander''s eyes hurt just from looking at them. He saw mountains looming in the distance with flocks of birds flying in V echelon formation; he smiled, recalling the scenes he watched on TV. He imagined that the mountains were giants wearing cloudy hats, and the waterfalls pouring from some of them were actually saliva, the result of their hunger for meat. He pitied the people swimming there.  He could see the beach too, with all the tourists lying on the sand, surfing under the waves, playing volleyball. The life of human was a peaceful one from what he saw.


    The road they were on, according to the sign, was Ala Kinoiki. He told himself sometimes in the future he would learn Hawaiian. "Aloha" and "Ohana" was simply not enough, he told himself, thinking back to those days he spent watching a cartoon. He had forgot its name. He caught the glimpse of a church. Human had gods. He asked himself whether Halcyon dwellers had one too.


    This was the first time Wander visited Earth Realm- the land dominated by humans. Strangely, he felt a sense of belonging. He remembered when he arrived in Nova Scotia and Washington a few years back, sweat was all over him, and he drank 5 bottles of water in an hour. That was the only things he could recall now. His amnesia, as he fear, had indeed been worsening.


    " Hiatus and Aria know you are...that, right?" Maria asked.


    " Aria found out. Then I told Hiatus."


    " How did they take the news?"


    " I''m still alive, so I guess they took it well." Wander smiled." They also helped me escape."


    " Good friends you have there." Maria tapped the window." Jonathan though."


    Wander clenched his fists." I..I will tell them. Next time I meet them."


    " Well, let''s hope that time will not come too soon then."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Waita Reservoir was a famous fishing point for both local people and tourists. Upon arrival, Maria and Wander was almost pushed to the ground when the children nearby ran past them in group, apparently playing tag. Their parents sat a few meters from them, either holding fish rods or making barbecue. Some just stood in the water, let the curious fish swim past. A natural fence made of palm trees surrounded the reservoir, filling the air with rustling sound.


    Maria walked into the water. " Come on." She said to Wander.


    " With this many people around?"


    " You''re right. Can''t let them see us dive in and never come back."


    A rumbling sound echoed from beneath the water. At the middle of the reservoir, bubbles emerged as if the water was being boiled. The tourists dropped their fishing rods, taking a few steps back, calling out to their children. It took less than 4 seconds for a 12-meter wave to rise and charge at the tourists, casting its huge shadow upon their wide open mouths and no less wide open eyes. They ran away from the water, screaming, arms waving in the air and leaving behind all of their personal tools and clothes. In less than a minute, the reservoir was cleared of human.


    " Those poor fishes," said Maria as she used the water to bring the fishes back to their home." Fake tidal wave, privatizing beaches and the likes since forever."


    Maria dived into water. Wander followed her, mouth still not closed. Only when the water entered his mouth did he close it. Maria said she was good with water-type magic, still Wander thought the more appropriate word would be terrific.


    Maria pointed at a cave hidden behind thick bushes of aquatic plants. The two swam into it. The cave was narrow, and within it lied another cave. They swam into the darkness and before long they felt like gravity disappeared. They fell into the air and left behind the water. A dimming light replaced the darkness. Unlike San Francisco, what awaited them at the other side was not a lustrous light but a wavy layer of liquid. Wander squinted and realized it was water again. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with air, ready for another round of swimming. Maria pulled him close and form a bubble enveloping them both. The bubble floated towards the surface, bringing them into the domain of Fulish.


    " State your business." A robotic voice welcomed the two, as well as dozens of pointy spears charged with electricity.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Fulish played with his blue hair, sipping milk as he stared at the intruders on the monitors. A boy, about 1 meter 83, black hair and silver eyes, nothing special. A girl, 1 meter 75, black hair and blue eyes, too bland for him to care about.


    " What do you think, Rai?" Fulish asked his household familiar." Should we brainwash them then pump them back to Earth?"


    Rai squinted, his foggy irises did not hinder his vision." Shh, your highness. Let''s hear them talk."


    " I request a meeting with King Fulish. Urgent matter." The girl said.


    Rai leaned towards the micro. " Please clarify."


    The girl let out a long sigh. " The king is in possession of one thing that I rightfully own."


    Fulish rolled his eyes up, trying to remember the last time he owed someone money. The last time he played EFAW was more than a hundred year ago. He was very sure those he played against could not live that long.


    Rai understood what his king was thinking. " Please clarify." He said.


    " I will provide more detail when I meet the king face-to-face. This is not a matter to be discussed through the means of electronic transmission."


    Fulish pouted. It had been a long time since he had visitors other than his kingdom''s summoners. He wanted to make new followers, but he did not want to invite strangers onto his sacred playground. It could endanger his summoners.


    " I have a  gift from King Ignitus." The girl said.


    " Send her in!" Fulish spilled the milk on the floor.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Fulish''s robots instructed Maria and Wander to mount a mechanical horse-like creature. Its skin was transparent, revealing metal components operating beneath. It emitted a dimming dodger blue light; electric sparks flashed through its eyes at times. A robot patted the creature on the head. " Tower 5." He told the creature. It nodded.


    Wander felt the creature''s body vibrate. He looked down to see all the cogs and gears increased their momentum. The dimming light turned shimmering. Without warning, the creature dashed forwards, leaving behind a trail of buzzing sound. Witnessing the machination within its body as it ran instilled in Wander an eerie feeling.


    The creature took Maria and Wander on a path well-paved and direct with trees planted on its sides, leading straight to a tower . From what Wander saw, Fulish''s domain was a more tree-filled version of Kauai. Vegetation here was more diverse, including trees and flowers from other parts of the world, and from parts of other worlds, compared to the common candle nut, banyan or fruit bearing trees seen on Kauai. There were Green Fireworks with compressed flowers ready to burst and send illuminating pollens into the air, Weeping Hands with palmate crimson leaves senstive to the slightest touch, Boney Oaks ready to crumble due to the gluttonous Wood Bugs, their (for a while) symbiotic partners. Wander noticed a Withering Dust- a type of tree that relentlessly shed leaves and scabs till the moment it faded to dust- a tree of extreme rarity. He almost fell off the creature leaning forward to get a better view. Maria had to catch him by the collar and pulled him back.


    " It''s the Withering Dust! Look!" Wander pointed at the tree, shouting.


    Maria did not show the slightest change in her expression. Her eyes were forward, though for a moment Wander thought they were down.


    "My gosh, look, look, Star Chaser." Wander pointed at a white shadow running in the same direction with his ride, its eyes leaving a short golden trail lingering in the air. It moved past the trees like a stream of water, seamless and graceful.


    "For the love of Halcyon I will tie you up if you shake my shoulder like that again."Maria said in monotone.


    Wander grinned. He closed his eyes. At times like this he thanked his demonization for his enhanced hearing. The birds of this domain must have reached some sort of agreement, for their songs harmonized and not one tune was out of sync. Up, down, every beat blended, and the wind carried the songs far and wide, along with the faint fragrance of flowers whose names eluded Wander. He raised his left hand, trying to catch the wind and the wonders it embraced.


    Wander lifted his head, shifting his focus to the sky. It was blue, or so it seemed.


    " Halcyon does not have a sky. Our realm is enveloped by a layer that distorts everything, to keep our existence hidden from Earthlings. The sky that is seen ever remains an illusion." Wander read those lines in Skyless a long time ago. Still, he had deduced the truth even before that. Things from Earth side could not traverse the Halcyonline, even light. Halcyon dwellers, therefore, could never see the sky, an Earth thing, from within their cage. Wander wondered when the creator of Halcyon invented it, what did they have in mind.


    " It''s pretty terrifying, isn''t it? That much water is above us," said Doom Mark.


    " Sorry about yesterday. Did I hurt you?"


    " You did, but I''m okay."


    A brief moment of silence elapsed.


    " Wander, there is something you need to know. You have been lied to."


    "By whom?"


    " It''s obvious, and you know whom. Nito."


    Wander closed his eyes, frowning. " What did he lie about?"


    Doom Mark did not reply. Wander waited, but he did not reply. Only when Wander called him did he say something. " Yeah, Exsomnis is not they only that can kill Samundo. Anyone strong enough can do it. He lied about that."


    " That''s all?"


    " That''s all. For now."


    Wander knew Doom Mark could read his thought. He must know all of his doubts, too. When it came to psychological warfare, Wander did not stand much a chance.


    " I don''t need to tell you that I don''t believe you have told me everything, right?"


    " I know. But that''s all."


    There was no clue to pick up from Doom Mark''s tone. He had no face, no limbs, no eyes, so it was impossible for Wander to read his body language to detect lies. He decided to let Doom Mark off the hook, for now.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    A summoner welcomed Maria and Wander in front of Tower 5. He greeted them with a stern expression, glaring at them, lips glued to each other. Wander felt like even his brows were throwing dagger looks at Maria and him.


    The summoner turned their back on the two. " This way." He said, but more like grunted.


    Maria nodded at Wander. They walked closely behind the man as he guided them up a long series of stairs that were placed in a zig zag order. On the way, Wander''s fingers traces across the metallic walls as he watched, in amusement, the electric circuits appear then vanish upon his touch. Each of the floor, except for the first one, had 12 doors  and no window. From the plastic card attached to the doors, he assumed this tower was for the purpose of scientific research. The mere thoughts of what lied behind the doors made him swallow hard.


    When they reached the top floor, the summoner told them to wait then made his way into the only room present. Wander glanced at Maria. " You do have gifts from Ignitus, right?"


    " I have gifts. Just not from Ignitus. It was half a lie."


    The door opened, and the summoner jerked his thumb, telling the two to come in.


    The room they walked in was filled with monitors, computers and chairs. Wander reckoned the person sitting with his back against him must be Fulish. The armchair he was sitting in was so big Wander could not see what the familiar looked like. Next to him stood a man in his late twenties, hands behind his back, giving Wander and Maria half a glance. His eyes looked like they got smoke in them. His pale skin emitted a weak silver glow. " Name." He said in a monotonous voice.


    " Maria Gwendolyn." Maria answered.


    The man glanced at Wander. So did Maria.


    " She''s still curious about your name."  Doom Mark said.


    Wander inhaled deeply. " Wander." He said.


    The man frowned. " Wander what?"


    " Just Wander."


    " This is not a joke, intruder." The smoke in the man''s eyes condensed.


    " Call me Wander What then, or if you want, Just Wander."


    Fulish''s laughter echoed across the room as clear as the sound of a ringing bell.


    " Leave him be, Rai. It''s not that unacceptable to be without a last name. You and I don''t have one, right?"


    The man kept his gaze on Wander for a few seconds before deciding to step back and face his king instead. Wander could feel the disappointment of Maria and that made him smile.


    Fulish reached for the cup placed closed to him. Wander noticed his hand was smaller than he thought. The sipping sound from the familiar made the atmosphere awkward.


    " Callus, you can leave now" Fulish said in a gravelly voice.


    " Please take my friend with you," said Maria.


    Wander turned to Maria, frowning. " I''m staying with you."


    " No. Go. Right now." Maria''s voice turned cold.


    Wander had never heard Maria speak in such an authoritative manner. Her usual pensive gaze had turned into a sharp glare full of determination. Wander stared at her, baffled at what she was thinking.


    " See you later." Wander said as he followed the man out of the room.


    Before the door closed, Maria''s voice reached him. " See you later."


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.            Wander had not expected her to reply.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander followed Callus down the stairs, pondering the meaninglessness of going up in the first place.  He glanced at the summoner. " Nice to meet you." He said.


    " You can skip those social niceties. It tires me out real quick. Hunter, are you?"


    Wander nodded.


    " How did you find this place?" Callus glanced at Wander.


    Wander was sure it was not a good idea to tell him Ignitus reveal the domain''s location. " Maria got it somehow. I just tag along."


    " That girl had gifts from Ignitus. The Southern King must have told her."


    " She could have met other level sevens before she met me. All level-seven familiars know one another''s location, right?"


    Callus gave no reply. The question bugged him more than Wander had expected.


    When they reach the ground floor, there was only one door not closed. Wander could hear the sound of people arguing. Callus sighed, shaking his head. He walked in on two of his friends, who were surrounded by arrays of books.


    "Are you bloody blind, Carl?" A lady with messy hair and rough voice shouted." Earth spell is the answer. We can isolate an area and accelerate the decomposition rate by compressing earth with a great force, heating it up. The soil will become extremely fertile and in no time the plants will regrow."


    "I want to freeze your larynx so much, Handi." Card said, his white moustache twitched. " Water is the answer. The flow, it''s the flow. Let''s the flow nurture mother terra!


    Callus clapped his hand, winning the two summoners'' attention. "How about both, you two? Now please tell me have you done with the preparation?"


    Handi jerked her thumbs at Carl. " He dragged me down! I swear!"


    Carl rolled his eyes, shifting his focus to Wander. " Oh, and who this be? Hunter, for sure. What are you doing here?


    Wander smiled. " I''m a guest."


    Carl rubbed his chin. " A guest? Nonsense. Callus, do tell. What? He''s really a guest?"


    Handi lifted Wander''s arm, frowning. " Weird muscle. What kind of training."


    Wander  withdrew his arm, scratching his head.


    Handi shrugged , turning to Callus. " Preparation done. The party will be ready tonight. Others are in tower  1. We''re going there. You?"


    Callus shook his head. " I''m waiting for the king. He''s meeting another guest."


    Hand and Carl looked at each other, grinning. " We stay then. We already saw how bad a nanny you could be." Carl said, his arm around Callus'' neck.


    Wander smiled at the three, his heart aching. Aria and Hiatus had been here for him too, even when they knew he turned. He clenched his fists, thinking about what happened between Jonathan and him. The disintegration of their friendship was not so unthinkable a scenario now.


    " May I ask what the preparation is for?" Wander asked, distracting himself from negative thinking.


    " A party to wish the king luck in the upcoming crowning event. You know, the Eternalia Regis." Handi answered.


    " Sounds big. How many summoners are here?"


    " Uhm, 20, I think," Handi tapped on her lips. " Including us. Enough for a party."


    " Just 20?" Wander frowned.


    " Others followers are not here." Carl said." Lazy daisies. It''s not like we need them anyways. It''s just a party, not a fight against demons."


    Wander nodded. He glanced at the documents behind Handi''s back. " Terra Forming?" He asked.


    " Oh, you know?" Carl raised his eye brows.


    " Yeah, I think the answers lie in biotech. Or maybe just fertilizer." Wander chuckled as he thought of Ignitus.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Fulish''s eyes flashed through the monitors. No abnormality. " What did that old geezer send me?" He smirked, wondering if Ignitus decided to bribe him. The old familiar must want to know how he managed to amass so many followers.


    " Before that, I just want to check up on something."


    There was something in Maria''s voice that irked Fulish. She was speaking as if he was a kid to her.


    " Is the box given to you exactly 215 years ago still safe?"


    Fulish frowned, recalling  what happened that many years ago.


    " The previous crowning ceremony of Eternalia Regis, sire." Rai said.


    " Ah, that." Fulish snapped his fingers, contemplating what transpired.


    No king was chosen back then.  All the familiars had participated in a bloody event, hoping to claim the crown. In the end, no king, just seven most powerful familiars stood out as possible candidates in the future. Familiars had learnt it the hard way that it took more than brute force to choose a king. Afterwards, Fulish, along with other level seven, received gifts from the Ethers- the creators of familiars. Aside from the gifts, he received nothing more. What Maria was seeking must lie among those gifts.


    " Most of them are safe. Some of them were food, so I ate them all. If one of those cakes was yours then I own you my sincerest apology." Fulish cackled.


    " Among them I believe there is a... metal bar?"


    Fulish rolled his eyes slowly. " Yes, there is. That''s yours?"


    " Yes, it''s mine. I need it very much. Can you return it?"


    Fulish glanced at Rai. His household familiar was frowning, looking down at the floor. " I can. But it''s mine now, so don''t expect me to return it."


    " Unless I have something to trade for it?" Maria said. Fulish swore she said it in a teasing voice.


    " Did she think she''s trading for a candy bar?" Fulish thought.


    " What''s the trade?" He asked.


    Maria''s smile reflected on one of the monitor. She drew a piece of paper from her pocket." See it for yourself."


    Rai took a step forward, but stopped as he saw Maria shake her head. " Only the king is allowed to see this."


    Fulish clicked his tongue. He told Maria to come close. When she was close enough, he extended his hand and Maria gave him the gift.


    "Turn away, Rai. No peeking." Fulish raised his voice. He then unfolded the piece of paper. 1 short lines.


    Fulish immediately knew he just made 3 steps ahead of others in the race to become king.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    " Wonderful! Oh my, a climate sphere. We can fully gain control of the growth of vegetation. And, with the runes, we can modify rain water. And not only that. So many possibilities. Simplicity at its finest" Carl clapped his hand.


    Handi nodded at Wander''s drawings, pointing at the clouds." But it can be inconvenient. For example, if I use rune to make rain water warm, and I want to stop after a certain amount of time. Provided if your model works, there will be hundreds of clouds on the field. Doesn''t this mean we have to go to each one and deactivate them one by one?


    Wander shook his head. " You don''t have to. We can write the runes on a substance that will dissolve after the intended amount of time due to long exposure to water.  For example, water of 80 Celsius degree dissolves 22% of soap in 3 hours. Or, even more convenient, how about we just vanquishing the clouds and the runes altogether?"


    Kate chuckled." Yeah, I like the latter."


    Carl slapped Wander''s back." I like Hunters well-versed in magic. Callus, where did you find him? Oh, pardon me, he''s a guest. Say, why don''t we join our party?"


    " I''d love to." Wander grinned." But if my friend leaves early, I''m afraid I have to leave too."


    " You come with someone?" Handi asked.


    " Maria. She''s a..." Wander realized he did not know which species Maria belonged to." girl."


    Carl laughed. " Be careful, young men. Numbers are taking over your head."


    " Look at Carl. He''s one example." Callus smiled.


    Carl punched his friend. Handi had her arms on Carl''s and Callus''s shoulder, assisting Callus in teasing their friend.


    Wander averted his eyes from them. The creaking sound made him turn his head to look.


    Maria walked in. Wander could not help noticing that the looks in her eyes had changed compared to just yesterday. It had become nearly empty.


    Carl squinted. " This must be Maria. Little lady, you''ve got yourself quite a fine boyfriend!"


    Wander scratched his head, grinning awkwardly. He was about to correct Carl''s remark when Maria interrupted him. " Please don''t compliment him. He''s got much to learn." She glanced at Wander, smirking. Some light returned to her eyes.


    " Petite fille, there is a big party coming up. Why don''t you stay a little longer? This boy here won''t stay without you, and I have lots to talk about with him."


    Maria nodded. " I''m afraid I already decided to stay even before your invitation. So I guess you will have more time to talk with my boy friend about stuffs."


    " Excellent! Oops, already 9. Okay, I am heading for tower 1 right now. Handi, take the papers! I mean, lovely Handi, take the freaking paper! Later, young man!"


    Carl made a brisk walk out of the room, humming a random tune. Handi jerked her fist at him before collecting the papers and following his steps.


    " I see that you have successfully gained our king''s favor." Callus''s face reclaimed its sternness.


    Maria did not give a reply. Callus stared at her, trying to make her uncomfortable. He gave up after a few seconds. He nodded at Wander, then turned his back on the two and left the room.


    After the summoner left, Maria began circling the room. Wander watched her eyeing the books, her hands behind her back, her fingers intertwined. Light streamed through the windows, illuminating the books. " You are good at making people like you." She said.


    " Jonathan and dozens of my schoolmates beg to differ. Not that it bothers me." Wander shrugged, flipping through the pages of a book." Do I make you like me though?"


    " No. You disturb me." Maria tilted her head.


    The girl walked to the desk Wander was sitting on. She examined the blue prints and the papers. " Uhm, so they figured it out."


    " What?"


    " Controllable climate spheres. Runes? Why the inefficiency? But the concepts and ideas are praiseworthy." Maria said, frowning.


    " That''s my idea."


    Maria shifted her eyes to Wander. She smiled." That explains the runes."


    " They can be efficient, you know".


    " No doubt, but only situational efficiency. Still, if it''s true that you devise this kind of use for runes, then you are very close to it." Maria smiled.


    " It?"


    " Just keep seraching." Maria''s fingers traced the drawings." The double effect you told me earlier is also phenomenal. You can become a good scholar, Wander. That summoner back then must have been impressed by this."


    Wander scratched his head, blushing a bit because of the compliment. He tried to change the topic. " You really gave me hope earlier you know. When you didn''t deny I was your boyfriend."


    " So he was talking about boyfriend, without a space between boy and friend." Maria sighed.


    " Of course he was talking about boyfriend." Wander laughed. "Throw me that book, yeah, Crafting Materials Vol. 2"


    A brief silence occurred.


    " Maybe we should try dating." Wander said, eyes fixed on the book.


    " Not happening." Maria still stared at the papers with a frown on her face.


    " I think we have chemistry. Remember how you tried to kill me with those spears?" Wander chuckled.


    " I agree. We are like hydrogen and oxygen. Together we are water."


    " Pure, enduring and tranquil?"Wander smirked.


    " No. Odorless, colorless, and tasteless." Maria smiled.


    Wander did not expect less of an answer from Maria. He glanced at Maria. " Uhm, your ex, how was he like?"


    " Arthur? He was a human." She said.


    " Wow, a human? If so, then... He died a long time ago, huh?"


    Maria shrugged." Yes."


    " Do you miss him?"


    " No more revelation, Wander. I think you know about me enough. And I hardly know anything about you."


    Wander put the book down. He told himself it was time.


    " Don''t do it, you Romeo wannabe! I know what you''re thinking. Don''t." Doom Mark yelled inside his head.


    He turned to face Maria. With a calm voice, he directed towards her the sincerest words he could think of. " My name is Wander, and if it bothers you, my last name Allen. One months ago, I turned by my own will. I was helped by a being of a species called Exsomnis- tasked with the destiny of defeating the demon lord Samundo."


    Maria stared at him with her eyes wide open.


    " I was going to leave New York with that being, but for unknown reasons, that being left me behind. This is the truth I want you to know. I hope this fortifies our mutual trust, and if I''m lucky enough, one day it may prove to you that I treasure your friendship enough to reveal this to you."


    Maria closed her eyes, letting out a sigh as she smiled. She chuckled, then looked at him in the eyes. " We are still not dating."


    " Obviously so." Wander shrugged, smiling.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Shortly after, Wander immediately regretted his decision, but only because Doom Mark would not stop nagging him even though hours had passed.. " You fool! Fool! Do you know what you have done? You put our entire species in jeopardy! More than a thousand year of existence is now on the verge of destruction because you want to get a score with that girl!"


    " I did not do it for that reason. I''m just tired of keeping secrets from people I consider friend. I will tell Aria and Hiatus too the moment I meet them again."


    " I don''t give a darn! You promised to keep everything a secret! How could Nito ever see resolution in your eyes?"


    " That promise comes after my friends."


    " You have to sort out your priorities, Mr. I-love-my-friends."


    Wander shut Doom Mark down with a wave of thoughts. He glanced at Maria, sitting right next to him. She was looking at the floor, her arms folded. " Can you describe the turn process?" She asked, frowning.


    " Nito took out a medal, I cut my hand, then my blood dripped on the medal, and the process started. Everything was quite hazy after that. I was overwhelmed by pain."


    Maria nodded. She leaned backwards, pouting." Defeating the Demon Lord, eh? So you Exsomnises have been the one vanquishing Samundo in the past. But when I look at you I just don''t think it''s possible"


    " I can become stronger. Maybe. And then I will defeat him too."


    Maria cackled. She shook her head. " Dreaming to defeat an enemy you do not even know."


    Wander realized he know nothing about the demon lord, aside from the fact that he had killed an uncountable number of humans, hunters and summoners, that he was the epitome of evilness, that he was the true threat to every realm. Also people had say goodbye to him for 19 times now and he had never failed to give them another chance.


    " So how''s things with Fulish?" Wander changed the topic, realizing the familiar had not contacted them for hours.


    The door was blasted away as Rai entered the room. He gave the two of them the look people gave to cockroaches. " Fulish has agreed to let you access the vault. He is ready to take you there."


    " Looks like I''ve got my answer." Wander said.


    " You must come alone. The boy will be with Callus." Rai added.


    Maria glanced at Wander. He whispered. " Want me to come with you?"


    " I do. But you stay. I don''t want to disobey the king." Maria rolled her eyes.


    Wander nodded. " I will wait for you at tower 1."


    Maria bade Wander goodbye, then along with Rai she left the room. Before the door could fix itself and hid her from Wander''s view, she turned back and waved at him.


    Wander recalled the day he first met her. The Maria standing before him was so much like the Maria he had seen back in Mirilad.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Callus accompanied Wander on the path back to Tower 1. The summoner introduced the tower to him as they walked. " It''s called the tower of liberty. King Fulish built it to commemorate the time he became free from the Familiar realm. It used to be sacred. Now people hold parties there all the time. On second thought, it has always been just parties there. It''s just that in the past they didn''t serve pizza or PepCo. On third thought, maybe they did. Yeah, it has never been sacred. "


    Wander observed both sides of the path he was walking on. This part of the island was a jungle, not a forest like the one he and Maria had traversed. The plants he saw here resembled those he had seen on that documentary about Amazon. The humidity made him itchy.


    " Why did he decide to build his domain underwater? It''s super inconvenient."


    " That''s I don''t know either. Heck, just one crack and this place will sink. But who can ever understand the mind of a king. Even if he''s young. Too young. Like a baby." Callus sighed.


    Up until now, what Wander knew about Fulish was all thanks to books.  The familiar of lightning- an embodiment of a thunderstorm.  He made  lots of money selling electricity to humans. Summoners considered him the second most influential and the wealthiest, surpassed only by Taevas the Sky Guardian, and even then Taevas only won in terms of influence, not wealth.


    " Today it''s a party of luck for our King. He doesn''t really need it anyways. He has lots of things to back him up. Oh the music has already started." Callus pointed at tower 1.


    Wander looked back at Tower 5, asking himself when Maria would return. He wondered  what would happen after Maria and he left the domain. He could not return to New York. Even if he was not exposed, he would be sooner or later. Just one drop of blood was enough to grant him a death sentence. He had only known Maria for a month, so he doubted she would be willing to accept his companionship for much longer. "Maybe she would." He thought. Maria had never left him behind. She had had many chances to, but she did not.


    The choice he most preferred was to be united with Aria and Hiatus. He wanted to apologize to them, and even if they would not forgive him, he would try his best to regain their friendship and their trust. He smiled, imagining they would show up on the domain, looking for him. It would be the best.


    " Your obsession with the two of them is frightening." Doom Mark said.


    " I think it''s normal. Most people are obsessed with something."


    " You hurt that boy many years ago, maybe because of this?"


    Wander frowned. Doom Mark had a point. Jonathan had told him that the four of them used to be friends. The Wander of back then must not have wanted anyone to interfere.


    " Is it any different for the present Wander?" Doom Mark asked.


    " Yes, it is." Wander knew he really meant it, for Doom Mark stopped with his questions.


    Several minutes later, Wander reach tower 1. It was higher than tower 5, and instead of concrete, it was built from stones- truly fortifying the fact that it had stood on the domain for many centuries. Wander guessed Fulish did not bother innovating it because of nostalgia. It must instilled in the Familiar some profound feeling, considering it was the symbol of his freedom.


    As if to insult the ancient appearance of the tower, loud pop music suddenly pierced Wander''s ears. His enhanced sense turned music into an irritating chant, even more than the political speeches he sometimes listened to.


    Callus clicked his tongue. " They are already partying. Good grief."


    The first floor of the tower was occupied by only a summoner feeding his Familiar, an unicorn. Wander nearly had his eyes fall out looking at the creature. " They are real?"


    " Don''t bother asking me. I never understand how Familiars exactly manifest themselves."


    Trying his best to ignore the creature, Wander followed Callus to the  50th floor, where Carl was at. Wander wonder why he was brought here. The party was 40 floors below. The summoner smiled at Wander, but his smile was somehow odd.


    " You''re finally here." Carl said." Come, my friends want to meet you."


    Wander followed Carl into a big room designed like a dome, Callus walking behind him. Various headless statues holding staffs were place around the room. Lights streamed in through windows, showering on the statues. Wander touched one, feeling the coolness transmitted to his finger as he drew them across the statue.


    " Welcome." A child''s voice greeted Wander.


    The voice''s owner was a girl with the same eyes as Rai. She looked several years younger than Wander. She walked towards him, smiling, extending her hand forward. Wander smiled back, nodding. He shook her hand.


    The tingling sensation in his hand spread throughout his body in less than a second. Wander realized his whole body was paralyzed, buzzing sound burst out of his head.


    " Sorry, but this is for your own good." Callus said from behind his back.


    The electricity erased his vision. Before the darkness claimed him, fear gripped his heart as he thought about what Fulish had in store for Maria.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    " Welcome to the vault." Fulish said, doing a gentleman bow.


    Maria nodded. She walked towards the metal gate. It was imbued with multiple defensive spells.


    " Can I see the inside now?" Maria asked, noticing Fulish was just standing still with a smile.


    " Oh, you can. But before that, the list."


    Maria rolled her eyes. She took out her second piece of paper, handing it to the familiar.


    Fulish unfolded the piece of paper, smiling. " The gate will be opened with my electricity." He said, lifting his hand, now charged with electricity.


    " Close your eyes. You don''t want to those eyes to burn."


    Maria sighed, doing what Fulish said. She just wanted to leave this place.


    A zam sound shot through space in form of an electrical beam, banging against Maria''s body, blasting her towards the gate. The sound of her body clashing with the metal gate made even Fulish frown. She coughed blood, collapsing to the ground, lying motionless.


    " You lose, Samundo''s servant." Without hesitance, Fulish dealt the finishing blow.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Rai could see everything clearly from where he stood. The target had been neutralized. The trap had been triggered.

 Chapter 32: Without warning

    Fulish was thinking about the offer Maria had made when he received a call from someone he had not seen nor heard from for centuries: Ignitus.


    " She''s with Samundo." That was the first words he said after years of seperation. No hello, no how are you, no long time no see.


    Ignitus'' voice made Fulish remember the past, back to the time where Ignitus and he, along with other familiars still resided in Soas, the realm of familiars, the place many called true home. It was his grand playground, where he played pranks on every one he knew. He missed Soas, and he missed other familiars. Ignitus was certainly one of those he wanted to meet the most. He wondered since when the old geezer had adopted the habit of bringing bad news.


    " Liar! She''s not. You''re just jealous she brought me gifts!" Fulish shouted at the screen.


    " I don''t even know she did that, brat." Ignitus emphasized the last word." Now shut your mouth and listen: she''s with Samundo. Neutralize her, immediately!"


    Fulish pouted."Why don''t you come here and do it yourself?"


    "I am thousands of miles away from you and I do not have the luxury of flying from Africa to Hawaii. She''s in your domain and you have all those followers, do it while you can."


    " What about the boy?"


    " I believe he''s being manipulated. He got nothing to do with Samundo. The blood in him, though green, did not react to type-3 thermal. Protect him from her."


    Fulish frowned. He hated how the old man always told him what to do. He had not called for years and when he did it must be a you-must-do-it talk " Are you sure she''s with Samundo? Do you have proof? I believe you''re just jealous."


    " Fulish." Ignitus emphasized the name." Do you want to take the risk of handing her the Doom Artifact that may be lying in the Vault? Do you?"


    " No! She won''t have it! Okay? Satisfied now? " Fulish raised his voice.


    " Good. Damn, talking with you always tires me out."


    Ignitus severed the connection before Fulish had the chance to talk back. Fulish clenched his fists, swinging his arms and legs. " Rai!" He shouted.


    " My King?"


    " Contact Elecaimant. We need to talk!"


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Familiars on the level of Fulish''s power and status were worshipped not only by summoners but also their own kins. The familiars that served Fulish, as well as other level seven familiars, came to be known as household familiars, Kingslings.


    Elecaimant was a Kingsling, a loyal subject of Fulish since his early days. For such a reason, she was the one most tolerant of his temperament.


    Elecaimant sighed as she saw her king pouting in his chair. " My king, may I ask what is wrong?"


    "Prepare the trap. I take the girl, you take the boy."


    Elecaimant glanced at Rai. He shrugged.


    "She''s with Samundo." Fulish said." The nerve!"


    Elecaimant frowned. "Samundo returned after 16 years? How can it be so soon?" She thought.


    " Sire, I will monitor everything from here." Rai said.


    Fulish nodded." Inform Carl and Callus."


    " Yes, sire." Rai said, walking towards the door.


    " My king, I think I should leave to make preparation.." Elecaimant said.


    " Be quick, you two. Love you!" Fulish said, waving.


    Elecaimant followed Rai, shaking her head as she smiled. She closed the door behind her.


    " I wonder when he will grow up." She said, catching up to Rai.


    " Not anytime soon." Rai answered." How tiring."


    " Brother, our patience will pay off. I''m sure."


    Elecaimant understood Rai''s frustration Both of them had been by Fulish''s side for a very long time. They help him defeat  Chthonic in the last war. They were there for him too when all level 7 fought against the revolution of Acrturus shortly before. And they were there too when he ate too much pizza and had an upset stomach for the next 2 days.


    " Good time." Elecaimant said.


    " What?" Rai asked.


    " Ah, no. See you later, brother."


    Elecaimant tranformed out of her humanoid form and flew through the nearest window.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander could not leave the room. The staffs attached to the statues was emitting a strange light, and together they formed a barrier that trapped him within.


    " Stop messing around and just get out of here, Wander."


    Wander ignored Doom Mark. He inspected his surroundings. The little girl was staring at him; the smoke in her eyes lazily floated. Callus and Carl was nowhere to be seen. Wander guessed they must be outside guarding the entrance. " This is for your own good." Wander recalled what Callus said. He wondered if they had discovered that he was a turn.


    Wander stood up. It was time like this he wished he had a weapon. A spear most preferably.


    " What happened to Maria?" He asked the first question, his back against the girl.


    She shook her head and smiled.


    " Good. So this barrier is not sound-proof." Wander thought.


    He stared at the girl. "She could control electricity, just like Fulish. Her eyes resembled Rai. Must be another household familiar. It''ll be ill-advised to take her life. Well, it''s not like familiar can die."


    Wander knew he shoudl talk first before taking actions.


    " Whatever  you think about Maria, you are wrong. Please let me out of here, and let me prove it to you that she and I hold no ill intention towards you."


    The girl tilted her head, the smoke in her eyes condensed. " I know there is a possibility that we are wrong, but we cannot take risk. Worry not, we will not harm you. The only one we want to strike down is that being claiming to be Maria Gwendolyn. She is working for demon lord Samundo."


    Wander''s eyes widened. He could feel a chill sent down his spine. " You are gravely mistaken. There''s no way such a person can work for Samundo."


    " Such a person? What kind of person?"


    " The person that was trying to stop the massacre back at New York."


    The girl frowned. " I don''t know what you are talking about."


    " What? How could you-?"


    Wander did know the massacre was only yesterday, but with the power of modern media yesterday would be considered old news. He found it hard to believe they knew nothing about the event in New York.


    " Please, she is a good person."


    The girl frowned. She seemed to have felt the truth in Wander''s words." I''m sorry. But I don''t think she''s still alive. King Fulish most certainly have put her down." She stared at the floor.


    Wander felt a hole open up inside him, absorbing all of his emotions, then letting all of them out at once, staggering him. He took a deep breath, clenching his fists. He told himself Maria could not die. He wanted to see her alive.


    " Let me out of here. I need to see her."


    " I can''t. You will be kept here. I promise no harm will come your way."


    " I think I have enough."


    Without warning, Wander let all of his power flow out of his body. A black flame engulfed him. The girl took a step back, surprised by his outburst.


    " It''s futile."


    " Is it?" Wander stepped towards the girl. He point his finger at her." Boom."


    The moment he pronounced the word, the runes on the statue near the gate flared up; the explosion destroy a corner of the room, along with it 2 statues. A hole manifested on the surface of the barrier, and Wander exited his prison. As he broke through a window and escaped from the tower, he could hear the sound of missed spells destroying the walls he left behind.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Callus and Carl rushed in after the explosion, only to find Wander had escaped.


    " What just happened here, Elecaimant?"


    " He escaped. He put  runes on the statue. And I was wondering why someone would bother with those hideous creations. I will chase after him, you-"


    An huge shockwave blasted through where Carl, Callus and Elecaimant were standing, blowing off the top of the tower. They could see from afar, a colossal being slowly rose up, exuding a crazy wave of Demex. The trees around it collapsed as a army of demon quickly spread across the domain.


    " What the hell?" Carl held his head. " This is impossible!"


    Elecaimant''s body trembled. " I must find Fulish. He has not returned. And Rai too."


    Handi ran into the room, panting, horror in her eyes. " The demons, they are heading for us."


    Elecaimant climbed on a window." Callus, prepare for battle, activate the machines. Carl, move everyone to the highest floors, seal the rest.  Handi, contact Vivien. Ask for her help."


    The three summoners nodded. They watched as the familiar turned into an eagle and flew towards the vault.


    " How the heck can this even happen? How can those demons infiltrate this domain at that speed?" Carl bit his lips." They can only come... from within.


    " I don''t know. But It''s no coincidence this happened after those two arrived." Callus frowned.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    It was never supposed to be like this. Wander recalled all that happened from the very beginning. He felt something had gone horribly wrong, despite the fact that all events leading up to this naturally flowed. " Maria is working for Samundo?" Wander could not stand how absurd that idea sounded.


    " You know what else is absurd? Look at that thing in front of us."


    Wander could only see the gigantic legs of the demon. It was twice the diameter of the average trunks he saw in Mirilad, three times even. It crushed everything under its weight, even its own kin. Wander winced as he saw a dozens of fox-head demons flattened by the giant''s feet, their scream abruptly ended. The other demons steered clear of the giant''s path, some foolish enough to try attacking it, only to be crushed by its hands. Wander  stopped his advance as he noticed a pack of demons charge at him. He was ready to fight them, but they ran past him, not throwing him even a glance.


    " They did not attack me. Doom Mark?"


    " It''s obvious, isn''t it? They recognize you as one of them."


    " Do you know how many implications that fact gives?"


    " I know. I can read your mind. Above you, Wander."


    Wander  jumped away from where he stood just as the familiar''s attack landed on the ground, making dusts blow off the ground.


    The familiar, now in the form of an eagle, flapped its wings and electricity rays charged at Wander. He evade them with ease.


    " I know we got off on the wrong foot but can you let me talk to you once more?" Wander shouted.


    The familiar''s attack became more vicious. She increased her speed, charging like an arrow at Wander.


    " Okay, then. If that''s what you want."


    Wander  ran into the army of demon, knowing they would cover him. Their body, no matter the size, acted as perfect shields: they never stopped moving, one struck down, two rose up. Before long, they noticed the familiar''s presence and started to attack her. Some of them threw one another into the air, trying to reach her. The others shot out parts of their bodies, screamed fire at her. To limit her movement, the demons stepped on each other, forming a wall ready to fall on her anytime, forcing her to fly higher, and consequently Wander became harder to track for her.


    "They actually have excellent teamwork." Wander frowned.


    "You haven''t seen their best yet. You won''t like it once you have."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Callus patted on his fellow summoners'' backs, assuring them everything would be fine. He was always intrigued by how such a blatant lie could always calm people down. After ensuring that each of them had managed to put all of their strength and mind into securing the tower, he prepared to leave for tower 4- the tower of war. Fulish had decided to isolate it from others, putting it under heavy guard.  " Let''s place war far from everything." Callus smiled, unable to believe his king once said that.


    Handi and Carl was at floor 50, waiting for him. Next to them was an Aircutter, his favorite''s means of transport, a machinery limbless winged horse.


    " Return alive."  Handi said.


    " In one piece." Carl smiled.


    Callus nodded. He mounted the Aircutter, bidding his best friends good bye, then heading for Tower 4.


    After the Aircutter had maintained a stable stance in the air, Callus looked back at the scenery behind him. The colossal demon was marching towards tower 1 at a constant speed. His friends had not deployed their spell formation. His king was nowhere to be found. Two mysterious strangers were on the loose. The only good news were that Vivian''s people would be here soon.


    A deafening roar perverted the air, followed by the sound of the earth shaking. Callus did not have to look to know that another giant had entered the domain.


    " There are two gates. One under the water, deep within a cave. One above it. The latter will never be used. And yes, you guess it right, I don''t want anyone to visit this domain. This is my world, and I will only let those who follow me in."


    His king once said that. One of the gate would never be used. The demons must have penetrated the domain with that gate. But how was it activated? How was it even connected to the other side, where the demons came from?


    " Why bother building it you ask? I did not build it. It was a gift. Among the other gifts from other familiars, gifts for my freedom. The gate, the cakes, the pendant, the crown, the mask and the golden bar."


    That girl, Mara Gwendolyn, Callus recalled her saying she was looking for something stolen from her a long time ago, and that something lied among the gifts given to King Fulish. He felt curious about it. " It does not matter now. At least King Fulish gave her a quick end."


    He already reached Tower 4 before he noticed it. He patted the Aircutter. It approached a window on floor 30 to allow Callus to enter the tower .


    Tower 4 underwent maintenance every week. Yet when Callus walked in, he noticed that dust had piled up everywhere. It seem this place had been left unchecked for more than a month. Rai really needed to do his job better.


    Callus walked towards the door with the sign " Main Control Room" above. He blasted it with his spell. The dust made him cover his mouth, squinting. He entered the room, pulling the trigger near the door.  The room was soon filled with light. The monitors began to display images. Callus checked to make sure everything still ran smoothly.


    " Thanks god it''s still operating. Now, to release all the Aircutters first. Storage 1 I believe. Head to tower 1, all of you."


    He could hear the sound of activating machinations from below.


    " Good, next, the droids, protect... "


    Callus could feel something in his stomach. He looked down, and blood was dripping. Instinctively, he released his familiar. He looked back, to see his assailant. His eyes widened.


    " No, you, you are supposed to...


    He could not utter another word, for the spells hurling towards him let him know that words were useless.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander could see tower 3.  He could also smell the acrid odor of burning meat. He charged at the tower as fast as he could, with the hope he could see Maria there, fighting, like she did many times before.


    The demons already surrounded the tower. They crawled their way into it, now that the metal gate was reduced to mere pieces of junks. Amidst the army of demons, a child was kneeling, glaring at the demon, constantly disintegrating them with his electricity. His eyes were fierce, lightning filling his irises. Wander knew immediately that was Fulish.


    Wander terminated most of his demon form, leaving only his arms demonized. He sank his claws in a trunk nearby, lifting the whole tree up and slammed it on the demons. He swung it backwards like a base bat, then slammed it down again on another pack of demons. The demons turned on him, finally deciding to stop acknowledging him as one of them. They jumped at him, their mouths wide open, showing their pointy, decayed teeth.


    " I apologize." He said, with all honesty, as he hit them with the trunk using all of his strength.


    Wander screamed at Fulish. " Get over here, quick!"


    The familiar was startled by his voice, but he immediately picked himself up and ran to Wander''s side. Wander smashed any demon trying to obstruct Fulish. He wondered why he was trying to save this familiar, considering he possibly could have taken the life of someone he held dear.


    " What happened to you? I know you can get rid of these things in seconds."


    Fulish grimaced in pain, tears flowing out of his eyes.


    The household familiar caught up. She blasted the demons away with her arrow attack. She proceeded to emit electrical threads that attached themselves to the surrounding demons, shocking them to the point of unconsciousness.


    She turned back into her humanoid form, landed next to Fulish and hugged him. " It''s okay, it''s okay." She said.


    Fulish burst into tears. " I lost. She is going to take away everything. This is unfair." He said in a brittle voice.


    " Maria is still alive?'' Wander asked, smiling.


    The household familiar glared at him.


    " Tell us what happened." She told Fulish.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The lightning bolt hit Maria''s body. The electricity spread all over her body, just as how it had spread over the bodies of Fulish''s other enemies. Fulish shook his head. " To think Samundo dare send his underling to my domain." He turned away from her body, thinking about how he should get rid of it.


    A rustling sound made Fulish all tense. He discharged his strongest attack as he looked back to check Maria''s body. She was standing, looking at him with her half-closed eyes. Red blood left a fine thread running from her mouth to her chin. She raised her hand, blocking Fulish''s attack. The collision between her skin and his spell conceived a sphere of electricity that quickly grew in side, enveloping the air with a buzzing sound.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.            " Of course you would not give up that easily." Fulish shouted, grinning.


    " I do not appreciate being crossed, Fulish." Maria said, her stare turning glacial." What did you do to him?"


    " The boy is safe. You? I can''t say the same. Sorry, but I hate Samundo and his minions!"


    " At least he''s safe." Maria frowned. " I guess we do this the hard way then."


    " See if you can win. I am a King!"


    Fulish unleashed electrical rays towards Maria, and she guarded herself with an energy shield. The familiar smirked, believing that his opponent would soon run out of power and succumb to his attack.


    Fulish soon found his confidence sapped of him as he realized he was being pulled into the sphere. Not only his body, but the energy within him was sucked into the attack. He felt his arm pulled towards Maria, despite his attempt to drag it back. He tried to disrupt his spell, only to realize Maria had found a way to drain his power.


    Maria clenched her fist." Electricity, lightning spell, is extremely easy to manipulate and channel, you know right? " She effortlessly pulled Fulish to her as if she was pulling a rope with a doll bound to the other end.  With no hesitation, she swung him back and forth, and finally slammed him against the metal gate, causing it to absorb his electricity and open.


    Maria release her grip on Fulish. He rose up, a little dazed but overall unscathed.


    " You hit me! How dare you?" His eyes exploded like a mini super nova; his body burned everything around it with electricity. He lifted himself off the ground, his hands charged with lightning " Let me show you the power of a king!"


    Fulish plunged himself towards Maria like an arrow of lightning. He had been called " The Bolt" by his peers due to his unmatched speed. He could trap his opponent simply by moving so fast that he left a series of visible trails of electricity behind him, resembling a web of a spider. Every beings with the intention of escape invariably ended up being fried, and just a moment of distraction was enough for them to be pierced by his body. " I will end you."


    " This attack of yours is seriously overrated." Maria said, not even trying to trace his movement.


    " I had enough of this insolent girl." Fulish glared at Maria, charging at her at full speed. " You will not be in one piece."


    Fulish''s body clashed with Maria''s shield, creating a shockwave that blasted their surroundings.


    " Your shield will not hold up." Fulish shouted at Maria.


    " That''s what other kinds of kings told me too."


    Fulish could feel his victory, He could feel her shield being pushed back.


    " Say, foolish king." Maria smiled." You must have heard of the term electrical overload, right?"


    Fulish shivered against his will. He did not know it was because of his opponent''s smile, or her remark.


    " Too much electricity and the circuits go boom!" Maria said. Fulish noticed her hands were behind her back again. " Your body has no circuits. But I reckon it must have something similar."


    Fulish felt his heart sink. He instantly withdrew himself from Maria. Again, he could not.


    " And here I had thought you would have learned something from your previous attack." Maria shook her head.


    Fulish realized her shield was not pushed back, but he was being pulled in. His eyes widened, his breathing grew shorted. " No, no, no!" He mumbled to himself; his throat went dry.


    "  Strawberry jam incoming." Maria smiled.


    Fulish felt his innards heating up, his blood boiling. He gasp for breath as he sensed a fire eating him inside out. He cried, his arms and legs swing frantically midair.


    Just when he thought he would see himself blown to pieces, Fulish was back to the ground as the heat slowly vanished. He hold his neck, gasping for breath. He stared at Maria with eyes wide open, tears ready to come out.


    " You will have trouble using your power for a while. But considering this is your island, I don''t think it will inconvenience you much." Maria looked down at him.


    " You..You will pay for this. To dare insult a Familiar King." Fulish glared at her, still catching breath.


    Maria shook her head at him." I have always thought the king is the most useless piece in a game of chess. Unable to protect itself, a burden to others. Yet when it falls, the game is lost. How absurd."


    Fulish clenched his fists.


    " I wondered what they had in mind when they created the king like that. It made me struggle to complete my model. But seeing you, I think I understand what they wanted to convey back then."


    Maria turned away from Fulish, heading for the Vault.


    Fulish shouted at her. " You think you''ve won? This is my domain, remember?"


    " On the contrary, Fulish king. You''ve already lost the moment I set foot on this island."


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Wander slammed another pack of demons, his head overflowed with excitement and confusion. " Maria is still alive." He relished the news. He wondered how he could ever think she would be defeated by Fulish. She had won against Ignitus with ease; another king would not bother her.


    " Rai told us he saw you defeating her." Elecaimant said.


    " He must have left the moment he saw me strike that witch down. He must have thought that was the end." Fulish snorted.


    Wander frowned. " Maria could not have unleashed the demon."


    " You still defend her? Oh I forgot you carry demonic blood!"


    " My king, please calm down."


    " I will repeat once more: Maria could not have unleashed the demons. She has always been with someone ever since she arrived. Or, even if she did, she could not have done that alone. Not without someone that knows this domain very well."


    " You stop talking!" Fulish shouted, covering his ears.


    " That is a very dangerous thing you are implying, Wander." Elecaimant glared at him.


    " Say, which trap is triggered here?" Wander smiled.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Callus held his stomach, his hand glowing. He had never been more regretful for ignoring medical spell class of Mr. Manion. Still, what was hurting him the most was not the bleeding wound, but the fact that Rai was standing in front of him.


    " Since when?" He grudgingly asked.


    " I don''t know." Rai looked down at him. " A few decades back, I guess. But I must admit, I have grown tired of looking after that brat for more than a century. It amazes me how something can remain obnoxious for so long."


    Rai created a sword in his hand. He pointed it at Callus. " Well, this is nothing personal. Just consider it bad luck, okay? You chose the wrong king, Malton."


    " Push him back, Coses!" Callus shouted.


    Callus''s stone-covered familiar slammed its feet on the floor. Spikes burst from under Coses''s feet, but Rai did not halt his advance. He slid across the wall, throwing his sword at Callus. Coses plunged his arm to block the sword. A loud " crack" sound made Callus wince.


    Callus reached for the control panel. " The droids, the droids." His wound began to bleed again, this time even worse. He glanced at Coses. The familiar was struggling against Rai. The room was too small, and Rai''s speed and body was a perfect match for its size. Coses, on the other hand, could not bring out his full power, his movements limited by the room.


    Rai laughed. " Okay, fun time is over." He jumped back, impaling his sword into the floor. In a moment, the whole room became electrical.  The control panel exploded.


    " Go to hell!"Callus''s visions went hazy due to blood loss." Coses, merge with me!"


    The familiar''s body expanded. It engulfed Callus, becoming his armor. Callus charged at Rai, throwing his fist at him. The traitorous familiar lowered his body; his hand pierced Coses. Callus instantly jumped back, and still he felt a stinging pain spread throughout his body.


    " Let''s end this" Rai created another sword.


    " Yeah, let''s end this, with you under rubbles!" Callus slammed on the floor with all of his strength.


    The whole room collapsed. Coses curled up into a ball, an one ton ball that broke through every ceiling and every floor of every room under. Slabs of concrete fell on Rai, but he managed to evade most of them. One slab crashed his shoulder, dislocating it. He screamed in pain, glaring at Callus and Coses.


    " I can fly, you know!" Rai shouted as he smashed the concretes with his body, now in the form of an arrow just like Elecaimant''s.


    Callus collided with the ground floor. Even with Coses, his back seemed like it was about to break. He desummoned his familiar. He did not want to make it undergo unnecessary pain. He clenched his fist, watching Rai slowly descend towards him.


    " How desperate, Callus Malton." Rai raised his arm, a bolt in his hand." Don''t worry, I will not attend your funeral."


    " The king trust you." Callus glared at him.


    " Oh, the king does trust me. The brat, I don''t need his trust." Rai threw his sword.


    Callus closed his eyes. Blood splashed on his face. He could hear the sound of weapon piercing body. He realized there was no pain.


    " Wow, that was quicker than I expected." He opened his eyes. In front of him was Rai with an arrow through his chest, his eyes widened. The familiar turned back to see his assailant. Callus also looked up. Handi and Carl was flying above the two of them.


    Callus smiled. " Coses." He whispered. The familiar instantly appeared, standing between him and Rai. " The head."


    The familiar executed the order with no hesitation. It clapped its wheel-size hands, with Rai''s head in between. Callus closed his eyes. This time, he felt pain.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Wander carried Fulish on his back, heading for tower 6. Elecaimant flew above them, electrocuting any approaching demons. The path to tower 6 did not cross with the demons'' march, enabling them to move forward with little to no obstacle.


    " I did not see Tower 6 when I first got here." Wander said.


    " Of course you didn''t. It''s never meant to be seen. It''s a hiding place, after all." Fulish said, snorting.


    " I see. A hidden tower. You will rest there until you regain your power. That''s the plan?"


    " Yes, then I will fry these creeps."


    " Such enthusiasm." Wander laughed.


    The walkie-talkie in Fulish''s hand caught a signal, emitting Handi''s voice. " King Fulish? Are you there?"


    " I''m here." Fulish answered, nodding at Elecaimant. She flew lower.


    " Rai betrayed us." Handi rushed through those words as fast as possible.


    Wander shook his head. He could feel Fulish''s arm tighten on his neck.


    " Liar!" Fulish shouted. " Rai would never¡ª"


    Fulish''s voice was blocked by his hiccup.


    " My King, he almost killed Callus. Had it not been for Wander''s warning, he would have died."


    Fulish sniveled." How''s Callus? Is..is he okay?"


    " Carl is treating his wound. He will recover." Handi softened her voice. " Rai destroyed the control room, so now I''m activating the droids manually. My King, are you doing well?"


    Fulish nodded, forgetting that Handi could not see him. The summoner, apparently knowing that he nodded, ignored his err." My King, please stay safe. We will get through this. And please tell Wander that Callus says thanks."


    Handi ended the conversation. The walkie-talkie went back to emitting white noise sound. Fulish''s tears dropped on Wander''s neck . The hunter glanced at Elecaimant, wondering if her tears had been evaporated by her lightning.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander could not see tower 6 as a tower. It was nothing more than an empty warehouse buried under piles of bricks and stones, ready to collapse any time.


    Fulish would not let go of Wander. He buried his face in his back, crying non-stop. Elecaimant went back to her humanoid form, sitting on the floor with her knees bended, staring at emptiness. She closed her eyes, her head leaned on the wall. Wander was sure now that she was older than she looks. Though he was not that sure about the king on his back.


    " How did you know? About Rai? About his attacking Callus?" Elecaimant asked.


    " I did not. I only assumed the worst scenario possible. If indeed there was a betrayer among Fulish''s followers, then after unleashing the demons, it was most likely he would try to prevent any defensive measure. After you told me you sent Callus, alone, to activate the machines, I could not help feeling unease. Not only because I was worried he would be attacked, but also I wanted to make sure he was not the betrayer."


    Elecaimant frowned, pursing her lips.


    " The demons come from the outside. If they did not traverse the underwater Halcyonline, then there must be another entrance. Only someone really close to Fulish could have known the way this island worked. How to get in without alerting anyone. Which means, basically, everyone on this island except for Maria and me could be the betrayer, or the betrayers."


    " I should have let you know that only Rai and I knew that much about the domain. You could have pinpointed him sooner." Elecaimant held her head." This is my fault."


    " Nonsense. Why would you spout facts to someone you''ve just met? You did nothing wrong."


    Wander smiled, recalling Maria''s favorite sentence.


    " What really sealed the deal for me was how Rai instantly told you the mission was a success, despite the fact that Maria stood up only seconds later. Of course, it might be true that he had turned away right after Fulish struck Maria down, but that sounded too convenient. That was why he became my prime suspect."


    A silence occurred. Wander noticed Fulish had stopped crying and had let go of his neck. The child king had stood up and walked towards Elecaimant. He sat down next to her.


    " Will you leave me too, El?"


    The household familiar turned to face him. " Of course not. I will stay with you till the day you grow bored of me."


    Fulish shook his head. He hugged his household familiar." Never."


    Elecaimant patted on his head and hugged him back. Wander left the tower, deciding to leave the two alone so that they could be completely comfortable.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    No demon waited for outside the tower. However, fire had spread throughout the jungle, and several new colossal demons had emerged. Wander could see glowing dots surrounding them, shooting spells at them. " The summoners are fighting back." He could see Tower 1, or rather its shadow, behind dense smoke. He could not see the others. The demons must have destroyed all.


    Wander could not get a full view of the domain from where he stood, but he knew it must not be much different from hell. Fire, an army of demons, huge monstrosities, smoky sky, if Samundo was here, it would be perfect.


    Samundo made him think of Maria. He was glad that she lived. " She''s with Samundo." Wander shook his head, trying to throw those words out of his mind. He told himself Maria was a good person. She helped him, she tried to prevent the massacre.


    " And she lied to Ignitus. She broke into the vault. And you actually knew nothing about her, aside from the fact that she''s powerful, she has an ex and his name is Arthur." Doom Mark''s voice echoed in his head.


    " Not the time, Doom Mark."


    " Wander, how can you trust someone you''ve barely known for a month?:


    " She''s done nothing to make me distrust her. "


    Doom Mark chuckled.


    " Wander, I can read your thought. And your brain, oh how it works! Should I tell you a conclusion you''ve been trying to repress, a conclusion that I''ve claimed from the abyss that is your mind?"


    Wander did not reply.


    " Everything, from the beginning, shall we? Let''s see, from that day, the day you diverged from a Hunter''s path, you met Nito. Then he told you you were the same as him. The next day, you turned. The day after that, you met Maria. Few weeks later, Mirilad happened. That beast started hunting you down. Then Hiatus and Aria found out, they helped you escape, only to fail. Then, you were almost captured, Maria rescued you, you left New York. You met Ignitus, you got on that ship, and now you are here. Let''s not forget many years ago before all of this, you did something unbelievable to that child Jonathan and your sister. Tell me, Wander, you do realize something is not right with this story, right?"


    " Nothing is wrong." Wander cast his eyes down.


    " Boy, you yourself know this, the universe is rarely lazy, and when things are too convenient, the chances are the truth is hidden. Wander, how convenient is your story? You met a random guy in the forest, who revealed to you that you were the same as him, a being with the power to defeat the demon lord. What are the odds?"


    " Infinitesimal."


    " You knew already right? That you are not an Exsomnis and Nito had lied to you. You are something else. He must have expected something when he convinced you to turn.  That is the most reasonable conclusion. The decision you made on that day set you down a path of serial disasters. Or, if you want, you can choose to believe that you are indeed an Exsomnis, and the random stranger you met turned out to be just your kin, and all of this is believable. How''s that?"


    Wander focused on the roars of the demons.


    " And Maria, a girl so willing to save you and keep you alive. A girl you meet in a forest, what a fateful encounter, isn''t it? The encounter with the beast must be fateful, too. It attacked you right after Nito disappeared. Hmm, what do we have here?"


    " The beast must be trying to hunt down those that can kill Samundo. It works for Samundo."


    " Then who does Maria work for, then? It attacked her."


    " Not Samundo."


    " What if she does, Wander? She''s protecting you. What if, the beast is the good guy here? It''s hunting you. What does that make you?"


    Wander could feel his heart race. What Doom Mark was about to say, he had already deduced, and the being knew that.


    " It seems the core question of your story, my boy , as well as to anyone''s story, is too obvious: Who are you,,Wander?"


    <hr />


    We are very close to the end!

 Chapter 33: Premonition of Destruction

    "Are you the demon lord?"


    Wander cleared his throat. One time, two times, three times.  He did not dare to look back. He feared the expressions on Fulish''s face and his followers'' at the moment.


    Just a few minutes ago, Elecaimant received a report from Handi: help from the Round Table had arrived, along with a few hunters. Wander was hoping it would be Aria and Hiatus, and was overjoyed when his hope held true. He urged Fulish to return to tower 1, but what awaited him was not a warm reunion, but a cold question.


    "Wow, I didn''t expect that." Doom Mark said.


    Wander took a few steps towards Aria and Hiatus. He felt his surroundings melting, all sounds deafening, the demons aggravating, the heat dissipating. The two pillars of his life were standing in front him, and they were crumbling. He was too happy to see them here, to see them ascend the stairs and walked towards him. He had not expected they would discover the truth themselves.


    " What are you talking about?" Wander asked, his eyes blurred." I''m not Samundo. You know me right? I can''t be that monster."


    Aria closed her eyes. " No, I don''t know you."


    Wander turned to Hiatus. The boy averted his eyes from him.


    "Six years ago, did you frame Jonathan for what he did not do? Did you really hurt yourself, then blamed it on him? To push him away from us?"asked Aria.


    If Wander was not devastated by the previous question, he certainly was with these. Color vanished from his face, and he was trembling so hard he could fall at anytime.


    "So you did."Aria bit her lips..


    Wander reached out to the two. They were close to him, yet he could not find the strength to touch them. All he could feel was the cold invisible wall in front of him. " I must not cry, I must not cry." He told himself.


    " The Halcyon is breaking!" The scream of one summoner knocked him back to reality.


    Wander looked up. The sky of Fulish''s domain had completely vanished, only dark water loomed above.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    " We must reach the reservoir before it''s too late." Fulish shouted." Load all the injured on the Aircutters! Quick, we have no time to lose!"


    The summoners immediately carried out Fulish''s order. Some of them glanced at Wander, shook their heads before vanishing along the stairs.


    " This is just stupid. Why did I even decide to put a gate underwater in the first place? So, are you guys going to help me or what?" Fulish said. " I don''t know your problems, but this guy is no way Samundo. He''s your typical lame nice guy!"


    Aria glanced at the legendary familiar. He looked more like a child than a king to her.


    " Of course we will help." She answered.


    Aria did not want to continue thinking about Wander. She felt like she could go crazy. She was going to head downstairs when a "swoosh" sound made her hair stand on end. " No, Tetrax!" She heard Hiatus yell.


    The Singulus Digiti had drawn her sword and swung it at Wander. The boy just stared at her with an expressionless face. Next to him, Fulish pushed Tetrax back with a wave of electrical ray.


    " Put your sword away."Fulish glared at her. " I can fry you before you take a step."


    " You sure? If it''s a matter of speed, I can win." Tetrax replied.


    The air smelled like ozone as Fulish''s lightning perverted it. He raised his hand. Tetrax charged at him with her sword in the sheath.


    Hiatus caught Tetrax''s arm, halting her movement. Fulish also stopped his advance, apparently not appreciating the intervention. Everything happened at a speed too fast for Aria''s eyes.


    " Tetrax, we are not here to fight." Hiatus said.


    The Singulus Digiti was obviously taken aback by Hiatus''s speed. She stared at him, broke free of his hand then sheathed her sword.


    " Touch¨¦. Let''s help the injured, shall we?" Tetrax said as she walked away.


    Fulish frowned at her. He turned to Wander. " You have bad luck with girls."


    The familiar transformed. He jumped off the tower, charging at the demons on the ground like a lightning bolt, leaving  Aria, Hiatus and Wander  with one another.


    " Let''s go help them." Hiatus said, moving ahead of Wander and Aria.


    Aria nodded. She strolled behind Hiatus. She frowned as she heard Wander''s footsteps. They sounded so lonely.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The summoners did not need any help at all. Upon arriving at the medical ward, the three found Tetrax standing idly, her arms folded, watching the summoners effortlessly lift their comrades up and load them on the air cutter.


    "In the end, Veritas and his enforcement never comes. Well, it''s not like they can do much anyways." Tetrax said.


    Hiatus nodded. " Fulish may take care of all the demons by himself. The last thing he needs is another group of hunters in his domain."


    Hiatus turned to Wander. " Where is Maria?"


    " She is in tower 3." Wander said, eyes down." Looking for her lost stuff."


    "Pillars of Light. She must be helping Samundo find it."


    " She''s not with Samundo." Wander said, clenching his fists.


    " She''s with you." Aria said.


    " I''m not Samun..." Wander raised his voice, but quickly closed his mouth.


    " You aren''t even sure?" Aria took her turn to raise voice.


    " I have no intention of destroying this world! I just want to spend time with you guys!"


    " Then why did you turn in the first place? Does being with us mean you have to turn?"


    Wander could not answer. He trembled, biting his lips.


    " You four over there, are you leaving or not?" A summoner called out to them.


    Unintentionally, all the hunters started walking at the same time, at the same pace. They did not look at each other and each chose an  Aircutter for themselves.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.            Aria could not take even one look back at Wander. She had imagined that when confronted, Wander would put on a smug face and be nonchalant about his atrocious behaviors, but in reality the boy seemed so lost and destroyed. These expressions, could they be another facade?


    "Hiatus, please say something."


    "What''s there to say? He admitted it. He manipulated us. Who knows what else he did, who else he hurt all those years?"


    Every insult Jonathan threw at Wander now stood in a new light. Jonathan''s grudge towards Wander, Aria sympathized with it now.


    "I...I antagonized Jonathan. Damn it, I can''t believe I chose Wander over him."


    Aria swallowed hard, noticing how tightly her friend clenched his fists. Jonathan was the first person ever to befriend Hiatus when he arrived in New York Halcyon 6 years ago. From what Hiatus told her, Jonathan stood up for him and helped him blend in, the first true friend before he met Wander and her. She could only imagine the amount of pain that boy underwent after Hiatus pushed him away. And Hiatus, the guilt stemming from his act of unintentional betrayal must be torturing him right now.


    Aria wanted to hate Wander, but the truth was she could not. The look in his eyes was so earnest she dared not to think about it any longer. She found herself in denial. How could those smiles, those birthday cakes, those strawberries, those pranks be all lies? How could Wander not be tired with such an intricate, well-planned facade? But he did commit those horrendous acts against Jonathan."He wants to monopolize you and Hiatus." Those words echoed within Aria''s head. Perhaps, he did love Hiatus and her, but his love took form of a perverse obsession.


    Aria decided she would try to forgive Wander, for she felt the truth was far more complex than what was revealed. She glanced at Hiatus, and wonder what decision he had made for himself.


    It was night, and night was cold.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Fulish approached Wander along with Handi, Callus, and Carl. Each of them had their own Aircutters, flying towards the underwater gate. The level 7 familiar informed others. "Elecaimant has failed to close the gate. She cannot even identify where the demons are coming from. "


    Handi frowned. " Beyond the gate, it must be..that place."


    All of them shivered. The domain of the demons was so close to them, the domain that had never been found. They could cross to it right now and discover the Halcyon equivalent of Atlantis, but for now their lives mattered more.


    " This is disastrous. If we just leave and let that gate be, sooner or later the demons will cross the Halcyon into Earth realm." Carl said." There will be hell."


    Carl made a point all of them agreed with. Humans would definitely panic once they confronted the demons, and it would be an one-side slaughter.


    " Let''s destroy the whole domain then." Fulish said.


    The three summoners and Wander stared at him with eyes wide open.


    " This is your favorite playground." Handi said, raising her eyebrows.


    " I know! You guys better think of something fast before I decide to keep it intact and do not give a darn about Earth realm!"


    " We''ll destroy the Halcyon." Callus said.


    This time it was his turned to be stared at. What Callus suggested was worse than deciding to nuke the domain five times over.


    " I really don''t think we should do that." Carl shook his head.


    Not a single being had ever witnessed the destruction of a Halcyon, but something within them, maybe deep-seeded instinct , struck utmost fear into their heart whenever they visualized the destruction. The Halcyons were there before them; they were their suns. No one wanted to mess with the sun.


    " We do not have a weapon that can completely destroy the domain fast enough. My king, I do not mean to underestimate you, but look at all those demons, it''ll be too late before you kill all of them. To destroy the Halcyon, and everything within it, is the best alternative right now. If we fail to act quickly, the demons will enter Earth, and that is undesirable."


    Fulish closed his eyes, grimacing. He shouted in frustration."Contact Elecaimant."


    Handi nodded, taking out her walkie-talkie. Moments later, Elecaimant''s voice reached them. " My king?"


    " Destroy the Halcyon core. The 1st password is 11021345ILMF. The second, 4567ILRAE, the third is my name. Wait for my signal, and right after you destroy it, return to Ethers Realm. You know what to do." Fulish said in a go.


    Elecaimant was obviously taken a back, unable to utter a word. Only a while later did she say "Understood." before disconnecting.


    " Oh boy, this is not going down well." Carl clutched his hair.


    " The girl, she left, right?" Handi asked, gradually lowering her voice.


    Wander turned to look at Tower 3. He whispered. "No."


    " You are not going back there. You will not make it." Callus said.


    " I''m worried, but I have no such intention. I will just be a burden to Maria if I go there now. I''ve seen what she can do." Wander clenched his fist. " And even though they seem to hate me now, I cannot risk them following me into that hell."


    Fulish glanced at Wander. " Can''t believe they think you are Samundo."


    " Oh boy, look at that. The king likes you. You really are good at this, aren''t you?" Doom Mark chuckled."Getting strangers to like you."


    Wander glanced at the army of demons. Samundo, him? Those demons did not even notice his existence, let alone acknowledged him as their lord. For a brief moment he wondered how  it would feel like to control them.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    " So, you are telling me that an island of that size, disappeared and left no trace behind, just yesterday?"


    Veritas replied to Alados in the affirmative.


    " Your cerebral function is questionable, Veritas. How many times did you check?"


    " Five times, sir."


    " Check five more then."


    " Sir, it''s no use. Fulish''s domain is completely gone, and he disappeared shortly after its destruction. His followers would not say a thing."


    Alados clicked his tongue. "Casualty?"


    "One death, sir."

 Chapter 34: Convergence Point

    It was pure chaos. A dozen of helicopters  ravaged the sky, accompanied by Fulish''s Aircutters. Summoners and Hunters emerged from beneath the reservoir, carrying with them the wounded. They shouted at the medical teams , urging them to provide treatment. The air was a hideous harmony of scream, moan, siren and flapping wings. Some curious humans tried to get a look, only to be turned away by  frustrated hunters swinging their batons around, and would surely be branwashed later. No fewer than a hundred hunters surrounded the area with their weapons ready. Veritas stood in front of them, waiting.


    " Sir Veritas, is it true that Samundo is here?" A hunter asked, sweating.


    " Most likely. This time, we may be able to kill him before he even became a legit threat."


    " Another one is coming, sir."


    Veritas squinted at the water. He could not mistake that cloak for anything else. " Tetrax." He whispered.


    The Singulus Digiti was looking at him from above. She was followed by Aria and Hiatus. The two young hunters looked more and more miserable each time Veritas saw them. He waved at them. " Where is Wander?" He shouted.


    Tetrax pointed down.


    Veritas nodded." Aim at the boy only. No summoner or familiar is to be hurt."


    His subordinates unsheathed their swords. The helicopters turned their guns at the water.


    Tetrax jumped down and landed by Veritas. " You are not going to kill him."


    " Sorry, but I do not answer to you."


    " That boy is my mission. I can take care of him. He is not strong enough to defy me."


    "Yet." Veritas glanced at Tetrax. " He is potentially the demon lord, and I will not take the risk of letting him live."


    Tetrax pointed at the reservoir. " All we have up until now is circumstantial evidence. Yes, he was picked up around the same time Samundo was defeated. So what? It''s just a coincidence, have you ever considered?"


    " Do you really think it is that convenient?"


    " Sir, someone is coming!" A hunter shouted.


    " Listen, don''t you think something is wrong? We conclude that he is a demon lord based on that fact alone?"


    Veritas frowned. " If he is just a boy then why is he your mission? He must have some significance!"


    " And why do you assume his significance is him being Samundo? Let me get him, and I will tell you his significance, after I discover it."


    An aircutter shot through the sky, carrying Wander. Less than a second later, Fulish emerged, flying to its side. Three other summoners accompanied him. Veritas squinted. He realized one of them.


    The Aircutters descended, and Wander became clearer. Veritas had never seen the boy in flesh before, yet he felt like he had known him for a while. "Keep your aim. Wait for Fulish and the summoners to leave his side, then shoot immediately."


    "Sir, watch out!"


    Veritas could not react in time. Before he knew it, Tetrax''s sword had reached his neck.


    " This is a big mistake." He glanced at her." Keep your position. Focus on the boy!"


    " I know it has to boil down to this, Solus." Tetrax tightened her grip on the sword. " Telling them to fall back, and you keep that head of yours."


    " I see. Do it then. I assure you my death will not deter my men."


    Tetrax chuckled." But for each of them to lose a limb or two would surely deter them, right?"


    Veritas glared at her. " You dare?"


    " Why not? Tell you what, nice guy, do you think the suffering you are about to put your subordinates through is worth it? Killing a boy who you think is Samundo based solely on the story another boy told you? And trust me, if he''s truly Samundo, you will fail, and your men will die."


    Veritas clenched his fist. He shouted. " Lower your weapon. On stand-by!"


    The hunters hesitated, but followed their commander''s order without question.


    " Thank you, Solus. You have always been a man of reason. Well, most of the time." Tetrax said, lowering her sword, but not sheathing it. " Now, my mission."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander had his eyes fixed on the sea of people below. They did not look that different from the demons.


    " Do not leave his side. Those hunters will not dare to shoot him with us nearby." Fulish told his followers.


    " They are withdrawing." Callus said. " That''s weird."


    " It''s a trap!" Fulish said." Those fools dare think I will fall for such a trap!"


    " It''s not a trap" Wander said with a cold voice." Most likely the person next to Veritas just threaten him. She did not want me dead, apparently."


    Fulish squinted. " The girl who attacked you earlier? One second she wants to cut you the next she wants you alive. This is not Las Vegas."


    Handi tapped Wander''s shoulder. " We''ll take you out of here with us. Don''t worry."


    Fulish whispered into the walkie-talkie. " Now, Elecaimant."


    Elecaimant did not reply, but the sound of an explosion was more than enough.


    " Let''s hope we will not blow this island up too." Carl crossed his fingers.


    Seconds passed, there was no impact.


    " Oh, that went better than ¡ª"


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    It was not seen, only felt. An earthquake of such magnitude that it was enough to shoot all the water of the reservoir into the air and destroy the firm grips of every tree roots. All people on the ground was  pushed by an anti-gravitational force into the air, and the people already off the ground found themselves even higher in the air. The summoners instantly use their spells to counter the force, keeping themselves and the hunters from passing the troposphere. The earth, now not so different from an onion, cracked layer by layer as boulders of rocks floated upward. A reverse waterfall manifested , being stretched towards the sky. Gravity did not vanished, but a force more powerful had dispelled its effect.


    " You had to jinx it!" Handi screamed." And is it just me or a fish just winked at me?"


    " It''s just you!" Carl screamed back." Oh wait, it''s not just you!"


    " The force is getting weaker. Cast any protection spell you know the moment it disappears. All those rocks and trees won''t stay floating!" Callus shouted.


    It was like a climax that came to an abrupt end. The water stopped, and at that moment, the whole world froze. It was not an ambiguous feeling, but an empirical phenomenon that every single hunter, summoner, human and familiar witnessed. Nothing moved.


    That moment lasted for a second. Before anyone could overcome the profound feeling of seeing the world stop, they all came crashing down.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Veritas disliked Summoners, but at the same time he admired them, particularly when they saved his comrades and him from being flattened by the fall. What was supposed to be an agonizing impact felt just like falling on a poorly made bed. It still hurt, but much better than falling on the ground.


    " Blast away those things!" A summoner shouted.


    All summoners simultaneously shot their spells at the boulders and the trees. Orbs and beams of all colors raced towards the falling objects, burning them, disintegrating them, breaking them. Some turned their staff into a sword, slashing everything. Some synchronized their attack, creating multiple shockwaves that reduced the boulders to mere dust. Some halted the movement of the debris, letting them land without hurting anyone.


    Veritas glanced at Tetrax. She was being distracted by the commotion.  He nodded at the hunters standing close to her.


    His subordinates moved right after he gave his order, charging at Tetrax. They took three steps and she vanished like a shadow.


    " Get the boy!" Veritas shouted.


    Tetrax could still be seen, but was little more than a faint phantom phasing through space. She was heading straight for Wander.


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    " Keep him safe." Fulish said as he charged forward. " Let''s see her speed."


    The familiar shot hundreds of electrical orbs at Tetrax. The Singulus Digiti evaded them all, her sword unsheathed. For a brief moment, her legs transformed. The forced caused by them was so great that the water under her feet burst in the opposite direction.  Her sword flashed through Fulish''s body. She landed on a rock, one of a hundred now scattering across the resevoir due to the previous phenomenon.


    Blood dripped from Fulish''s low torso. He glared at Tetrax, slamming the water and electrified the reservoir. He took off, aiming at Tetrax like an arrow. He trapped her in the same attack he used on Maria.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Aria could not stabilize her breathing. Her hands was all wet, her throat went dry, she wanted to rip her heart out to stop it from destroying her chest with its accelerating beat. She glanced at Veritas, giving orders to his subordinate, at Tetrax and Fulish combating, at the helicopters hovering not so far away with their guns point in Wander''s direction, at the piles of rocks and metals floating around the reservoir.


    " I can still do this. We can still graduate. Yes, yes. Wander can still be saved. I must do something."


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.            She turned to Hiatus. He was looking down at all that were transpiring.


    " We need to help Wander. He will really die at this rate." Aria said, holding back her tear." We need to get to him."


    Hiatus turned his eyes on her, and she shuddered as she felt them pierce her soul.


    " Hiatus?"


    " This is going to be the last time." The boy said, jumping off the Aircutter.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The summoners watched the battle between Fulish and Tetrax stagnated.


    " If she can get out of that attack, she''s faster than him." said Callus." And she will come for him."


    " Come, Wander. We get out of here." Handi said.


    Wander searcher for Aria and Hiatus. He wanted to tell them the truth. He wanted to tell them everything. He did not want to leave.


    " Please, we don''t have time!" Carl raised his voice.


    Wander did not care. He could not leave like this. He searched for his friends. He could see the two walk towards him. Hiatus did not show any emotion, Aria''s eyes were red. He put them through all this. He should have told them sooner.


    " I will apologize. I will. I will be if they want me to."


    Carl and Handi could not restrain him. He was faster than them both. He ran towards Aria and Hiatus.


    " Stop! You must leave, you know that. You can''t go back to them. What is wrong with you? You are not this unreasonable brat!" Doom Mark shouted in his head.


    Even the thing inside his head did not understand him. Wander smiled. He knew he was an unreasonable hunter since the beginning, but only for Aria and Hiatus. Everything he did, he did for them.


    " It''s a lie, you freak! You turned! You freaking turned! You turned for yourself, not them!"


    " No, no, I turned, I turned because I..." Wander could not remember.


    " My god, your insomnia, it is already to this extent."


    " I must get there before I forget them too."


    It was surely surreal, Wander realized. Amidst the deafening sound of the wind, the scenery blurred by the lingering drops of water in the air, the surge of sensations reaching its climax in his innermost, Wander never felt more alive.


    " Did I forget them too, when I willed myself to the path of a demon? Did I let my emotion take hold? Why did I turn back then?"


    Wander could not remember the person he had been one month before. It did not matter to him now. In front of him stood the two persons most important to him. That was all he knew.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Aria frowned, realizing the Wander in front of her did not seem any different from the Wander that cried to her not so long ago. She sensed the desperation in his eyes, an innocent desperation. However, it was too likely now that the innocent amounted to nothing but a lie.


    The boy looked at Aria, then at Hiatus. He mustered all of his strength to utter some words." I don''t know who I am anymore. But I don''t care. I am still your friend, and that''s the only identity I need."


    Aria  closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew what would happen. Wander could not go back with her. He must go with the summoners. Still, she could give him the promise of forgiveness, in return for the truth from him. She could still cling to the hope that Wander did things for a good reason, and one day he would return to Hiatus and her, to complete the plan they made.


    " It will take a while before I can forgive you for what have done." Aria finally said." I need you to tell me everything from the beginning to the end, one day. Can you do that?"


    Wander nodded.


    Aria extended her hand, and without hesitation, Wander took it, a miserable smile on his face.


    " You will leave with the summoners, but you will remain our friend."


    Aria gave a genuine smile as she saw Wander tear up, in the same manner when she and Hiatus tended to his wounds just weeks ago.


    " Hiatus?" Aria called out to her other friend.


    The boy had been staring at her and Wander for a while. He walked up to them, put his hand on theirs''. Wander''s eyes lighted up, and Aria nodded.


    " This is the last time." He said to both of them.


    And his knife went straight towards Wander''s throat.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander raised his hand by instinct, but Hiatus'' speed was no joke: the knife penetrated Wander''s hand, pushed it back despite Wander''s struggle, and sunk into Wander''s throat. The boy coughed blood, desperately trying to hold his friend''s knife from going upwards and cutting through his head. He opened his mouth, but no words emitted, only his choking. The green blood poured out profusely, soaking Hiatus'' hand. Hiatus did not faze.


    Aria could not react. She just stood, her mouth open, her body trembling.


    " Stop...stop...stop..." She mumbled.


    Hiatus ignored her. He put more strength into his hand, and his knife slowly went up.


    "STOP!" Aria shouted, grabbing Hiatus'' arm.


    " The grandest betrayal deserves the grandest execution." Hiatus said, his hands demonized." Decapitation."


    The blade approached Wander''s chin. It slowly turned horizontal.


    Only until this moment did Aria realize, all the jokes Hiatus made were no jokes at all, and the hand he put on hers and Wander''s sought to keep the two of them in check, not to rekindle the friendship. Aria''s movements were limited, her dominant hand and half her body locked by Hiatus'' unthinkable strong grip.      She screamed and screamed, trying to free herself from Hiatus'' control. She apologized ceaselessly as Wander''s eyes slowly lost the light.


    " Stop! Stop!" Aria entered her demon form. She grabbed Hiatus'' arm with her left hand, trying to remove it from her right one."Hiatus, please, I''m begging you!"


    " H..Hi..." Wander''s voice drowned in the green liquid that was filling his mouth.


    "Please, stop." Aria''s voice weakened. She began to sob." Don''t do this to us."


    Hiatus gritted his teeth. His hand loosened, then immediately regained full force. His arm moved, and the knife cut through Wander''s neck.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Wander staggered backwards, his hands covering the wound, unable to keep his blood from spilling out. His neck was wide open, his trachea visible.  He dropped to his knees, vomiting uncontrollably. A few steps in front of him, Aria was using all of her strength to stand and moved towards him. The boy entered his demon form, trying to regenerate the critical wound.


    Hiatus walked towards him, empty stares in his eyes. He looked down at Wander, raising his knife. Wander looked up at him, eyes half open.


    Hiatus grimaced. The knife in his hand shook. His lip was dripping blood because of his bite. His hand trembled, then his arm. And he dropped the knife.


    Hiatus turned away from Wander and grabbed Aria''s arm, pulling her away from Wander as far as possible. She had lost all awareness of her surroundings. The last image she saw, was her friend standing up and moving towards her, his hand reaching out to her, and even to Hiatus. Then came dozens of bullets, straight through his body, and he fell off the platform he was standing on, down into the water below. Then everything went dark.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Veritas, standing one hundred meters away from the three young hunters, felt something stuck in his throat. He looked at his subordinates: each of them diverted their eyes from what just unfolded, at the brutality of Hiatus. Veritas had killed demons before, and even one turn, but killing a turn was not easy, especially when that turn took the form of one''s most beloved. He knew had he been in Hiatus'' position, he would be unable to act with such decisiveness. Even when he gave the order to shoot at Wander, he did hesitate.


    " Captain?" A fellow hunter came up to him, apparently still shocked by what transpired." The target has been neutralized."


    Veritas nodded. He observed the surrounding. Hiatus was carrying Aria away towards him. Fulish had stopped fighting against Tetrax, pointing to her where Wander had fallen. The summoners, as speechless as his subordinates.


    " Captain, if that turn is indeed Samundo, then we won." A hunter said.


    He had always known that was a big "if", but only now did he feel anxious. If he was wrong... But still, Wander was a turn, and what Veritas did was not of ill judgment. He told himself.


    " Send in people to collect his body. Those two students, prepare to take them back to New York."


    Tetrax was standing still, staring at the water. After a while, she looked over to Veritas, her expression could not be seen. She turned away, ready to vanish. But then she stopped.


    " Cap..Captain." His subordinate pointed at the water, where green blood was spreading, and Demex overflew.


    A colossal demon rose from the water. It was covered in blood, spikes sticking out from its body. On one of its hand, Maria. Above her, the body of Wander floating inside a bubble.


    " Hello, world." She said, with her hands behind her." It''s been quite a while."

 Chapter 35: Samundo

    Maria jumped off the demon''s hand and floated a few inches above the water. She touched the demon. In a few seconds, its whole gigantic body disintegrated into dust, scattered by the wind. Only Maria and Wander remained.


    Outnumbered by people who considered her enemy, yet Maria''s composure stood strong like a wall with no crack. She drew the stares of each and every being present, and also the points of swords, the lens of camera, the muzzles of guns. She stared back at them, yet they felt like it was something beyond them her eyes lied upon.  Even the sound from the helicopters could not win against the overwhelming grave silence she was effortlessly imposing on the atmosphere. Summoners, hunters, familiars, focused on her. Just that action seemed to sap them of all strength.


    " My mortal enemies, I am ever grateful to you." Maria said, her voice echoing." For you have returned my master to my side. My lord Samundo."


    She smiled, recognizing the horror on others'' faces.


    She lift Wander''s body up. The boy''s clothes were tattered. His green blood filled the bubble.


    "To reward you all, I will let you gaze upon his resurrection."


    Maria took out a golden bar. She smiled as she saw the frown on Fulish''s face.


    She held the bar close to her lips and whispered obscure words.


    The golden bar flared up. Its glorious and blinding light erased the very concept of darkness. Night turned day, and all stars blurred. All diverted their eyes away from the burning souce of light.


    Maria closed her eyes, took a deep breath as she felt the golden bar transforming in her hand, taking the form of a scepter.


    " And now, witness the rebirth of demon lord Samundo."


    Wander''s body lighted up, and all of his wounds started to heal. Demex emitted from his body. In less than a second, all guns, staffs and swords were pointing at him.


    And his body exploded.  In front of the widened eyes of every living beings. The bubble containing him popped, pieces of flesh scattered in all directions, green blood splatter like rain. The blip blop sound of flesh and organ falling on the water made some flinch in disgust.


    " Just kidding." Maria burst out laughing."He is not Samundo. I am."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Veritas was the first to response to the new threat.


    "Fire!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.


    The hunters pulled the triggered. Hundreds of bullets flew towards Maria but could not reach her body. Instead they bounced off a shield enveloping her.


    " Can''t believe you fell for that trick." The water beneath Maria''s feet, the whole resevoir, quaked like a giant awakened.


    Pillars of water shot at the helicopters, and in mere seconds they turned to ice, trapping the aircraft and disabling their guns. Water whips hit the hunters and the summoners, instantly freezing anyone they touched. It was as if the resevoir had turn sentient, turning against anything and anyone hostile towards Maria with its tentacles. Amidst the chaos, Maria stood still, immune to all forces, hands behind her back, watching the reservoir claiming her assailants one by one.


    "The only idiot who has ever bragged about defeating me. And you killed him so mercilessly."


    It was like a scene extracted from a horror movie: hundreds of frozen hunters and summoners still retained the expression of fear on their faces, their hands in mid air, their bullets and their spells too. One could say a hydra were devouring the living surrounding it. Maria blocked everything thrown at her with the icebergs she created. For each one her opponents destroyed, she created two more.


    The summoners called for their familiars. The hunters tried to approach her. They went for an all-out attack. Maria blasted everything away simply by continuously releasing her energy. Faint rings of light could be seen orbiting her body, spreading across space and pushing everything back, uprooting nearby trees, turning vehicles upside down.


    Tetrax charged forward and flashed her sword flashed at Maria, but her blade suffered the same fate of the bullets. Maria squinted at Tetrax''s cloak. "One of them." Her energy ring forced Tetrax to distance herself from her.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!            "More iron birds." Maria raised her eyebrows at the approaching aircraft.


    They launched missiles towards Maria.


    "Right after you saw me blast thing away. I''m not complaining."


    The missiles, one moment still going at Maria at full speed, dropped like flies killed mid-air just half a second later. They disintegrated to dust before touching the ground.


    The water in the reservoir floated to Maria. A huge sphere of liquid  formed around her, snake-like streams of water interwoven, freezing anything passing through. Maria glanced at Aria and Hiatus. The sphere slowly froze, and her voice echoed throughout the reservoir. "I enjoy the fun, thank you. But no matter what you do, I will continue to seek resurrection, till the day eternity ends."


    The sphere completely concealed Maria. Everything went silent. People waited for her to emerge, but she did not.


    "Destroy it." Veritas gave his order.


    A missile collided with the sphere and reduced it to pieces. It was only ice falling out. Maria was nowhere to be found.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    "One legendary familiar, one Singulus Digiti, one Hunter Captain, more than 100 summoners and their familiars and nearly as much hunters against her." Alados said.


    "I am ashamed of this failure, sir."


    "What failure? The failure of returning alive after confronting her with that few people?"


    "Sir..."


    "Not a single hunter died. I don''t know why  she was so merciful. You did well, Veritas."


    Veritas did not know how to reply. He could only say thank.


    "Afterwards?"


    " Tetrax vanished. Fulish vanished. The wounded hospitalized. The area investigated. Aria and Hiatus returned to New York. Everyone panicked. Silently."


    Veritas could hear Alados tapping his desk.


    " Did you collect Wander''s blood?"


    " No, sir, Samundo had diluted the water with his, I mean, her spells. His flesh and organs seemed to have been reduced to dust. But that boy''s blood can still be found back in New York. In small quantity."


    " Good. Deliver it to me."


    " Sir, should we make a public announcement? To inform people of Samundo?"


    " Yes. It''s not like we can hide her presence any longer. With that entrance, Samundo made sure the whole world knew of her return."


    "One more thing, sir. That boy, Wander, I want him to be off the report, and off the news. He is a victim. His two friends too. I... That''s my apology to them."


    Alados stopped his tapping. Veritas held his breath, a drop of sweat rolled down his cheek.


    " Sure. Keep them hidden. I was going to suggest that anyways."


    "Thank you, sir." He said, waiting for Alados to disconnect.


    After hearing the pip, Veritas put away his phone, sighing. He turned to the person sitting opposite to him.


    " That is very appreciated, Captain."


    "Unnecessary. Now, I believe you have some information to exchange for that favor, Mr. Singulus Digiti."

 Chapter 36: Back to everything

    Aria stared at the floor, ignoring the looks people in the principal''s office were giving her. She wondered where everything went wrong. If she had not agreed to come to Mirilad that day, if she had feigned ignorance of Wander''s demonization, if she had done anything differently, Wander would have lived. " Wouldn''t he?''


    " We are sorry for your loss, Aria." Principal Xixin frowned." We really appreciate that you are still willing to tell us everything, despite what happened."


    Aria knew her principal was not to blame for everything, but she could not help but feel resentful towards him. He moved forward with the contest, even though he knew the risk.


    " Principal, I think it''s time for me to leave." Aria said.


    " Ah, yeah, of course you can leave." Xixin nodded.


    Aria nodded back at her principal and the teachers. She left the office as quickly as possible.


    Hiatus was waiting for her outside, leaning against the wall.


    Aria walked past him. She headed for the entrance gate. She wanted to go home, bury herself in her bed and forget about everything. She heard Hiatus walk behind her.


    Their footsteps were out of synch. The mismatching sound poked at Aria like a needle.


    "You cut his throat without a second thought." Aria turned around to face the boy."You''ve been withholding that desire for a while, haven''t you?"


    Hiatus''s eyes widened, then slowly drooped. He turned his gaze to the debris lying on the yard. "No. It was only at that moment did I decide to take no more risk."


    Aria clenched her fists. "What risk? In the end, he was not even Samundo! He was desperate for our forgiveness."


    " He manipulated us, don''t you see?" Hiatus raised his voice."Everything he did, in retrospect, had some freaking ulterior motives! How can I trust him after all that?"


    Aria pursed her lips. She recalled what Wander said in the library not long ago.


    Hiatus grimaced. "You realized already, right? Tell me: he fooled us for 6 years, how can we be sure his desperation was not another lie?"


    Aria trembled. She turned away from her friend.


    Hiatus approached her. He was about to tap her shoulder, when her voice made him paralyze."Then you could have killed him yourself, instead of being a coward who thought he could sacrifice his friend for his duty."


    "What?" Hiatus''s voice barely emerged.


    "You pulled me away from him. You think I don''t know why?"


    Hiatus swallowed hard.


    "I did not see through Wander, but I saw through you."


    Aria turned to look Hiatus in the eyes.


    " You were clearing the way for the bullets, weren''t you? So Wander could be shot, could be killed, without you tainting your hands. You pushed the hard decision to Veritas."


    Hiatus'' eyes widened. He took one step back, away from Aria.


    " You disgust me." The words were uttered with Aria using all the force she could muster.


    Hiatus lowered his head, a smile drawn across his face, a miserable smile. He looked up at Aria, and she noticed his eyes turned red. The girl never saw her friend so vulnerable. Not since that day, when she and Wander met him under the oak.


    " You are one cruel person, Aria. Without even trying." He said.


    Aria had once held the future in her hand. Everything had once been certain: family, school, career and friends. Now, her future was but a wall, the wall of Halcyon, a silvery darkness, transforming things beyond into a blurry scenery.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Xixin kicked the metal bars at his feet. He leaned back on his armchair, his eyes closed. He felt tired. He lost his best friend and lots of students in just two days. He let his school be destroyed. He put everything at risk, because he wanted to make the contest a success. He wanted to prevent another Cold Decade, but it seemed he started another one.


    Hannah was sitting in front of him, looking at the bookshelf behind him. She stayed up all night those past few days to help him sort things out. Without her he would not be able to chase the press and the council away in such a short while. Only Dessina remained but he was too tired to care.


    " I will resign." He said.


    " Are you sure?" ask Hannah.


    " I need to resign. No hunter would want to see me in this chair after the massacre. For the sake of this institution I will go.


    Xixin stood up. He walked towards his favorite window. He could see the yard from here. He could not believe just few days ago it had been filled with energetic, happy faces. Now only rubbles.


    " I need to take a break from all of this. And then, I will try to fix what I broke."


    Hannah approached him." I understand. Please know that while your departure is undesirable, it is not the end. This school bears your name, but it will be fine without you."


    Xixin laughed." Is this really a thing you say to a depressing person?"


    " I will wait for your return." Hannah said.


    Xixin nodded. A smile of satisfaction bloomed on his face. " Thank you. Sorry I never gave you a raise."


    Hannah chuckled. "I will give myself one after you leave."


    " Feel free to eat into our budget. Now, you leave immediately! I don''t want you to see me cry."


    Hannah laughed as they exit the room. She did not forget to pat on his shoulders.


    "Silly girl." Xixin shook his head, smiling.


    All alone, he opened a drawer under his desk. He took out the pendant Hamilton bought him decades ago. The pendant  held the picture of Hamilton and him.


    " Ham, the promise, I will fulfill it."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Jake did not shy away from the stare Dessina was giving him. The vixen thought she could intimidate him.


    " I know nothing about Wander or his demonization." He stared back at her.


    Dessina smirked. " Funny. You were pretty confident of what you said just two days ago."


    " Any proof?" Jake smiled.


    Dessina chuckled. She stood up from her seat and approached him. She positioned herself behind his back.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.            " Malton, I think we are playing the wrong game here." She grabbed Jake''s shoulder." That moronic robot Veritas is trying to wage a war with us. He is trying to make us summoners look bad. You don''t want that, right? Your family would not want that, right?"


    Jake want to stuff her mouth with a rugby ball.


    " I mean, what do you lose? Friendship? Oh please, you are not that naive, right?"


    " I repeat for one last time: I know nothing. Now please excuse me." Jake stood up.


    Dessina pushed Jake down. She paralyzed him with a spell. " Now you listen, I¡ª"


    " You listen, Dessina! Put your hand off me right now before I make you regret what you are doing. I will not hesitate to make both of us bleed."


    Jake felt Dessina''s fingers sink into him. After a while, she released him.


    " Well, I certainly do not want that to happen."


    Jake stood up, this time with no trouble. He made for the door.


    " However, let me tell¡ª"


    Jake slammed the door behind him. He wanted to bleach his ears.


    Dessina  did not understand anything at all. To expose Wander''s story to the world would further destroy the relationship between Hunters and Summoners. " Summoners are only the victim. The hunters have been hiding a turn all along!" Jake could already imagine Dessina''s sour voice on TVs, with her teary eyes and clenched fists.  She wanted to save Summoners, but Jake wanted to save both species. He wanted to continue his principal''s dream. He wanted to connect Summoners and Hunters.


    Jake saw Alicia waiting ahead. She smiled at him. Jake remembered Aria telling him that Alicia was aristocratic.


    " Waiting for me?" Jake smiled back.


    " I..I was worried. That woman was really fierce when she dragged you with her." Alicia avoided his eyes.


    Jake found her shyness intriguing. " She is a princess, right?" He thought. He chuckled, wondering why he already assumed Alicia was a princess.


    " Is...something wrong?"


    " No, let''s go find Aria and Hiatus."


    Alicia nodded. She distanced herself from him before starting to walk.


    Jake wondered if Alicia could help him. She came from a Hunter family of noble origin. She could have political influence. She could increase his chance of success.


    " Say, how can I contact you after we part our ways?"


    Principal Hamilton died, but his dream did not. Jake would do everything he could to make sure it became a reality.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Hiatus let Alicia and Aria walk ahead. He wanted Aria to spend more time with Alicia, knowing that the princess was much better than him at healing people, both physically and emotionally.


    " One heck of a month, don''t you think?" Jake said.


    Hiatus nodded. " This is only the beginning. Something tells me this time Samundo will not kid around. This time he, I mean, she, will force us to fight the final battle."


    " If we lose, we lose everything. If we win, she will never return. Eternal peace." Jake frowned." Can''t believe I walked so close to the demon lord. Think about it gives me chill. Urg, and Victor boasted that he kissed her, can you believe that?"


    Hiatus smiled. He could believe that.


    Jake scratched his head." I''m sorry about what happened to Wander."


    " Maybe it''s for the best."


    Jake stared at Hiatus, frowning." What?"


    " That guy, I hated him. His weakness irked me. His lies irked me. What he did to Jonathan irked me. But I... really loved him. As much as Aria did. I could feel the affection he showed towards Aria and me. He really made us feel like we were important and special, like we were...chosen."


    Hiatus smiled. " We used to think he was a bullied kid, but he wasn''t. He was never who we thought. And that made me realize, even if he had survived, he would eventually fade from our life one day. I don''t want that. It''s worse than his death."


    Hiatus took a deep breath. " So, maybe this is for the best. Wander is gone, but in our memory, he was our friend till the end."


    Hiatus recalled Wander running towards Aria and him, panting, eyes teary. He wanted to trust Wander''s desperation.


    " Is that really how you feel?"


    " Yes. That''s what I feel. Truly." Hiatus looked skywards.


    The four walked past a few groups of hunters and summoners. All bore pensive faces, their mouths shut, their hands relentlessly loading the remaining debris onto carts. Their presence did not lift the heavy air surrounding the area. Instead, it dyed everything in a dark shade of solitude.  Dusk had come, the sun had dimmed, and the wind was no more gentle.


    "Someone wants to see you two."said Jake.


    Hiatus turned his eyes on a figure standing a few meters away. It was Jonathan.


    Aria and Alicia had halted their steps. Hiatus caught up to them. He stared at Jonathan. The "bully" ''s eyes held no hostility, only sadness. He was staring at the ground, only glanced up once to look at his two former friends.


    " I''ve heard about Wander." He scratched his arm.


    Hiatus was quiet, and so was everyone else.


    " I... did not like him. I hated him. But I don''t feel happy about his death. Please know that."


    Silence, once again.


    " I want to say sorry. To him, and to you. That''s all."


    Jonathan turned away. He walked away with his fists clenched.


    " Jonathan." Aria called out. " Is that everything you want to say?"


    Jonathan looked back. Hiatus smiled as he saw his eyes filled with gratitude and joy.


    " Please tell us everything. Everything from that day." Aria said.


    Jonathan stared at Aria, then at Hiatus. As he saw Hiatus nod, he whispered his thank.


    <hr />


    One more chapter and we''re done! Leave any question here if you want!

 Chapter 37: Prologue of War

    Somewhere the winds of winter could not reach, the light of sun could not penetrate.


    Three people sat in a room that seemed to expand nonstop. They were waiting for one of their own, staring at the empty seats, tapping on the table. They were anything but fine. What happened in New York and in Fulish''s domain had shaken their world and other worlds.


    " Here we are again, back in the room where one of our own was murdered just 4 months back. Yay!" Tetrax said.


    " You forgot the part where one of us could be that murderer." Trexon added.


    " Be quiet." Deuza raised his voice.


    " What? It''s true right?"


    Deuza clicked his tongue. He stood up and began to circle the place. Tetrax leaned back in her chair, faced upwards. Trexon slouched on the table. Their patience was being tested again.


    The door opened, or to be more exact, faded. Primitos appeared, soaked in water. He nodded at other Singulus Digiti.


    " Everyone read Tetrax''s report, I presume?" Primitos said as he sat down.


    " Yes. One young hunter died. Samundo is actually a girl. Fulish''s domain got destroyed, presumably because he decided to break the Halcyon. The New York massacre." Deuza said.


    " You left out the brainwashing part." Tetrax said.


    Primitos pressed his fingers against one another. " It happened in just one month. Anyone else think this time won''t be any different?"


    The room fell into silence.


    "We had no idea what happened on Fulish''s land and what Samundo is planning." Primitos continued."The events in New York are also ambiguous. The transformation of subject Wander, the machine, the presence of Samundo, none is clear enough to draw a clue."


    "From what Aria and Hiatus told me, Wander said Maria-Samundo had nothing to do with his turn."


    "He could be lying. Who knows. But if he was telling the truth, then who induced his transformation?"


    There was no reply, just stares.


    "What about the light that destroyed Muloculous? What is it, Tetrax?" asked Deuza.


    Tetrax just gave a shrug. The other three sighed simultaneously.


    The spacious room they were sitting in suddenly seemed so confined and suffocating. A darkness gloomed over the four. The darkness of ignorance.


    " So, are we consciously ignoring Pentos'' death?" Deuza asked, tapping the table.


    " We got no clue. His DNA does not match with anyone in our database. The only thing we found on his body was the medal. His phone is missing "


    " Well, the autopsy showed that he died around the time of the meeting. That''s a clue?" Deuza said.


    " Last meeting, who was here first?" Primitos asked.


    Trexon raised his hand.


    " Was Pentos here before, or after you?"


    " Before."


    " Was he already dead at that time?"


    " I don''t know. I said hi, but he did not reply. That could just be him being rude."


    " Who was next?"


    Tetrax raised her hand." I said hi to both of them. None of them hi back."


    " I was sleeping, sorry." Trexon said.


    Deuza pointed at himself. " And then it was me, then you."


    The four simultaneously shivered.


    " For all I know, he could have been killed before the meeting, then his body was transferred here. That would made all of us prime suspects." Trexon said.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.            Primitos stood up. " He did not even have time to text us who the traitor was. It must have been an instant kill. Tetrax is the most likely to have pulled that off."


    " Hey!"


    " Sorry. Anyhow, I think we should stop meeting each other for a while. And remember, do not ever agree to meet another without informing the others. The last thing we need is another death with no clue pointing out to the murderer. If you have new clues, text everyone. All information must be exposed."


    Deuza, Trexon and Tetrax nodded.


    " The war has officaly begun. Dismiss."


    Deuza and Tetrax headed for the exit. Trexon remained in his seat.


    " Trexon , have something to say?" Primitos asked.


    The Singulus Digiti did not reply.


    " Trexon?"


    Tetrax unsheathed her sword. Deuza pulled out his gun.


    Primitos touched Trexon.


    " I''m not dead yet, idiots. I was just thinking!" Trexon raised his voice.


    " You donkey butt! You were doing that on purpose!" Tetrax said.


    Trexon stood up. " Sorry, just could not help it."


    " Next time we will make your joke come true." Deuza said.


    " Hey, Primitos, kick this jerk can you?"


    This time it was Primitos''s turn to remain silent.


    " Seriously?" Tetrax said, approached her leader and pushed him.


    The body of Primitos fell to ground, exploding into pieces. His blood splattered on the others.


    " You''ve gotta be kidding me." Trexon murmured.


    The three stared at each other.


    " I''m resigning." Tetrax said." I mean it."


    " I wonder if we really are the only ones aware this place." Deuza said.


    " Uhm, the elder knew it too, right?"


    " You just made all of this even more ominous." Tetrax said." And at the same time convinced me to hand in my resignation form."


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    The doorbell rang. Aria rushed to the door, wondering who would come this early.


    " Hello!" She said, forcing a smile.


    There was no one, only a box lying at her feet.


    Aria picked up the box. Attached to it was a piece of paper that wrote " To Aria."


    She frowned, shaking the box. From the sound she guessed it was something the size of her hand.


    She opened her gift, and inside was a cell phone.


    "Ding!" The ringtone almost made her drop the device.


    After staring at it for half a minute, she unlocked the phone. A message had just arrived, seemingly for her. She clicked "Open". There were two words only.


    " Hello, Pentos"


    END OF ¡ª


    <hr />


    Thank you for reading! This is the end of book 1, and I am working on book 2, which means update will not be coming in the next few months. I apologize for that.


    If you can, follow me on twitter. We can interact more there! I can ask for your advice, and give you update on book 2 progress!


    My twitter: @bakamoshi (NeoLux)


    Thank you again!

 End of---

    " Wake up, Wander."


    Wander opened his eyes. He heard the rhythmic waves. He smelled the salty sea. He felt the soft sand. He was on a beach.


    " Welcome back." Maria smiled. She was sitting next to him.


    "Where are we?"


    " Aloha, Hawaii Island."


    Wander chuckled. " I never thought you would be serious."


    He tried to raise himself up, but realized his body was paralyzed.


    " The bullets hit your vital points. I''m sorry but you would not be able to move the upper half of your body for the rest of your life."


    Wander''s eyes widened. His  face paled.


    " And that won''t happen because you have ridiculously strong body regeneration. My spell is restricting your movement, that''s all.


    " I do not appreciate the joke."


    " I know. Just want to teach you a lesson. Your recklessness could have made you like that, you know?" Maria glanced at Wander.


    Wander recalled his latest memory. " Where are Aria and Hiatus?"


    " It''s been several hours since your death. They are back in New York, I guess. They have no more business at this archipelago."


    "They are still okay, I see."


    Maria stood up. She walked towards the sea. She lifted Wander''s body up, carrying it with her.


    Wander glanced at her. She seemed so different now. The Scepter she was carrying gave so foreign an aura to her.


    "So what you were looking for was your staff."


    "You could say so."


    Maria gazed at Wander. " What would you think if I were Samundo?"


    "I think history must be wrong then."


    Maria tilted her head. " What?"


    "Samundo is described as evil, cruel, ruthless, sinister, bloodthirsty, well, all kinds of words. You are not like that, so I guess the plot twist here is the demon lord has always been a good guy. Oh, and it lied about your gender too. I think."


    Maria raised her eyebrows. She laughed. "You surprised me."


    " Yeah. Someone who did not kill a single hunter could not be Samundo, even if she claimed so."


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.            Wander glanced at Maria. He smiled as he saw the frozen grin on her face. The girl''s face slowly regained its expressionless state. She touched Wander''s forehead.


    " You''re leaving me behind, aren''t you?"


    "What did you expect?"


    Wander''s eyes drooped. " A lot of things. I expected to live a normal life with Aria and Hiatus. When that failed, I expected to embark on an adventure with my mentor, defeat Samundo then return as a hero. When that failed, I expected to be with my friends once more. Well, that failed. None of those will become my story. And it seems my final expectation is failing too."


    " And what is that final expectation?" Maria frowned.


    " Defeat Samundo with your help."


    " Phew.  I was scared you would say something else."


    " Like to be by your side forever?" Wander said, grinning.


    Maria cringed. " Don''t. Sorry to say this but I won''t help you defeat an enemy you barely know. And I''ve got my own problems to solve, problems that do not involve this war."


    Wander nodded. " I understand."


    Maria sighed." You are guilt-tripping me without even trying.  I won''t leave you here, Wander. I will send you to a place of your choice, where you can live in peace for the rest of your life. Since everyone saw your body explode with their own eyes, you are pretty much off the list now."


    "With your help, I suppose?"


    Maria ignored the question." Now, where do you want to go?"


    " Before that, would you mind spend some minutes with me to enjoy the dawn? I''ve been stalling you just for that you know."


    Maria frowned. She looked back. The sun was rising behind her.


    " Are you a romantic or not, boy?" She asked, smiling.


    " For you only, my dear. Now cringe for me" Wander laughed.


    Maria shivered. " You devil."


    Wander gazed at the fine threads of light slowly being woven across the sky, at the clouds purged of shadows, at the sparkling waves falling on the coast and breaking like crystals. He glanced at the girl standing next to him, his heart lifted as he saw her pensiveness was no more. Wander believed he could hear echoes of centuries in her soft breath, and suddenly he felt so profound. He closed his eyes, enjoying what Maria was bestowing on him: a transient tranquility for his transient soul.