At first, Aden did not believe it. He did not choose to recognize it. He stared at the presence of the abyssal onyx symbol underneath him, clutching the patterns and the symbols. Maybe because of his mumblings, and the silence, and the whisperings of the void, he was getting his thoughts whispered back to him. Because he began to hear himself. His own voice. But it wasn’t there in his head anymore. It was… right there with him.
Standing, Aden continued to stare at the ground with the uncertainty of what he might see when he turned his gaze away. His eyes shot directly at the pedestal, and his left fist clenched while his right hand gripped his pistol. But then, he eased himself. Letting the anxious breath go, he exhaled the last of his anxieties. Nothing replaced it but a warm and calm caress in his soul. He stared blankly at the ground, then… his eyes crept up. To his left side…
“Hey…” his voice. His own voice. “…Aden.”
But that wasn’t his tone. That wasn’t
Aden stared for a long moment at him, like digging and scavenging what he could through the man’s eyes. He wasn’t sure why he was doing what he was doing—looking for an odd glint in the old soul’s eyes. Maybe, he was searching earnestly for Ailan’s past… and now his present intentions. Maybe, he was looking for weakness, something that could prepare him for… whatever will happen next.He felt himself regain bodily strength. There was a calm resurgence in his mind, his arms, and his feet. Unconsciously, he felt himself turn completely towards him and reach slowly for his holstered handgun, but he eventually just hovered his fingers beside the weapon and just dropped his arm to the
The metal door opened, its giant contraption screaming with a loud metallic gear as the door slowly slid to the right, its body slowly being eaten away through the open space within the walls. When the metallic sound rang again, signifying the sliding of the door complete, Isabel and Mikey walked through the ten-foot doorway. A short, narrow staircase led them upwards, towards the massive hallway awaiting them. At the top of the staircase, however, were two guards—standing agitatedly and irritated. “Isabel? Mikey? Why aren’t you two in your positions?” the guard on the right angr
Leven stood at the center of the cylindrical room, his back turned towards the open doorway. Distant starlight had entered through the round glass panel fixated on the center of the ceiling. Although supposedly made to create a beam that would illuminate straightly down to the center of the room, its ray of light now was slightly bent to show that the majority of the stars had been coming from the left side of the sky. Leven looked, carefully, almost intensely, at what the simple starlight had been shining down upon. A statue, onyx glossy black as the floor beneath it. He had figured the material used was marble, or at least a very smooth stone to form it. He was quiet, but Leven inwardly beheld at the sight: Ledanai’i.
Aden pulled the trigger, his eyes glinting with fury and resolve as a comparable fire burst out of the barrel of his gun. The gun shrieked, its bullet instantly whizzing across the dark walls and into Leven’s chest. This time, no mist had replaced his body. Aden shot again, and once more, and once more, and one more. Five bullets, in total, all digging into Leven’s upper body. Aden wanted to shoot again, to completely empty the magazine, but decided it was enough. Leven watched in shock as he felt himself lose control of his body and fall to the floor, his view now slightly obscured by the blood momentari
“Thank you,” Kael said. He grabbed his burger and drink from the vendor and gave him his payment. It was a stall, just across the street—right in front of the internet café, his internet café. Kael walked towards his small business, crossing the empty street under the sting of hot daylight. It was a bit windy today, so his jacket slightly flapped against the rushing gust. He had missed the times when he would wear a suit and walk around the small town with dapper, but he had also already gotten used to wearing his casual clothes. They had to keep a low-profile for now, as Alice had told them. The other clans were still looking for Kadlum stragglers scattered across Manila. Yes, it had almost been a month since the attack of the Bayi on their territories. It had almost been a month since Miko’s death. He was told by Alice himself that most of the Kadlum have gathered to the ‘refuge’. But, like few others, Alice told him not t
The night before…Lyle sat with an entertained smile across his face while he listened to the woman sing to the restaurant. Occasionally, he’d join in with her singing by humming the tune or outright singing the words. Around his table, three more sat with him with their own time-passing activities while they waited for their order to come. One leaned back against his tall chair while scrolling through his phone, the other two talked with each other about how their college exams went. Lyle, however, just sat back and listened to the music. He eyed the girl singer quite engagedly, nodding to the music while he continued to smile. Occasionally, the girl would look back to Lyle and shoot a quick smile as well. Soft orange lights decorated the place, with the completion of human laughter and conversation. He had known the girl for years. She was his childhood friend. Almost everyone inside that restaurant… was his childhood friend, or childhood role m
“Last night, the Ledanai’i got to Matthew’s family,” Alice explained as she heard it from Lyle on the phone. “Kael and the others are dead. They’re taking the family hostage, and they want to talk to Lyle. Just Lyle. I couldn’t stop him. Lyle called only after he got out of town. He’s driving there to the location right now.”“What the hell?” Aden cursed. “What the hell was Lyle thinking? That could be a trap!”“I trust him, Aden,” Alice replied. “He’s got other Kadlum with him. He knows what he’s doing. Lyle said they specifically asked us not to come. They want an agreement but Lyle doesn’t know what it is, yet. Think about it. Why make an agreement now when we’re so close to finding their temple? And why only Lyle?”Aden looked at her with narrowed eyes. “They’re afraid…”Lyle
It had been a few more days since Alice and Aden were back from the forest and village. They were back in the town of Urrutia, and Lyle had since arrived, too. A few hours ago, Alice, Aden, and Lyle spoke in private inside one of the houses just across the street from Zoey’s café. She waited, and—with rewarded patience—watched in relief when they finally came out. Virtually everyone in town knew about the negotiation. They were all just waiting for Alice’s decision. Seeing as Aden himself was in the room, Zoey had expected he at least had a say in the decision-making. The Ledanai’i, the clan who had started the war, now offered them peace in exchange for Aden’s death… by fire. No one knew what to think of it.The three walked out of the house in a calm stride, with Lyle naturally looking nonchalant even if he was serious that time. Zoey rushed to the three, eager to be the first one to hear the news. “Well?” she ex