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
Alice was a little more quiet than usual tonight. They drove under the gaze of the dark night, sparing little for them but stars and a crescent light. It was silent, and only the humming of the car’s engine was all that gave noise. Alice was driving tonight, and Aden leaned back against the shotgun seat with his head lazily on the headrest. They were so close to the end. They knew exactly what they needed to do. The jar.“We’re so close now. It’s really going to end soon,” Aden quietly said. “Let’s hope this works…”Alice gave a low hum in acknowledgment. “We’re almost there,” Alice said, sternly updating them of their location. They stopped, almost at the highest peak of an odd mountain. The last sign of civilization was nearly a kilometer ago; an elementary school in a small town right at the side of the mountain. The road ended here.Alice kept the headlights on and they got out. N
Replacing the ambient noise of the humming engine was the crackling of the large fire ahead. It was concentrated, far from harming the trees surrounding it. It was encircled by the forest, but it was just a little far enough so the leaves wouldn’t catch fire. It wasn’t a bonfire, no. Aden and Alice walked closer. The crackling was now matched with intense heat. It was a deep depression on the ground, almost like an freshly-dug mass grave. Only, the grave it was housing was that of the embers of the fire.Aden stepped closer to the fire, examining the concentrated flames bursting from within the ground. Alice had not followed him. Instead, she stood far behind Aden in the cover of the trees.A few more seconds, and then Aden heard more than just crackling in the fire. Left and right, from within the shrubbery… movement. Aden looked to the sound. He sighed, as the figures came to light. “We were never here for the jar,” Aden scoffed. His ey
Zoey had to know for herself. She slowly, and weakly, came to the door of the café to peek outside under the morning’s first light. There, she waited, silently. It was the morning after she heard that Aden died, and Alice killed him.Out on the road, closing in on their secluded town, Alice had eyes that almost defied the rising of the sun. It was emotionless. Lifeless. Unlike the sun, her eyes didn’t glint with hope or chance. It only glinted with action and resolve. The death-stained irises of her eyes didn’t have any room for mercy.Lyle had arrived in the town first, waiting for Alice as well. He looked through a narrow slit between the cover of trees that surrounded the town, onto the open road. In the far distance, he could faintly see Alice’s car maneuvering along the curved road. “She’s back,” Lyle whispered to himself. They were going to keep the jar of ashes in the town for a while. “We’re almost in