Derek went back to the temple alongside Bastet and Lydia. They went through the zodiac gate and popped up in the training ground. Tiny and Aesir were training with spears while Madeline was sleeping by the side with her new book covering her face.
Tiny and Aesir stopped training and approached when they saw them come out the Zodiac gate. They were already worried after not seeing him for some days. Especially Aesir, he was starting to feel maybe the advice he gave Derek most have made him go do something he probably shouldn't.
But when they came close enough to see them properly, both Tiny and Aesir froze in their steps. Their eyes were widened in shock. Tiny immediately turned to Bastet, "What did you do to him." She asked.
"Me!? I didn't do anything." Bastet smiled shyly, "Except maybe dropping him in a very large pool of water."
"What!?" Tiny instinctively raised the spear in her han
According to what Lydia had said, he was supposed to just put the imprint of his soul rune on the contract. But Derek was not sure how long his imprint could even suppress the contract, and he did not know if it would only free Kareem but still make the lives of the Bahitis a living hell. That was not what he wanted. He desired for them to be totally freed, and so he located the contract and attempted to destroy it.He was a bit surprised when he saw the creature that represented the contract, but that only increased his desire to destroy it more. The last time Derek had made an attempt on Kareem, the evil spirit had appeared and Kareem had not even been the contract holder.Of course, it was expected that since he actually destroyed the contract, the evil spirit would appear again. Although Derek expected his arrival, what to do next was beyond him. Knowing a problem and solving it were entirely two different things.Th
Derek entered the Temple with giant strides, proud shoulders and an elegant smile to top it up. He gave his friends the treats from Mrs Bahiti and then he rushed to his room before anybody could even ask what the occasion was.Derek sat in a lotus position just as Walter had taught him. But it was not to resonate with runes. It was an assignment he was working on. One that would benefit not him but his friends.For other Writers, all they had in them was one soul rune that regardless of its quality and strength, was still inanimate. It was like a soldier having a knife while another soldier had a machine gun. Obviously, both weapons cannot be compared. But what Derek had as compared to the others was an AI system with access to all the facilities of a military base.Yes! what was supposed to be his natural soul rune that he was tracked before had already been fortified by Hayaa. Even if a wavelength lantern
The others: Aesir, Madeline and Lydia also watched with surprise. The shock was more on his friends that had been at the orphanage with him for years than it was on Bastet. That was because these guys knew that Derek had never lifted a finger in his entire life. Although he did not attack, his method of defence was in fact an attacking skill in its own right.Bastet suddenly had a silly idea as she looked at Derek's audience. She clapped her hands and the creatures attacking Derek stopped and shy away in fear. "Aesir! why don't you go a round with your friend.""Huh!" Everybody exclaimed."Yes, both of you pick a weapon each." After a few seconds of contemplating, they were both on the sparing platform with dummy weapons. Derek held a dummy spear while Aesir held a dummy short sword.Derek and Aesir looked at each other and both smiled. From the look they gave each other, Aesir knew tha
In the clash just now, it appeared to the outside world that Lydia won. But Bastet would agree otherwise. Tiny had taken her time to read Lydia carefully and only attacked when she tried to adjust her point of balance. Tiny was quick and precise, she even went for the side of the body Lydia was weaker on. If not for Lydia's flexibility that made up for the advantage Tiny had exploited, this fight would have ended as soon as it started. Lydia frowned, she was no longer going to take Tiny lightly. "This girl excelled at exploring weaknesses in a fight." She thought. What she needed to do was make up for any flaws she might show or she could try that other method. Lydia smiled in realization. She turned the other knife also in a reverse grip. Then she attacked head-on. Her hands were lowered, giving the false impression that her entire torso was opened up for attacks. Tiny saw this and even though she guessed that it was a tr
After enough encouragement from her friends, Madeline finally summoned the guts and went up the sparing platform. Bastet was already there waiting for her."As much as I want to, I won't attack first. Although if it was a different opponent, I would!" Bastet stated, "So I suggest you bring out your best cause you'll definitely not have another chance."Bastet then took out a red piece of cloth and tied it to her hand. "If you can get this scarf from me, you win." Although the task looked easy, it would be wise to remember that this was Bastet. The house familier of House Thembeka. Her title was literally 'WARRIOR' goddess of protection. The 'warrior' in her name was not words made to make her title look pretty.Madeline nodded. She suddenly sat in a cross-legged position on the floor. Everyone watching the fight including Bastet her opponent was perplexed. "What was she doing?" They thought, "Was she giving up before the fight even st
After the fight with Bastet, Madeline was celebrated so much anyone would think she won the lottery. Bastet had suggested a little party to celebrate their growth. Even though they were both winners and losers, everyone had to admit that the star of the day was undoubtedly Madeline. While Derek inquired from Madeline about the specifications of her power, Lydia and Tiny exchange opinions about their fight. Aesir on the other hand felt a bit down.Even though Tiny had always been the toughest, Aesir had always been the strongest. But now regardless of how hard he had worked, He had only barely made any improvements. Derek that was usually the weakest could now challenge him and Madeline that was always a coward could now stand out enough in a fight with Bastet. Aesir wondered if he could have stood a chance against Madeline and her creatures not to talk of Bastet herself. He felt the zeal to work harder than ever and so he took an early exit from th
Bastet dropped Aesir off in his room, "Poor boy," she whispered as she left the room. She went back to meet the others in the hall. How it happened, she did not know. But Tiny and Lydia were having an arm-wrestling competition. Apparently Tiny wanted a rematch of sorts.Bastet went back to her seat and watched the kids as they played at the table. She couldn't help but smile. She knew times like this would not always come. It was best for them to enjoy themselves whenever the opportunity presented itself.The world of Writers was never a nice one. She looked at Derek and could not help but shake her head. She could imagine how rough the road would be for him. And worse, he was part human. Those Writers in the noble families would look for every opportunity to eat him raw. She knew the only thing that could secure his life was strength.Even the House of Thembeka would not take lightly to a weak heir. And at
Derek had not returned to the hall but went back to his room. He was in no mood for celebrations. The only matter on his mind was how to rescue Maria from the Nathifa family. After nearly an entire day of pondering, he finally came up with a plane roughly in his head. But he knew he would not be able to do it alone.And so, this resulted in the small meeting in his room. Naturally, the meeting attendees were Tiny, Aesir and Madeline. Lydia was most definitely not invited. She was Bastet's acolyte. That alone spoke volumes of where her loyalty lay. Derek did not want a situation where he was snitched to Bastet because of a careless trust. The only people he could truly trust with his back turned and eyes closed are those currently in this room with him.Since Derek came back from the Red sea, he had become a lot more sensitive to runes. Although he could not control all runes, it was basically not an issue to sense their presence. He had noti