Into the Oblivion - 35. Chance: The Demonspawn

“No!” I roared at the top of my lungs. “Jaden, no!”

Everything just went numb. My skin emitted a dark hue of thick avroi, and the black mark consumed more of my body. Something inside me went agonizingly heavy as it was like a beast that attempted to unchain itself repeatedly. Every time that it would budge, I felt the walls of my stomach crumbling. Jaden’s blue eyes were nothing but hollow orbs. There’s just nothing left in them. A painful scream erupted on the other side of my head as both horns started to grow. The spinal cord-like tail on my back got even denser and longer. My body screamed from within as my bone structure slowly morphed into a more beast-like posture. Then I saw my arms slowly got thicker and more toned. The muscles all over my body expanded while my canine teeth got even longer. Something popped on my jaw as if it was trying to break free.

As I went through this unknown transformation, my intense gaze never left Jaden’s broken body. Not even a tear escaped his eye. Everything must have been instant for him. Not a split-second to feel the pain of the wound. I tried to not look at it, but I couldn’t help it. The gaping hole was just too much. Blood slowly poured out on the damp crimson grass. His blue shirt and his favorite brown jacket were ruined by all the bleeding. I wanted to look away from his face. I wanted to run from the scene and maybe wake up. All I could hope was it was a nightmare. I wanted it all to become untrue. That moment felt like hours, yet it was only mere seconds. Despite the monstrous amounts of power that rushed out of the mark, my knees gave in. And I fell above his fragile body.

My mind spun around a thousand times. I cradled Jaden in my arms, hoping that he would move. But that was a big joke. No one who received a massive deathblow to the chest would ever move again. No one. It felt like everything I know was shattered into a million pieces. I wanted to move an inch. But all of my muscles were so painfully tense. And as I looked forward, the man slowly stepped back. I had no idea what his expression was behind his faceless mask. Maybe he was smiling behind it. Or maybe not. It was also a nagging thought if he was savoring that moment that he destroyed my spirit. Moments before, he stated that I was weak. My failure to protect my best friend was the pinnacle of the weakness.

That was when tears started to pour out of my eyes. Everything was a blur, so I tried my best to check if there were other enemies besides the mysterious masked man. But there was none. My fingers twitched, and I felt the warm blood that had covered Jaden’s body. So I couldn’t help but for my own insides to boil. Even my skin felt like it was about to burst. My sight had shrunk, and my only focus was the killer. I slowly stood up and gently placed Jaden down. And the opponent seemed to have noticed, and his avroi shot up. He could practically launch an attack anytime he wanted to.

“Why?” I howled at my enemy. The man just stood a few meters before me, casually wiping off Jaden’s blood all over his right arm. And he seemed unfazed by what happened. “He has nothing to do with this! Why him? Why someone I love so much? Tell me!!”

“I’m nothing but an emissary of fate. That’s why you must never forget what took place today.” He replied strangely. As if he was imparting a secret message that I needed to decode. “This is nothing personal, Chance Valentine. It just so happens that fate decided for you to suffer today. So the rest of your destiny will be set forth in stone. Whatever follows from here on is a result of what is permitted.”

“Give him back!!” I howled loudly. Power burst out everywhere, and a strong shockwave was emitted. Little debris was shot away. Even Jaden’s body rolled off a few times. But I barely noticed it. All I could see was the enemy who killed him. “Give me back Jaden!”

I roared at him like a wild beast. Massive amounts of raw avroi shot out of my body everywhere. The ground shook and started to crack. And gravity all around me escalated. Little by little, the ground sunk as if it couldn’t carry me anymore. The enemy sprinted towards me before slashing the air repeatedly. But the gravity field was so strong that all of his attacks were deflected by an invisible force. He was almost caught before dodging backward.

With overwhelming amounts of energy, I opened my palm and gathered avroi in the middle of it. After that, I compressed it with powerful gravity magic until it was smaller than a marble. I took the black orb and made it levitate on the top of my pointer finger. Then, I pointed it at my enemy, who prepared to retaliate. At my whim, the orb shot off with a loud sonic boom. My opponent barely had the time to react as it shot through blinding speeds. Fortunately for him, I missed. And everything that got in the way of the orb was erased from existence. Not a single piece of debris was left. All of it was deleted in the shape of a perfect circle. Even the part of the ground that was caught up by the blast made a perfect arc.

Both my enemy and I were surprised by the damage that the orb created. But he recovered faster and used the hang time to make a counter-attack. Since he only used melee attacks, he bolted towards me with insane agility. I stomped on the ground and summoned the gravity escalation field before he got near. Anyone that was caught up in that would have been crushed downwards. Yet, the enemy was very persistent. Dark blades were summoned and hurled themselves towards me. It was futile, though. All of it was pulled downwards in an instant before disintegrating into dust.

Yet, there was an attack that went through. My reflexes kicked in, and I stepped back at the very last moment. The next thing I knew was that a blade went through my sight, and a wound appeared on my cheek. A blade was shot down from above, and I missed it. I didn’t even notice that there was a weapon that was thrown upwards. The other blades were literally distractions.

I wanted to attack, but I was most safe within my gravity field. Even if my defenses were almost impenetrable, I was still on the losing end. He can keep launching projectile attacks, and I would clearly drain my own avroi reserves even if I had mass amounts of it. It was not practical in the long run. The only way for me to beat him was to keep up with his melee attacks.

From the corner of my eye, I got a glimpse of Jaden’s body. I knew he was gone, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to escape with him. And maybe find Morsus or River if either of them had the spell to let me talk to Jaden. Even if it’s for the last time. But there was a mission at hand. That was to kill this mysterious masked man. Whatever grief I had in store for Jaden must be set aside at that moment.

Because there is only room for one thing—rage.

I was slowly drowning in my thoughts, but my enemy zipped through towards me in great leaps. He was pretty sure that I was not going to let down my defenses, but I did. Then I immediately boosted the transformation that the mark was giving me and caught his katana with my hands. After that, I focused on my right eye and used that mysterious magic to see trajectory patterns. The enemy pulled back right away and let go of his blade.

Then from above, a colossal claymore was summoned, and the enemy performed an overhand slash. Thanks to the trajectory prediction, it was not hard to dodge. But as soon as the man summoned a couple of short blades, I was instantly stunned by the number of trajectory lines in sight. My mind was suddenly overloaded with information. It was like a bucket of pasta was thrown all over me. I was inevitably gonna get hit anywhere I go. And to make things worse, I was in the middle of evasion. My mobility was significantly decreased.

So instead, I summoned my avroi and emitted a burst of gravity magic that everything away. In my magic sight, all of the strings were blown away. But I missed the one trajectory that went for my shoulder. It was fortunate that I had enhanced durability. And as the enemy struck through, a new batch of trajectories appeared in my magical vision. It was the opening that my opponent wanted. In a snap of a finger, I got assaulted by a barrage of attacks.

I pushed back with my gravity magic and fought back. Melee against melee. I summoned blades after blades, but he effortlessly disarmed me every time. Even if I could see all the incoming trajectories, my own speed couldn’t give up. The enemy had insane mastery of using gravity to his advantage. Then I used my spell based on the same idea and applied the same flow of avroi like the condensed black orbs. But this time, I used the edge of my blade as the center of gravity. With one quick slash, his blade was drawn to mine. Then our blades rammed against each other with titanic strength.

“If you want a strand of hope, there is an ancient magic that lets you go back in time.” The man abruptly stated to me. My blade clashed against his. My gravity magic escalated along with his gravity magic. But he said something that took away my focus. “Find it. And re-write your destiny.”

“Why should I listen to you?” I gritted my teeth. But the enemy wasn’t amused with my open defiance of his advice. I pumped more into my gravity field, and the ground around us started to crack from the pressure. “You’ve taken my friend from me!”

“I’m a slave to destiny and fate. I fought against it and lost every time.” The man lamented. The sadness was evident in his voice. It was overflowing with deep regret. A little more, and I may have been moved by the burden he carried. But I shouldn’t show mercy to such a person. That would be abominable. “Maybe you’re different. That’s why I’m giving you a way out.”

“Stop talking about non-sense!” I shot back.

“It would be a pity if you ended up like me. Every single person I’ve met is a mere puppet to the fate that was set before them. No matter how much you toil, it will all end up the same.” The enemy mused. He kept saying these incomprehensible things that whole time. As if he was begging me for the right answer. “Everything is predestined, Chance Valentine. Do you agree to that?”

“No!” I bellowed. Then he pulled back before striking me repeatedly. My guard was up, and his blade was drawn to mine. Each blow that struck the edge of my sword gave me additional weight. My knees buckled as my body got even more cumbersome. “If this is the fate I have been given, then I’ll gladly throw it away! I will make my own destiny!”

“Good.” He replied with contentment. For some reason, I knew there was a smugness beneath his mask. And I hated him even further that he got to have joy at my expense. “Hold on to that hope that someday, everything will be reversed. Despair and sorrow will turn into joy. Grieve for now, Chance Valentine. But grieve with hope for the morrow.”

He charged at me at furious speeds, and we had a quick exchange of blows wherein I was able to launch him away. The clash was monstrously powerful that the space around us began to warp. However, he landed near Jaden. His gaze was fixed on me, and he slowly walked towards my best friend. Then the man raised his blade and was about to stab Jaden by the skull.

“No! Don’t!” I cried out. “Stop!”

Then everything just went dark.

I had no idea how much time passed. The next thing I felt was a series of light tapping on my cheeks. When I stirred, the slapping got stronger. As I opened my eyes, everything was a blur. My vision went haywire, and a nasty headache sprung up in my head. It was as if my skull got stabbed by a knife.

“Wake up, Chance.” I felt a tap on my cheek. My eyes opened, and I was laid flat on my back. Morsus was kneeling right above me. His eyes were a bit misty, but I was not entirely sure. When I looked around, the whole area was a mess. There were portions of the ground that were missing as if they were scooped up. Nothing but destruction was on the battlefield. Even my clothes were in tatters. “Quick! We need to move before they find you here. They might let you face the Qirian Council. We can’t afford that.”

“Why not? This disaster happened because they were irresponsible. This is all on them! They must be held accountable!” I growled. But the little boy simply ignored me. Slowly, I stood up. A crippling amount of pain shot up everywhere at once. It was as if my whole body was covered in bruises. Then a hammer was banging from within my head. And I ended up cursing under my breath. “Ugh. What on earth happened?”

I looked around, but no enemy was in sight.

“Wait. You don’t remember anything?” He asked. Morsus just stared at me with prejudice in his eyes. I shook my head silently and grabbed a handful of my hair. The pain kept jumping from one area of my head to another. “You trashed the whole place. Thankfully, Rei and the others were busy fending off mages from Teios Kyr as well as some of the beasts.”

“I do-don’t get i-it.” I stammered. My head throbbed as I tried to remember what happened. All I could see in my mind was the man with the katana. His faceless helmet was onyx black, and a V-shaped red marking was underneath where his right eye would be. “Wait a sec!”

“You blacked out and went berserk, Chance.” Morsus explained. Then images rolled into my head like a photo album. Including the broken body of a boy who was important to me. “I’m not sure how that happened.”

“Jaden!” I exclaimed and moved around despite the sharp discomfort that was present in every corner of my body. “Where is he? I need to find him!”

“He’s over there. And if you’re talking about Jaden’s killer, he escaped.” The boy responded with a mellow tone. His fingers pointed a few meters away, and I saw him again. He stood awkwardly, and I remembered that he was wounded. However, the wounds on his legs were gone and healed. It shouldn’t be surprising anymore that he would have healing spells for injuries like that. “I’m very sorry, Chance.”

I ran up to Jaden’s body immediately, ignoring my companion. When I got there, it was just as messy as I remembered it. The blood had slightly dried up. And his eyes were still left open. They gazed into the sky that still showed the huge ritual circle. I gently knelt before him and closed them. Then I held his hands that were already cold.

“I love you, Jaden.” I whispered to him. My throat was rigid and dry as I said those words. Even if I knew that he would not hear me anymore. But I just had to say it. It was something I should have told him long ago. “I have always loved you. And I will continue to love you. So please, wake up.”

There is an ancient magic that lets you go back in time. Find it. And re-write your own destiny. A powerful voice said in my head. Despite the fact it came from the enemy, it was a glimmer of hope. Everything has not been lost. I can still save my best friend.

“Morsus. The thing inside you. I’m ready.” I muttered. It was the only solution I could think of. A lot of “ifs” played continuously inside my head. And the beast inside me just kept gnawing at whatever it can. “I should have accepted its power, to begin with. Maybe if I did, Jaden didn’t have to die. I’m fucking stupid!”

“Do you have a plan in mind?” The boy asked me.

“The enemy said that I could still save my best friend.” I explained. And it pained me to acknowledge that my best friend’s killer gave me a bit of hope. It’s almost ironic. “He said that it’s not too late. I want to hold on to that.”

“How? I’m sorry, Chance, but Jaden is dead.” Morsus questioned further. He meant well. However, anything that he says usually comes out as insulting. The boy is really headstrong despite that hidden soft spot for Israfil. “I know it’s hard. But you need to accept that. You’ll just torture yourself if you don’t.”

“He said that there is an ancient magic out there that can make you travel back in time and re-write history.” I clarified. The boy just gawked at me as if I said something absurd. “And I need the power to do that. I need that thing’s power.”

“Chance. That’s dangerous!” The boy objected fiercely. His eyes glared at me as if he could threaten me. But at that point. I just didn’t care anymore. “You’re risking the birth of a new timeline. You could even create an alternate dimension! Time-travel is strictly forbidden in the Ministry of Solus Magus!”

“Don’t lie to yourself, you little brat!” I sneered at him. I wanted to push him back, but I needed him to give me the power I needed. My friendship with Morsus was rocky, but I could not compromise it. “If you were in my place and you have the option to bring Israfil back, you would have done the same!”

“That’s the difference between you and me!” The boy shot back. His voice was slightly raised as if he was insulted. “Israfil is very important to me. He’s like my brother! But I am not going to risk the collapse of the world just for him. Even Israfil wouldn’t want that. I don’t think Jaden would either!”

“Jaden is innocent! He’s not supposed to be dead, to begin with!” I growled at the boy. Tears started to pour out. But Morsus didn’t even flinch. “If there’s someone that should be dead, it should be me! I wasn’t fucking strong enough to protect him!”

“Don’t endanger everyone else. Be reasonable, Chance.” The boy replied with a pleading tone. I doubt he was going to budge. Morsus’s ethics were questionable at times, but it looked like there are lines he wasn’t willing to cross. “Avenge Jaden. Promise me. And I’ll let it give you the power to do so.”

Seconds passed, and Morsus stretched his hand outwards.

“Deal.” I finally replied and shook it. Then I glimpsed at Jaden, who laid soundly by my feet. He studied me if I was sincere with my promise. Deep down, I knew I wasn’t. As long as that magic exists out there, I will find it. “But first, I need to carry Jaden back to my friends. They have the right to know what happened.”

“I need to escape first and prepare the sealing ritual in Altimeraea. There is an emergency portal in your school’s gymnasium.” Morsus instructed. But his eyes never left mine with the same intensity. I knew he was doubtful of my promise. And he was right to do so. Giving me the benefit of the doubt was to my advantage. “I will know once you’re in Altimeraea. Then I’ll summon you to my spot so we can seal the contract.”

“How?” I asked him. “I don’t have teleporting powers.”

The boy just took out a small stone and gave it to me. As soon as I touched it, the thing morphed into liquid form and encircled itself to my skin. The black fluid danced through my fingers until it found itself on the back of my palm. Then it left a mark on it before dissipating. It looked like a small ritual circle that Morsus probably enchanted beforehand.

“Wait. What about the barrier?” I asked Morsus. There was a protective barrier for everyone. It was the plan, to begin with, after all. “I’m not a Tidian. There’s no way I would be able to pass through.”

“I already incorporated that into the mark I gave you. Thankfully, River was not a rule-breaker. He followed the barrier ritual to the letter, and it’s something I have studied before.” The boy pointed out. I even saw a smirk at the corner of his mouth as if he was proud of his achievement. Maybe it really was one, given that River was hailed as a talented Rune Mage. “That should give you the ability to pass through the barrier undetected.”

“Morsus. I can’t help but wonder about something. It had really left me confused the more I think about it.” I admitted. “Why are you doing all this? Why are you helping me? I’m not Israfil. And you were such a douche to me at first. Why?”

“Because you have the guts.” The boy quipped. His strawberry-blonde hair danced as the wind passed by us. Then he took a deep breath. “Everyone in Zidania is so fixated about rules. It’s always about order and procedure. It’s just something they use to compensate for the monster they really are.”

“What does that have to do with me?” I asked. He almost laughed at me for my question. But he stopped himself at the last second, which made me raise my eyebrows. “I’m not really a rule-breaker either. In fact, I also love the idea of having order around. And I respect rules as much as possible.”

“You may be right. But you don’t let yourself be chained by the rules if there is something bigger at stake.” Morsus pointed out like it was some sort of achievement for me. Sadly, it didn’t really feel like one. “You find good reasons to break the rules because you want to attain a higher goal. And that’s to protect your friends. You need to be some sort of monster to break them. But be a controlled monster.”

“I still don’t get it.” I admitted. It sounded stupid, but he was outright cryptic about rules and rule-breaking. He’s a smart kid thanks to his education from a top-tier organization. But that doesn’t mean I could keep up with him. I’m not really a genius. “Can you just please say it out plainly?”

“I’m helping you because I think you have what it takes to take down the Black Sorceress for good.” The boy pointed out. And I doubt that he had good reasons to make that a lie. In fact, what he said was quite reasonable. “That woman cannot be beaten if we’re all gonna play by the rules. The reason why she had the upper hand is that she knew the rules and played above it!”

“You’re giving me too much credit.” I retorted, but he shrugged it off instead. It was not entirely true. I was sure that the enemy also plays by some sort of rules, or else she wouldn’t make such an intricate plan. “There’s no way I’ll be powerful enough to fight her. Unless I can receive the power of whatever it is inside of you. That would be the only key.”

Explosions abruptly roared from a distance as if a fight was still on-going. I looked into the horizon, and I saw a couple of lightning strikes crashing down into the ground. The flash of light almost blinded me if I wasn’t able to look away at the last moment. The battle must have been tough for them. Morsus eyes were glassy but determined.

“Thankfully, I didn’t bump into one of the Knights. I wasn’t supposed to be here. If they saw me, then they’ll know you’re here.” The little boy stated. It was also fortunate on my end that only River knew. But he had given me an extension of help, too. However, his reasons were unknown. I was not sure if I could even trust the guy, mostly if he was a goody-two-shoes. “The problem is that I wasn’t sure if any of them were able to sense me. We got into a battle. My avroi is bound to be sniffed around. Rai’li is an excellent sensor.”

“In short, I’ll leave Jaden’s body somewhere safe and follow you back to Altimeraea. Correct?” I clarified, and he nodded in return. Then he knelt on the ground and started writing some unknown characters on it. Probably another ritual circle of some sort. “How will I know if you’re ready?”

“I should be done within the hour. And when you find the emergency ritual behind the bleachers, all you need to do is pump avroi into it. It should be enough to bring you to the other side.” He replied.

When I looked around again, the place looked abandoned. Not a single person was in sight. All that was left was the destruction I made when I went berserk. Bodies of dead people and monsters were scattered everywhere. I wasn’t sure how long I was out and how long they have been waiting for me. I reactivated my mark to give me the extra strength and carried Jaden.

Morsus just nodded at me and recited a spell under his breath. He stepped back to get a reasonable space around him for his spell. It looked complicated because he used a lot of glyphs to cast it. I stepped back in reflex as avroi swirled around him before he quickly vanished into thin air. As if he was rapidly sucked in by a black hole. The way he described River was seemingly like an insult. Morsus was a rule-breaker, unlike the other Rune Mage. And it was funny that I was slowly being influenced by the small kid.

Since we were at the edge of the event grounds, the walk wasn’t all that lengthy. I cradled Jaden in my arms and tried my best not to break down. It was probably the longest walk of my entire life. Jaden was dead, and I was bringing him over to my friends to see. As I got near the boundary, I could see the barrier’s faded green colors like a thin blanket. It was probably invisible to the eyes of those who couldn’t use magic. I secretly hoped that Morsus’ pass would let me go through, or else I wouldn’t be able to bring Jaden to the others.

It didn’t take a hundred meters before I saw a group of people waiting for us. The rest of our friends never left and simply laid low in one of the nearby houses. Everyone else seemed to have run away, and police sirens were all over the place. However, the area was so expansive that the authorities could not cover every ground. The first person I recognized from afar was Caitlyn, who was frozen in place. Then Dylan and Anya behind her gawked at me because they could clearly see that I was carrying someone.

By the time I was a few meters away from them, they finally saw what really happened. They saw that I was carrying Jaden’s body to them. And that was when I stopped holding back and started crying my eyes out. Caitlyn ran up to me, followed by the two others. I fell on my knees, and the four of us went hysterical over our friend’s body. Only Dylan was left standing and simply closed his eyes. Yet, he was not able to halt his tears from pouring it. Our alpha dog simply looked up into the sky and whimpered in silence.

Those next few minutes seemed to go on forever. And I lost track when we just ended up blankly staring at each other. Everyone was physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted from everything that happened. And our spirits were crushed by the death of a dear friend. I reached out to my X-VIP badge and saw dozens of messages from my family. Even Uncle Chase left a bunch of voicemails. The last one was just a few minutes prior. At the very least, my family was safe and alive.

We mourned for Jaden as long as we could. And I mourned in secret for my failure to keep my promise. I failed to protect my friend. I failed to kill the man that was responsible for his death. Everything I’ve done amounted to nothing. But there is still hope. Like what the killer said, there was still a way. What he said could be a lie to keep my hopes up. But at that very moment of despair, it was my last source of hope.

“I’m sorry.” I croaked. My throat was sore from all the crying, and my eyes were puffy, too. My fists were shaking in anger. And I didn’t know anymore who really deserves my wrath between the enemy and myself. “That should have been me.”

“Not your fault.” Anya tugged my shirt and smiled as warmly as she could before it collapsed. She ended up hugging my arm and cried again. Caitlyn couldn’t let go of Jaden’s hand and rested her head on my shoulder.

“I wish we could wake up from this nightmare.” I murmured absent-mindedly.

“We need to go.” Dylan insisted. I wanted to object, but I was too tired. It looked like Caitlyn nor Anya would object either. “This place isn’t really safe. There could still be a lot of things out there that could kill us.”

“Dylan is right.” I affirmed. It made sense. “We have to move.”

“Maybe we should go to the hospital even if there would be a lot of people there right now.” Caitlyn suggested. She meant well, but that was kind of stupid. The bodies need to be accounted for. And that includes Jaden’s. “I’m sure Mrs. Jenkins would go there first.”

“I think we should look for the first-aid tents by the main entrance.” It was my turn to suggest. Dylan found it reasonable and thought about it. Since everyone was quite tired, even their ability to think was compromised. “It would be best if we let the authorities handle it. I’m sure they’ll be waiting by that area.”

Dylan nodded at the plan, and the girls obliged. They helped me put Jaden on my back, so I could carry him like a piggy-back ride. Then Caitlyn removed her jacket and placed it on Jaden’s shoulder. Partly because they don’t want to keep seeing the gruesome wound on his chest. Anyone would have fainted at the sight of it. It was also a gruesome reminder of the tragedy that happened. Not a single one of them could even bear to look at the wound longer than five seconds.

During that walk of silence with friends, I ruminated on everything that had happened from the beginning. Every step that I thought about was painful. From the moment I got confront by Rei until the moment Jaden got caught up in the middle of the fight, it felt like everything was planned. The enemy I fought with was making a case against fate. He said that he was simply fulfilling what fate had destined him to do. Then I remembered that the Black Sorceress waged war because she was also fighting against fate. It made me curious about what she went through to make her snap. I hated to admit that she may have been partially right. We should be the ones to make our own fate. We shouldn’t be slaves to it.

If there was something I agree on with the enemy, it’s this—I must curse the fate I am given and find my own. And I will die trying to recreate my fate even if it causes a collapse in the different universes. That mysterious man was a mere slave to his fate. It’s also the same fate that obliged him to kill someone innocent. I wondered if fate had its morals. The fact that innocents were killed for its sake makes its morality questionable. If it doesn’t have one, then it shouldn’t have the right to dictate our choices. It would be a merciless puppet-master. We will all end up being amoral. The definition of good and evil will collapse. Civil laws will be rendered useless. Society will fall to anarchy. Finally, everything else would inevitably disintegrate.

My head spun around with the philosophical talk within me. I no longer had an idea of what would be the right thing to do. I just kept wondering what made the Black Sorceress rebel against the order of things in my head. A conversation with her would be interesting. But it would also be dangerous. If I pursue my answers about fate, then I must leave the shadow of Zidania. The only option to find the answers was to seek for it alone.

After a few minutes of walking, I called for Dylan’s attention. “Hey, can you carry Jaden for me? The fight had really taken a toll on my body. Everything is just painful right now. Sorry.”

“Sure.” Dylan chirped. He looked almost happy that he got to help me with my burdens. Our alpha dog must have felt really guilty for being powerless, too. But I couldn’t blame him. I was the one who had a cursed fate. “Anything to help.”

With the help of Anya and Caitlyn’s assistance, they transferred Jaden’s onto Dylan’s back. But before my friend got Jaden properly to his back, I leaned to his forehead. I closed my eyes and kissed the top of my best friend’s mop of dark brown hair. It lasted for a few seconds, and my friends didn’t mind. Tears stream down my face as I held him one last time. He’s my best friend. My lover. Also the best part of my life. It was just unfair that he was killed in such a way.

Fate was such a terrible thing. That’s why it’s a must to destroy it.

After the shortstop, we resumed walking towards the main entrance of the event grounds. From afar, there were all sorts of people. Medical help. Police authority. News. SWAT Teams. There were even helicopters from a distance. But I was pretty sure the barrier was pushing them away.

“I wonder how they’re going to report this on the news. No one believes in monsters.” Caitlyn wondered aloud. She had a point. It was a colossal disaster, and it was something the public might not be able to handle. Jaden had a breakdown just by being exposed to it. “The world is about to change.”

“I heard they will spin it off as a terrorist attack.” Dylan stated. All of us just looked at him, incredulously. “Insane, right? But that will do the job.”

“How on earth are you going to cover that with a mere terrorist attack? That’s just bonkers. No one would believe it.” Caitlyn pointed out. At that point, I was no longer interested in how the media would spin it. “There are thousands of people here who would say that it wasn’t a terrorist attack. There would be video footage of those things for sure!”

Then I checked the time on my X-VIP Badge. It was almost time. So, I decided to stop behind them. Anya was the first to notice and halted, too. Caitlyn and Dylan turned around to see what was going on. Everyone looked haggard, and it seemed like each of them would collapse at any moment.

But I had to press forward. There was hope in all of this.

“Hey, what’s going on?” It was Dylan who was first to ask. Nothing new.

“Promise me you won’t look for me. Promise me that you won’t run after me no matter what!” I openly declared. All my friends were stunned by what I said. Even I was surprised that I had to say so dramatically. Their eyes were filled with some unknown darkness of hopelessness. “This may be my last time of seeing all of you, and I’m thankful you’re all my friends. But there is still hope!”

“What on earth are you planning?” Caitlyn demanded. “Don’t be stupid!”

“I can still undo all of this! I can still save him!” I shot back. Screw fate. Screw destiny. Screw everything! At that moment, I knew my life was set. And it was to undo the disaster in Saintsville. “Just tell my family that I’m dead. Make sure they won’t look. Please, promise me.”

“I’m not gonna make a stupid promise like that!” Dylan barked at me. His eyes were fierce. Jaden, who slumped on his back, was motionless. I couldn’t help but wonder if he would approve of my actions. “Please be reasonable!”

“Neither would I!” Caitlyn added.

But I had no more plans to listen. The time is short, and I had to go back to Altimeraea before Rei, and the others could catch on with what I was planning. It was also possible that Morsus would change his mind. I just couldn’t risk it. “This is goodbye.”

“Don’t go, damn it!” Dylan exclaimed.

But it was too late. I reactivated my mark that gave me the extra strength on my legs to run faster. With Jaden behind Dylan, there was no way he could run after me. Even if he had no extra luggage, I would be too fast for everyone. The mark quickly spread downwards, and in one kick, I zoomed away from them. Caitlyn said something, but I was already too far to hear.

Underneath the glow of the ritual in the sky, I ran. Tears wanted to burst out because it was a sudden goodbye to everyone. But if I was successful with my plan, then all of that grief they have right now will become untrue. It will cease to exist. And it sounded so martyr-like, but only I would remember the pain of it all. Still, it was a small price to pay to restore everyone’s joy.

Since the event grounds was quite far from the school, it took a while before I finally got there. There were a lot of people who were still drowning from panic as I dashed through the neighborhood. It was the same daze that I was left unnoticed by the people. Otherwise, they would have wondered why a kid was running around faster than Usain Bolt. If it were any other day, it would have been funny.

As I got to the front of the gymnasium, I took a deep breath. Behind me was the open field, and the wind that smelled of fresh blood came around. The emergency ritual for teleporting was inside. Just a few steps away. All I had to do was pump avroi into it, and it should take me to the other side. It made me remember the glorious discomfort of inter-dimensional teleportation. But everything else was screwed up either way. To hurl out my stomach would be a small thing.

“Chance!” A voice boomed from behind. It was familiar. Something inside me just snapped. It was my first friend from the other universe. And I knew that it meant bad news. “What are you planning?”

I turned around to see Ven. There was a slight gash on his cheek. Probably from the skirmish that we had in my escape. That guy was loyal to a fault. But he’s also firm with what he does. And he would not hesitate to fight if he needs to. “None of your business, Ven. Go help the others. I’m sure you’re needed there.”

“What about you?” He shot back. Then he made a step forward. It was done cautiously and with proper calculation. Ven was probably studying me and what my intentions were. “You just got back. Why would you return to Altimeraea?”

“Who said I’m going back there?” I asked him.

“Cut the crap, Chance.” Ven retorted. His tone was sharp, and he stepped forward even more. My friend was trying to intimidate me. But at that point, I was too apathetic to be scared. “We both know you’re about to escape there. Why?”

“That’s none of your business! Please, just leave me be and find the others. I would really appreciate it.” I argued back. But Ven didn’t even react. He was just there, studying my next move. It was almost as if he was waiting for me to attack him. “Altimeraeans were not supposed to be here in the first place. The whole town is trashed. And now Jaden is dead!”

“I… don’t know what to say.” It was the first facial expression that he had shown. And I hated the fact that it was sincere. Ven was empathizing with me, and I got even angrier. “I’m very sorry, Chance. I consider Jaden as my friend, too.”

“No, you don’t! We’re merely nothing but a part of the mission because you had no other choice!” I roared at him. The black marks on my skin started to dance and expand again. An itch grew from my lower back. And discomfort popped into each joint of my body. “Then please be honest when I ask you this, did you really care?”

“No.” Ven replied. It was a straightforward reply. No reasons. Nothing.

“I knew it. Why did I even bother to ask?” I said. Almost in a whisper. I felt the tail on my back slowly growing back. It was a gruesome transformation. Made me closer to the likes of a demonic beast. But if it gives me more power, I didn’t really mind. “This is all stupid. If I knew the reasons of the Black Sorceress, then I might have sided with her. You’re all just a bunch of heartless soldiers. All for the glory of Zidania. But you never cared for those who are affected by the collateral damage!”

“Please, don’t misunderstand me! I wasn’t really planning to care for the people here, but I ended up caring anyway.” Ven countered. And what he said sounded like a big, fat lie. There’s just no way it was true. They’ve done nothing but take advantage of me because I had no other choice. “I knew that it would compromise my ability to decide for the benefit of the mission. That’s why I never planned to. But then I realized that you’re still a person. That’s why I made sure I will protect you and Israfil!”

“Spare me the excuses, Ven!” I roared back at him. A pulse of dark avroi erupted into the air. The grass around me flattened down as if a rhino stepped on them. Ven almost stepped back but stopped himself. His eyes were bewildered by what I just did. “I shouldn’t have trusted any of you! All you really needed to be safe was Israfil. Not me!”

“That’s why I’m going to stop you.” Ventus made another step forward. At that point, he could attack me anytime. However, I couldn’t sense any flow of avroi in his body. Once he releases it, I’d be the first to move. “Because I care! And I care that whatever you’re planning is dangerous.”

“You don’t know even know what I’m planning!” I hissed at him. More avroi was pumped out of the mark. And it slowly enveloped my arms. Surely, Ven must have noticed it. He must be wondering what kind of powers I may possess. “You don’t know even know what I feel right now!”

“Not specifically. But Jaden is dead!” Ven muttered. My hands clenched into fists at the mention of my best friend’s name. Of all things that he could mention, it was the thing that slapped me really hard. And it left a dry taste in my mouth. “You’re angry! I get it. I really do. And that’s why I know you’re planning to do something dangerous. Whatever it is, it needs to be stopped!”

“Again, you don’t even know what I’m planning. That’s bold of you to assume that my plans are dangerous.” I quipped back at him. “Because honestly, I should be able to undo all of this!”

“I was about to ask you, but I doubt you’re going to tell me what you’re really after. Might as well skip to the part where I tell you that’s it’s plain dangerous.” He retorted. “Plus, what’s done is done! Israfil is practically dead, and I had to embrace it. It was a conscious choice, not because I had no other. If it was what fate planned, then so be it!”

“Fuck fate! Fuck destiny! And fuck whatever you believe in!” I spat on the ground and stared at him harshly. At that point, a horn already grew on the right side of my skull. I didn’t even notice how much avroi poured out of the mark. “We are entitled to make our own decisions. And destiny has no morals. We should not be under the whim of something that has no compassion for us! It didn’t spare the person I love the most!”

Both of us were surprised when I said it in a guttural voice. Two, or three, or maybe even four voices spoke all at once through my vocal cords. Even my ability to speak was slightly hampered because my canine teeth elongated slightly like the fangs of a beast. During those seconds, my body was almost covered by the mark. And Ven was horrified at what he saw.

“Don’t let anger be your guide. Anyone who is led by anger will surely find themselves in a path of destruction.” Ven replied ambiguously like a wise sage. But in my eyes, he was far from wise. Anger gave me power. And it may give me what I need to undo everything. “It’s okay to be angry at fate. But don’t act upon it. Or else you will not escape from the consequences of acting impulsively. It’s not too late, Chance.”

“You’re right, Ven. It’s not too late.” I responded. His eyes slightly lit up at the sound of it. Then it went severe again after I summoned more of my strength. Ven finally called forth his power, and avroi slowly enveloped him. He was an agile fighter, but my magic had a vast range. Thanks to my mysterious mark, I had more than enough avroi. “That’s why I need you to let me go. Like what you just said, it’s not too late. There’s still hope for Jaden.”

“Do you really think I didn’t get furious when Israfil died? I know what it feels like to lose a best friend, Chance!” Ven asserted. His blue eyes were full of pity for me. And I hated him even more. When I looked at them, I see nothing but a direct mockery of what I feel. “Let that anger out. But don’t think you will not be held accountable for the destruction that follows.

“That’s different!” I roared at him. My voice thundered like the deep ocean, and more area of the grass got flattened. Ven finally stepped back. His hands were raised in defense, and a thin blanket of lightning covered him. “Israfil can still return to you, but Jaden can’t! Not if I can help it! That’s why you shouldn’t even try to sympathize because what I suffered through is different from yours!”

“Let us help you then!” Ven retorted. His hand was extended towards me. I gritted my teeth in retaliation, and a pulse of energy erupted. But the person before me didn’t flinch. “Do not bear this burden alone. You don’t need to carry that suffering on your own!”

“No! I had let you helped me all this time the moment you got here!” I shot back at him. But Ven stood his ground as if they did nothing wrong. Not an ounce of regret could be seen in his eyes. “Look at where it got me! My town is ravaged. My loved ones are traumatized for life. And my best friend is gone! You’re the last people I would want help from!”

Then I howled like a beast. Ven stepped back, and for some reason, I could smell the fear in his avroi. It made me wonder what he was terrified of. He was like a gallant knight, after all. But even strong-willed knights like him would have something he is afraid of. Just like everyone.

It was followed by silence. We stared at each other. Eye to eye. Anticipating out next movement. Ven was undoubtedly faster than I was when it comes to fighting style. But my magic is far more flexible. All I had to do was find a way to pin him down. His wind magic had numerous evasive maneuvers. And his lightning magic can be a devastating form of offense. But once he is cornered, he had no way of defending himself.

“I don’t know if Israfil would really return. And my mother died, too. I know what it feels like to lose someone. And she died from sickness when I was young, so I had to watch her die slowly.” Ven confessed. But it was all he needed for me to shut up. It made me think about my family. And it also made me angry because even my own family had secrets from me. “I also wanted to curse fate. I was angry at destiny for taking my mother away. But there’s deeper contentment when we learn to embrace what destiny permits. So please, don’t go down this road.”

“You never mentioned your mother, and I’m sorry you had to go through that. No one should!” I replied to him. Then I finally stepped forward with most of my strength at the ready. I stood firm and tall before the one who mentored and protected me for the past weeks. “That’s the difference between you and me. You decided to give in to what fate offers you. And I refuse to receive mine. Because we should be the ones who should create our own fate!”

“Fine. Have it your way.” Ventus resigned. A spark of lightning erupted from his hand. The serenity in his eyes vanished as he stepped forward. He was my solemn protector. And it seems he was more than willing to protect me even from myself. As I thought about it, it just made me seethe in anger. “If I have to drag you back and knock some sense into you, I will. You’re coming back with me, Chance!”