From Nescience - 6. Mateo: Not Ready to Die Yet

It was a now-or-never moment.

That night, we had to make a run for it. Or else we wouldn’t have any other opportunities to get away from the monster. It was a difficult decision, but we had to burn the house down to serve as the necessary distraction so we could get away. I started by thinking of the best distraction that we could think of. And that would be a homemade bomb.

Izan was quick to pick up everything, and we took the risk of being caught. He already packed his bags and stowed them under one of the bushes outside. A part of our wall was low by design, and we thought we could jump over it while chaos ensued in the house. Or if we were too early, we would silently jump over it. By the time Tio realized we were gone, the bomb already exploded. He wouldn’t have the option to look for us if the house was on fire.

We decided to leave an hour past midnight. Then we just needed to find a motel near the airport. The plane trip should be a few hours, so we could still use that to catch some sleep. Even the time to board was precious minutes to regain our energy. Every second counted. Every minute was critical. Our hearts raced as every tick of the clock passed. We were still in each of our rooms. It was already lights out, but our nerves kept us awake.

The whole plan was improvised, and there was a chance that he might chase us. Even worse, he might even ask authorities to help him look for me and Izan. And once the police were involved, getting a stable job would be a lot more challenging. But it was a risk we had to take. If it gets big enough, the fire should keep him busy for the next few days. And that would be more than enough time for us to travel through many States. At the time, we could literally be anywhere.

That afternoon I took time to make an explosive that could cause flames. If I recall correctly, in our chemistry class, it should generally be made out of glycerol and nitric acid. But I didn’t know where I could find that at home. Flour was a good agent for an explosive, and some of the chemicals we need would come from soap and detergent. Thankfully, my Tio was always well stocked, and I never noticed him checking the stock room that often.

It was also a good thing because we also had nitric acid in the stock room since Tio would also try to make his own fertilizer for the plants inside the property. It was a fertilizer component, so I took a good amount and stored it away for safekeeping since I would make the bomb in my room. It would also smell bad, so my Tio would be too busy looking for it. I also heard that making produce was part of the family business. I really found it weird that we were always kept out of that.

“Are you sure it was going to work?” Izan asked when he noticed what I was doing in my room. He was half eager and half anxious. We were betting our entire plan on it, after all.

“It has to.” I gulped. “Or else we’re dead.”

“You don’t have backup plans, do you?” He asked dreadfully.

“No.” I quipped. “This is all or nothing.”

“Okay.” Then Izan grabbed my forearm. “I’m with you.”

“Thanks.” I replied with a warm smile. Sometimes, I don’t deserve to have a caring brother. “Because I’m doing this for our future.”

Under my bed was where I placed the homemade solution I concocted that would pop open and spark the flames. And we were relying on how much I was able to follow the instructions on the internet accurately. We wouldn’t have the necessary distraction to run if it were wrong. And that was deadly to our plan. I had no more backups because we had no more time. As the hours passed, my mind was drained from thinking of other plans in case it didn’t work. But I was no genius. And there were no resources at the ready to pull it off.

We only had one shot. And failure meant a world of pain. I couldn’t imagine what kind of wrath we would incur from our Tio.

Dozens of thoughts went through my head during those hours. But they were the same things I had pondered over the months of planning for this. Our future. Our stability. Our education. Our future jobs. There were a bunch of things to worry about once we left the house. And it was going to be like that every single day.

But screw it! I had to snap myself from making any doubts at the last moment.

As soon as midnight hit, I thought I couldn’t wait anymore and went ahead with the plan. It felt like waiting further would make my jitters even worse. I slowly turned the doorknob and crept out the door as silently as possible. Since Izan’s room was next to mine, I slipped a blank piece of paper to signal him that the plan was a go. With the formula in my hand, I snuck into the kitchen and slowly opened the gas stove. It should cause an explosion and create more havoc.

I popped the lid that worked like a timer. It would give us 5 to 10 minutes before it blew off. Swiftly and silently, I went to the back of the house. Izan had already got out and brought my bag. We opened the huge windows and went over it. Another great thing was that we had no pets because Tio was allergic to them. Because if there was a dog, it would cause a commotion, and our plan would have failed.

As we got out, Izan and I went to the low part of the wall and helped him up. Then he pulled me up right after. It was almost uncanny how smoothly things were going for us. Maybe we were just being too paranoid after all. Getting away was actually a lot easier. Maybe the bomb was even overkill.

But it was already set in stone. My brother and I jogged away as we heard the gas stove explode from the inside. We saw the fire quickly eat away through the roof since most of the house was made of wood. Everything was flammable. I pushed Izan ahead and told him to look forward. There was no use in looking back. We were not meant to look back anymore.

The next few hundred yards were a silent goodbye to our past lives. It was the moment everything would change. Our convenience in exchange for our freedom. I slowly pushed back any ideas that it was not worth it. And I kept chanting over and over inside my head that it really was worth it to do that.

“We’re free.” I whispered.

“I don’t feel it at all.” Izan admitted. His voice was low and almost sulky. “I thought it was going to make me really happy.”

“Maybe it still needs to sink in.” I suggested. “We’re tired and sleepy. The plan wasn’t supposed to happen until tomorrow. Maybe once we get to Chico, we’ll finally be happy.”

“Yeah.” Izan agreed. Although, I knew it was sort of forced. It was fatal to think bringing him with me was wrong. Perhaps he was safer still inside that horrible house. At least he had food and shelter. “Maybe things are just about to get better.”

I saw the fiery red from afar. It was angry and lit up the midnight sky. I felt horrible seeing the place where we grew up possibly go down in flames. But it had to be done. It was a necessary sacrifice. Otherwise, the memories would just be about pain and nothing else.

Izan and I kept jogging through the streets. The airport was a few kilometers away. And since we were trained physically, it was not much of a hassle. But we both kept silent through the night. We were free, but neither of us felt happy with what we did. I started to question why I was not joyful about the fact that we were finally away.

Be alert! The danger is approaching! The dragon’s voice boomed in my head. It was a surprise because I genuinely concluded that it was some sort of necessary pep talk from yesterday. Leaving the sanctuary meant you were no longer protected by your father’s magic.

That caused me to be gripped with fear that I almost stopped from my pacing on the sidewalk. What the voice said was nuts. Wait. Magic isn’t real.

You’re about to find out. The voice said again. Almost provocatively.

A few seconds later, two strange men appeared a few meters before us. One of them was wearing some sort of dark robes that were out of this world. And the other guy was wearing a more modern set of black clothes, like a punk. But he was holding a sword with a menacing aura. His hair was messy, and he had dark sunken eyes. Izan and I had to stop and gaze at our potential attackers.

“Hey, we don’t want any trouble.” I stated. Noticing that there was another guy behind us. But I couldn’t take a good look at him yet. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he was an accomplice. “I hope you can let us pass.”

No response. All three of them were just waiting and staring at us.

“We can give you money. Just don’t hurt us.” I pleaded. Of course, I wasn’t going to give anything. But I had no weapon to fight them. I trust Izan’s ability to defend himself since they look pretty weak. “We won’t tell anyone.”

“We don’t want your money, child.” The one with the sword was the first to reply. He took a step forward, and based on his posture, he could easily dash toward me. And there was nothing on my hand to defend myself. “We were sent here to kill you.”

“Wait. Did Tio send you?” Izan gasped. His eyes are shocked.

“The brother of the legendary summoner? That man has endless tricks up his sleeve.” One of them replied. But what he said brought up even more questions for us. What did he mean by the legendary summoner? Was he pertaining to our Papa or someone else? “But he’s no longer here. The blue dragon is gone for good.”

That sent chills down my spine. My arms raised, guarding Izan, who was behind me, but we were already surrounded. The air got thicker and thicker, and soon it was hard to breathe. My body felt heavy, and it felt like everything was being dragged to the ground.

With no warning, the guy in the robe suddenly shot out knives from his shadows, and by reflex, my arm raised itself to defend myself, even if it was useless. I expected to get hit, but a booming sound erupted over us. The dragon’s wing appeared and covered Izan and me like a shield. It was huge enough to block all directions. When I looked behind us, there was no dragon. Only one of the wings was summoned to shelter us. The appendage of the wing just floated there with nobody. Like a separate body part that was summoned.

“How did you do that?” Izan gasped. His eyes zipped left to right, looking in awe at the dragon’s wing. But my eyes, too, were surprised to see that the dragon had come to our rescue. It was just beyond logic.

“No idea.” I admitted. They also inspected the light bluish scales that were covered in thin layers of ice. It was the very same thing from my vision. “But it seems like an ally.”

Before I could make sense of things, the wing flapped powerfully, sending a gust of icy winds to our opponents. Pushing them back by a couple of feet. But they didn’t look too surprised by what happened. I saw the surface of the ground frozen in thin ice after that. Even the grass turned white.

“You said the blue dragon was dead!” The man with the sword roared to his companion. For some reason, I knew that they were pertaining to Papa. But I didn’t want to believe it until I saw it myself. “What is this then?”

“The Black Sorceress already finished them off!” The other guy shot back with ferocity. He had assurance in his voice. “This may just be a remnant of its power.”

Slowly, the wing retracted and faded into nothingness. Then all the strength in my knees gave away. I fell down to the ground with a hard thud as if I suddenly ran a kilometer sprint. My lungs fought for air as they gasped, and sweat immediately appeared on my face. Izan came to my aid but couldn’t understand what was happening.

I’m sorry, young one. Your body is not used to summoning me yet, and I cannot let you borrow more of my power. The dragon’s voice said in my head. It was thick and powerful. Roaring inside. As if the voice echoed through the dome of my skull. I have warned your father to teach you the Art of Summoning time and time again, but he wouldn’t budge. He said it was not yet time.

“What should we do?” I asked the dragon. But didn’t realize I spoke out loud, and Izan just gawked at me. He had no answer to that which was expected. I wanted to make a sarcastic retort, but everyone in the area felt the pressure in the air. It was so thick that it felt like I was drowning underwater. All my strength to stand back up left my body.

Another dangerous person arrives. The dragon hummed deeply. It felt like it was lamenting over our inevitable demise. Even your Tio cannot protect you from who is coming.

I saw the panic in the enemies’ eyes. More of them suddenly appeared from the shadows around us, totaling six people. Two in front. Two behind. And one on each side. It looked like they assumed it was coming from me. Swords were drawn, and they slowly approached us with caution.

“W-what is going on?” Izan croaked painfully. His voice was shaking. “It feels like there are bricks on my back!”

“No clue.” I gritted my teeth. I felt so helpless. All our plans were thrown out the window at that point. And I didn’t care what was coming next. The first priority was to survive. Dragon! Please give me your strength!

I am afraid you have exhausted yours, young one. Any further consumption of your avroi means death. The dragon warned sharply. I knew that it was no lie. The dragon seemed to be incapable of that. You have left the protective barriers of your father. And this is the consequence of that.

I’m not ready to die. It was the first thought that came to mind. And I’m sure the dragon heard it. But no reply came from the mysterious creature. It made me wonder if it was inside me or somewhere else. Things stopped making sense the moment our enemies appeared. I just can’t die yet!

One of the enemies charged at us with a full-body swing of his sword. It was meant to cut someone down. If only I had a weapon, I could at least defend myself with it. But before he stepped within my range, a large arm of pure darkness erupted from the shadow. It was huge enough the grip the person by its whole body before crushing him inside. I heard the bones cracking and the internal organs getting violently squished. Izan covered his ears and looked away. The thickness of the air slowly waned down back to where we could move easier.

A person in a dark hoodie suddenly appeared between our opponents and us, using a shadow as his portal. The person simply zoomed out of the black spot that I didn’t even notice was there. He was wearing like any boy our age would. A black hoodie and jeans. Even his shoes were a pair of worn-out sneakers. His back was on us, but based on his height, I doubt it was a grown adult.

“It can’t be!” The man in robes exclaimed once he saw the face. His eyes said it all. It was as if he saw a ghost. Even his skin went visibly pale. “Everyone thought you were dead!”

Our protector turned around halfway, and I saw a pair of crimson-red eyes. My savior looked to be younger than me. He had a boyish face and a bit of pale skin. His dark hair was thick and medium length. But beneath the piercing red eyes was unfathomable darkness. Anguish. Grief. Sorrow. Pain. It almost swallowed me whole.

“It’s not your fate to die here today, summoner.” The boy coldly said. But it was a powerful declaration. As if he was more powerful than destiny.

That was the moment that all of them attacked him. But more arms appeared everywhere, repelling all the assaults from different directions. The boy was composed as his shadow arms blocked every incoming attack. After a few seconds, things got more violent as one of the enemies was pummeled to death on the ground. Then the guy in robes was torn in half by a pair of arms. Izan already had his eyes and buried his face in my chest.

One of the men from the back started throwing knives and exploded with a flash of bright blue lightning at the moment of impact with the arms. The boy took notice of it because the shadows that came into contact with the explosions suddenly disintegrated back into the shadows. Like black sand that lost its shape. The guy switched to offense and started throwing more of his explosive, but a solid invisible force instantly repelled all of them away before it got even near Izan and me.

The exploding throwing knife seemed dangerous. I saw how the enemies had uselessly attempted to hack the arms, but it was too sturdy. Yet the explosion managed to destroy the shape of the shadow. But this one could disable the boy’s defenses. I saw how his eyes took notice of the perplexing weaponry.

Most of the remaining enemies started running around in a circle. Trying to find an opening because they couldn’t figure out how to get past the giant arms that could easily disable them once grabbed. Our protector had not even moved one bit, and his hands were both in his hoodie jacket. But his eyes were observing his enemies as if challenging them to attack.

So far, he only had shown a couple of his powers. The first was the arms that he summoned from the shadows. It could easily be used as both offense and defense. Multiply it, and he had the means to defend and attack from many directions. I knew that his second power was more fatal because it was invisible and instantaneous, like an unseen barrier that could push away anything it could come into contact with using great force.

The man in robes was the one who was throwing the daggers. He was looking for an opening from how he moved in the background. The others were merely frontline men that were between them. My instincts told me it would be the most troublesome opponent in the bunch.

Be very careful of such enemies, young one. The dragon warned inside my head. But it was softer than before. It sounded more like a guide this time. And I was sure it would be a guiding force from then on. It seemed to know something about Papa. And I just needed the opportunity to ask more from it. It can negate any magic that it touches. And any summoned creatures like me could possibly be thrown back to Elefsier. They are dreaded opponents for Summoners like you.

How do you fight something that negates your magic? I asked.

Strategy and timing. The dragon replied promptly. Watch the battle carefully. You may learn a few things from that boy.

Will you teach me more about magic when we get out of here?

Of course. You come from a lineage of powerful Summoners. It responded eagerly. Its voice was deep in my head, but it felt like a young boy excited for his new toy. Your father had wasted your potential by just teaching you the ways of the sword. There is no problem with that. But it was meant to combine it with my abilities. Then you will be a force to be feared.

To be feared, huh? It sounded thrilling. Maybe with that power, I can finally protect Izan. And I will finally have the freedom to look for answers.

I observed eagerly at the exchange of the fight before me. The boy still had not moved from his spot. No one could touch him. Every attack had an equally guarded move. All of the arms and the quick invisible forcefield were an absolute defense. Much like Hajin Jzo.

Then daggers suddenly appeared, flying upward from the ground, aimed at the shadow arms. With a loud pop, all of the arms were blown away. Disabled. In one snap of a finger, most of his defenses were gone. Two of the men were already within range when that happened. But the primary strategist behind it was expecting it. I wanted to shout, but my voice got caught. He stood behind one of the attacks with a dagger pulled out to be thrown. And as soon as the melee fighters were inside the range, they were blasted away. The throwing dagger zipped through the side of the man’s leg and got too near.

Boom. The dagger erupted, creating some sort of shock that hit the boy. The first two attacks were a trap to disable both his defenses. It seemed that he could not really use the invisible barrier in quick succession. The dragon said that if it hits you, your magic is negated. If the opponent had powers, how do you defend yourself then?

The last melee fighter swung his sword quickly, much like Inazumonji. But the boy blocked it with his arm. I almost looked away, expecting his arm to fly off. Yet, for some reason, he stopped it with his very hand! That was when I noticed that his hand had claws like a demon.

“How?” The man looked surprised. We all were.

“You wasted the few seconds needed to kill me. It was well thought out, I must say.” The boy remarked with a smile at the corner of his mouth. “You were just not strong enough to be prepared for this.”

With one front kick, the guy was thrown a few feet away. The other two fighters had not yet fully recovered. But they were both on their feet, getting ready to attack. Out of nowhere, tree roots erupted from the boy’s feet and slithered all over his body at a frightening pace. It seized his whole frail body and chained him into place. All three attackers went in for the kill. The last one was surprisingly quick to get back to action. They were fast. Even if I had a weapon, I don’t think I would be able to defend myself from multiple attackers. But the boy seemed to be unfazed.

A lone dagger flew behind him, but he swiftly discerned the coming projectile. He used his powers to deflect it away. But I knew he could not use it in quick succession since the enemies were almost within his range. However, the boy was prepared. Dozens of black spikes burst from the shadows on the ground with the boy in the middle. It caused the opponents to slow down from getting caught in the wall of spikes. Yet before they could stop, they were pulled towards the center with invisible force. Their feet were swept off the ground and defenseless in midair. In a flick of a second, three enemies were brutally impaled on the spikes. I saw their agony as they gasped for air because their lungs were slowly being filled with blood. The boy just stood there as a couple of arms appeared from the ground to rip away the roots that covered his body.

Then the boy turned around to stare at the last enemy. The man was probably ready to scram. One of the enemies was torn apart. One was squashed into the ground. Three were impaled in various places. And another one was waiting to be murdered. The man in robes ran away, but like the others, an invisible force dragged him to the boy and hovered above the ground as if telekinesis was used on him. He tried to kick and punch but to no avail.

“I’m not letting you go without answering my questions.” The boy stated dryly. “You have attempted to murder these two kids. But of course, they were orders. So, I think someone above you needs to be held accountable.”

“You’re not going to get anything from me!” The man winced as he struggled in the air to break free. But it was all in vain. “You’re supposed to be dead!”

With no warning, the man’s left arm snapped in multiple places. He let out a loud cry of pain and looked at the boy with horror. Izan whimpered in my arms as we watched from a distance. But he couldn’t take his eyes off what had happened. His shoulders were shaking as I embraced him more tightly.

“Tell me.” The boy commanded with a soft, menacing voice. His hands were in his pocket, but I saw how he was slowly crushing the other arm of the guy. “Who ordered them to be killed?”

Another bone snapped from his forearmed as the man heaved and writhed in pain. “The Snake Princess! She wanted them dead!”

“I need more than that.” Our protector demanded. I could sense the focal point of energy moved to the legs. The man felt it, and I saw in his eyes that he was close to passing out. “She’s from Shintotsukawa! But we don’t know her real name. It was just a pen name she used to make orders.”

The boy in a dark hoodie pressed further. The man’s right arm and right leg snapped in many places. Blood spilled on the ground as the limbs were twisted and spun over and over again. It was then I realized that no one could hear us because there was some sort of barrier around us. I was close to shutting my eyes since I couldn’t take the torture anymore.

“I swear! That’s all I know!” The man cried out. His eyes were filled with tears, and his mouth had blood and spit drooling out of it. “We have been watching them for months. Somehow she knew they would be vulnerable soon, and she said we just need to wait.”

What the man said caught my attention. Whoever our real enemy was, somehow knew we would run for it. Maybe she was with Chico? The boy seemed satisfied with the answer. And as he walked away, the man got crushed in midair until he was turned into a mid-sized meatball. Izan looked away, and I saw tears forming in his eyes before finally hurling out the insides of his stomach. I was rendered speechless by the way the guy was tortured. For some reason, my brain just stopped working as I watched helplessly.

“There are a lot of Summoners who are bound to a snake Eidolon. Finding her would be quite tricky.” The boy approached me. Although my eyes were still staring at the bloody mess he made out of the bodies of our opponents. “But if she was able to observe you from a distance and had the resources to do so, that narrows things down.”

“Thank you, but I think we need to go.” That was the first thing that came out of my mouth. Then helped Izan back on his feet. He covered his head with a shirt to avoid seeing and smelling the blood. “Our destination is still far from here.”

“What makes you think you can get away from your true enemy?” The boy asked and stared at me in the eye. His red eyes were gone and were replaced with a gray pair. It seemed that it was just a side effect of his powers. His complexion was also less pale compared to before. “Don’t be reckless. It looks like you have someone to take care of now.”

“I’ll find a way.” I replied stubbornly.

“No, you won’t.” He argued back sharply. Then I felt Izan freeze up beside me. It made me wonder how fast it would take him to kill us. “Your enemies are not of your world.”

“But—”

“Just don’t! Come with me if you want to live.” He retorted with a suggestion. It also sounded risky, given what he could do. People like these may have more powerful enemies than we do. “Whatever plans you had in mind, throw it out. You have no idea what forces you are dealing with.”

“Wait a second. How can you be so sure if you don’t even know who are the enemies?” I inquired. Standing my ground. Those were genuine questions, but I sounded more like a spoiled brat than a reasonable diplomat. “Besides, how did you even know where we were?”

“I have good reasons to think that your enemies are from Teios Kyr. And I found you because I sensed the avroi of the blue dragon in this place. And when you used its power, it was a confirmation.” He explained. I didn’t want to believe it. But after witnessing the things before me, I had no better explanation. The dragon. The shadows. Telekinesis. People are being crushed into a meatball. Those things were beyond logic. It was almost scary. “There are evil people who wanted you dead. But there are also good people who want you by their side. You don’t need to be alone in this.”

Is it a good idea? I thought to myself. Hoping it reached the dragon that was buried in the depths of my thoughts. Should we come with him?

I don’t like his aura. It is mixed with sinister forces from the deepest depths of the demonic dimension. The dragon suddenly replied inside my head. As usual, it sounded like a fatherly warning. But you do not have any choice in this matter right now. You may need to risk this.

Thank you, dragon. It was all I could reply. Izan tugged my arm and nodded, letting me know it was fine with him. It was that moment that may have sealed our destiny. We’re no longer running to a different State. We’re running somewhere even I do not know of. I hope you can be our guide in the days to come.

I will be more than your guide, young one. The dragon assured. Then I felt how its presence left me. I couldn’t explain it. But I just knew he wouldn’t be replying for a while.

“Fine.” I quipped. “Where are we going then? And what should we call you?”

“Altimeraea.” The boy replied with an aloof smile. I didn’t think he would be capable of that with the way he single-handedly murdered our enemies. “You can call me Israfil.”