by Fandy Adams
“You know, maybe he just needs to accept the gift alone without me to seeing her.”
“Whatever.” said Asti smiled cunningly. And suddenly she closed the gate to thud loudly.
“Who’s there?!!!” shouted a heavy voice from inside.
“Meowww!” said Rey while he stepped backward. But then he slipped, fall on the plant with the twig hooks the trigger. At once the sound of rapid gunfire came out of his toy gun, loud and noisy.
“Thief?!!!” shouted the heavy voice again.
Rey getting scared, no, more than scared, the young man was like an animal trying to survive. All the energy and ability he devoted to climb the gate without care of anything, not even the gift he brought. The wrapped cactus he left on the ground along with Thompson rifle.
Once he was outside he saw Asti was trying to turn on the bike but it seemed the engine disobey her, apparently he wanted to leave him alone on Melody’s house at the beginning. But at that time Rey seemed doesn’t really care about it, the only one on his mind was away from there before Melody and her family ever saw him.
Rey jumped and sitting in the sidecar, “Drive, drive, drive!” yelled him.
And luck seemed to favor on him. The motorcycle which was for the last minute couldn’t turn on at that very moment started with loud roaring sound. Without a mind Rey immediately pull the gas with left hand and the bike drove fast and almost hit a tree suppose Asti not quickly take over. Both of them go away like shadow under dim light and leaving fainted sound of motor in the distance.
“Hey, where’s my Simpson?” asked Asti.
At the moment Rey lost himself to heard Asti’s question so he giving no answer and just looking at the road. The orange glow of the road light cheered him up. For the first time since she came into his life he felt closer to Melody than before.
“Forget about the riffle consider it a gift from me. And you, you’re good for nothing!” said Asti upset. “Why don’t you dare to faced her and talked to her? You know what, she will stand next with any man but you, and it's all because you didn’t dare to look and talk to her.”
What Asti said that night was right so was Scarlett. Two different women from two different worlds said the same thing about him that he never had courage to talk to her. Maybe it’s better if he get trapped here, being mad like Morran and forget her forever.
But suddenly a voice inside him broke the discouragement which for a while ensnared him. Ah no way! Not in any world I could fell in despair. I will turn to my world, my home, all who loved me. And I will do Morran advice I will fought for Melody’s love or get pain for it.
Rey shouted and firmly thrust his stone blade into the ground. So spirited he was without realized that he had his Sphere glowing, the one which sealed the Destroyer Spirit, the Gremlin. But nothing happened neither blast nor luminous object about him, everything was so quiet until he himself doesn’t realized what was going on or what was he did. But at the same moment when he thrust the sword, far from him, as they sorting a Sphere, a round symbol glowing under their feet like they being trapped by some magic.
“Is that …” Scarlett seem had already guessing what it was, for in last 24 hours he saw it many times and he spent all the day with the one who could conjure it, though he didn’t know how he did it. Morran on the contrary tempted and attempted to knock it.
“Don’t touch it!"
But she was late. Morran had knocked it before the last word of her warning. The symbol blasts like a raging force. Both of them repelled roughly and the Sphere were scattered everywhere. Far away from them Rey was surprised by the sound of explosion and soon he turned around and ran to them.
“What happened?” asked Rey.
“What happened?! It should be me to ask you what you’re doing.” Scarlett snapped “Look at what you did!”
“What did I do?” said Rey confused, he felt didn’t do anything at all except sit in a place away from them.
“You blew us, do you think it was funny?!” said Scarlett look upset.
“I didn’t do anything? I just sitting there all over the time till I heard a bam.”
“That bam caused by Gremlin Sphere, I’m sure of it and you’re the only one who holds such Sphere. I do not know how you do it but I’m sure it was you.”
“He didn’t do it.”
“See.” said Rey.
“But his sword did.”
“See.” said Scarlett stared at him, but soon she suddenly aware of what that old man said. “Wait, what do you mean?”
“If I’m not mistake the sword on his hand was Terra Hand, so it called as I could translate from the Book of Muntazzar. I’m not sure what it was till I saw the glowing symbol that bam us.” said Morran, then he think of something “Hey I’ve got an idea. It could get us out of here.”
“Really?” said both of them in unison.
“Not really, not before we tried it.” said Morran.
“Then how?”
“Wait a second, no, it’s about minutes. Wait here, I’ll take something.” Morran go somewhere to their left while raving about, “We’re lucky that place was still intact and unburied.” But then after few steps and words, not even his figure has turned into shadow he running back to them.
“If you two want to fight please don’t do it before I back because I don’t want to miss it.”
“Just go!” said Scarlett, she look upset and furious.
“Okay.”
Again he took his way to their left, somewhere in the directionless darkness and leaving them both.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t mad about that little matter. It just this darkness and to think that we would be like …” said Scarlett.
“That’s okay I understand.” replied Rey.
“You’re amateur and weak. I shouldn’t know that you wouldn’t do such thing like that, at least not by intention or purpose.”
“Thank you for reminds me who I am. Little joke and sarcasm, that’s what we need in this situation.” said Rey. “What if his plan doesn’t works? What if it was just false hope?”
“Ever think that your beautiful ‘Melody’ rested her head on well-built pecs of another man while you trapped here forever and become whacky-wacko like him?”
“I just think about it a moment ago.”
“How it was? Hurt?”
“Very.”
“Then let’s think that it wasn’t false hope shall we?”
“Okay.”
As they spoke, there came Morran out of shadow with a crystal chunk in his hand.
“What is that?”
“It’s Chronicle of Belthazzar, forgotten fairy tales in our times but in the time when it was written it’s a record. This chronicles tells about the Belthazzar who had task to fought seven Archeons and one sword forged for this course. I found no name of this sword, for this chronicle has been apart but the one I know for sure was the sword had seven forms. Seven forms with seven different abilities to fight each of Great Ancients.”
The crystal glowing and at once Morran casts a flame of magic. It was like a golden smoke but they feel warmth around it. At first it looks like shapeless flame, but as they seen it the golden smoke gradually shapes something like crescent but there’s a hole in the lower point.
“Silver Crescent was its name if translated in our language. I don’t know what the ability was, it only tell that ‘the blade wield the knight’ don’t know what it means but with this Belthazzar killed one of the Great Ancients, the one with the greatest speed it said.”
“He killed one of the Archeons?”
“I myself surprised, we know the seven number of Archeon was originate from baseless fairy tales. But then here I find out that one of them had been killed.” said Morran. “There’s missing part on this chronicle, but fortune for us that the part about this great worm weren’t lost.”
The crescent-shaped of golden smoke now shaped into something very familiar for them recently, it was shaped like stone blade on Rey
’s hand.
“Amazing isn’t it? It is Terra Hand. Belthazzar fought this worm with the stone blade on your hand. The stone blade itself had abilities like scepter of the Magi, to transcend energy and magical abilities but through the ground only. However this blade had longer reach than any scepter, if I’m not mistake.” said Morran.
“How long?” asked Scarlett.
“Mostly the scepter only have radius about 10-15 meter, mine could do double than that.” said Morran shows his staff. “But this blade, since it was meant to fight this worm, just say that wherever this worm slumbered we could send some magic to attack him, so it means very long.”
“That’s make sense, how powerful you are you couldn’t fight something hidden underground.”
“The story told that with this stone blade Belthazzar attacked the giant worm with all great magic he had and so the worm came to the surface. However at that time Belthazzar failed to kill it due to its size.” said Morran “The record about the stone blade and this worm ends here and I couldn’t found the next chapter.”
“Ok, we have heard your story. May I know what your plan actually?”
“Are you didn’t listening? This stone blade could transcend magical attack from surface to this worm, to this depth, to wherever this worm burry now. So I believe it could do otherwise around, here to surface.” said Morran “My plan is … we use this sword, no he shall, since he’s the only one who could use it, to send a message to the surface, maybe some ‘help’ fire lettering and then we wait someone up there to dig us out of here.”
“Wow! That’s very smart plan of you.” said Scarlett.
“Really?” said Morran.
“No, that’s the ridiculous plan I’ve ever heard. Better I teleported right now and buried …” Scarlett paused for a moment “… on the ground.”
Soon Scarlett detached one of her Sphere then threw it off to Rey. “Take this and use it! Go as far as you could and do what you did last time!” ordered Scarlett, but soon he halted him. “Wait, I don’t want you to blow us this time, so take off all your Spheres and use mine only.”
“If I may know ...”
“Just do it, ask later!” shouted Scarlett “Now go, run, run, run!”
Scarlett did frighten him, forcing him to run as far as possible. He raced pass the leaning tower and city ruins to a place he had never stepped before, the farthest side where he could see red purplish wall of tissue stretched to the edge of light.
There everything so quiet and still, there’s nothing but small rubble and even the carcasses of leech look less on that place. Both of his friends weren’t seen no more but little shadows under a point of light, even their sound swallowed in the distance.
Rey bowed and thrust his sword to the ground while using the Sphere given by Scarlett. And suddenly there’s some friendly but smart consciousness came into his mind, it was Silverhare, the rabbit of the moon, the jumper of the light. The Silverhare itself somehow seems more benign than the both Imp he had, whereas it held a great abilities.
Suddenly Rey felt there’s some force dragged him as if he was drawn to somewhere and at once his eyes got flashed, purplish red color about him suddenly turned into a bright light of blue with two faces looking at him from below. Rey fell on Morran and he got up immediately as the old man’s smell stung his nose.
“What was that?” asked Morran.
“Our way out.” said Scarlett smiled, looked at Rey with full hope and joy.
***
Dusk deepened. In the darkening east the stars shone faintly, and the moon rose above the forest but the red gleam of crimson moon veiled by cloud. The shadows spread in the land and forest but the light was kindled on their home. The village was quiet and peace, everyone had inside their house, only few old men wandering around with hanging lantern to patrol.
Aska woke uneasy, thinking that the enemies still after them. But everything was calm around him, light was shining brightly above him while dimness peeking on the windows. And he was surprised when found Eorin fell asleep at his side.
The day was hard for them. Never they’re on such serious and dangerous situation, beasts on the Grimwood they might be unworried against it but skillful man with many experiences in battle isn’t something they could face easily. Suppose Marius or Scarlett wasn’t there for them maybe they were already dead.
Eorin then wakened from her sleep, “Hi!” said her.
“Hi!”
“How do you feel?”
“Getting better.” said Aska. “I used the wingless dragon to recover my wounds.” he continued.
“Is it okay to use it? You’re not mastered it yet, we’ve trained it many times but always ended bad. Last time I had to knock you down with a block of ice on your head.”
“Indeed I’m not mastered it, but to use only its rapid healing bit by bit without took the shape it was still safe for me.” said Aska. “Maybe I will fully recover in less than an hour.”
Eorin smiled but soon her face saddened as if her heart burdened by something. “I’m still thinking about Rey and Scarlett.” said her.
“We can’t let off our mind from them are we?”
“Do you think …?”
“What your heart told about them?” asked him.
“I don’t know. Despite all the bad thought storming my mind, somehow my heart feels calm and easy about them.”
“Then we felt the same thing. My Elder said that’s how the fate spoke to our heart.” said Aska. “They will be fine and we will meet them sooner or later.”
Suddenly without their notice Marius has stood next to the door, looked at them with cold gaze. Then he walked over to them, slowly and silently.
“How ‘bout him?” asked Marius.
“He's fine. Just need a little rest.” answered Eorin.
“Good news.” Said Marius, as he touched Eorin’s neck and suddenly she fell unconscious. Marius deftly caught her before she fell and gently put her on the floor. Secretly he put something on her finger.
“Hey what are you doing?” shouted Aska. He tried to moves but his waist and back not recovered yet till he halted in pain. Then Marius suffered him more by pressed his chest hardly.
“This is not joke or game. Kids like you are not supposed to be here. Scarlett naively believed kids like you would help her, but in fact you all just a burden to her. Did one of you have dragged her to death in that ravine?” said Marius coldly. “Once you wake, return to Lucretia and forget all of this.”
With only one finger Marius stunned Aska to him unconscious. Then he leaved them and locked the door from outside. For a while he leaned himself on the door then he sighed, “Get a safe night kids.”
***
“What's your plan actually?”
“Silverhare Sphere gives us the ability to teleport but the range limited about ten meter only, couldn’t be more than that.” said Scarlett, “Now, what if the teleportation ability mixed with the ability of your sword?”
“We could move further away, like I just did.”
“Not further but to the surface.”
“So we use the teleportation Sphere and this sword together to get out of here.”
“That’s right.”
“Ok then, I’ll practice it.” said Rey.
“No, no time for practice, you do it now.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know how long the stone blade keeps in that form. This old man said that the sword has seven forms right? If we waste more time I’m afraid it could be back to the broken blade again or another blade which might not useful to get us out.”
“All right, but like you saw before I had no idea where I would landed, we could be falling down like I was.”
“It doesn’t matter where we’re going to be. If you asked me what the worst thing that might be happened is we would have landed ten meters above the ground and get all our bones broken, one month in the bed with painful medication. But it’s all paradise than trapped here for
ever.”
“Or it could be worse than the worst. You're stuck here … with this woooman.” said Morran casually. “Just do it! Ask later! Run run run!” Morran tried to imitating Scarlett.
Scarlett glanced at him cynically but now her joy is far exceeds her anger.
***
Faint sounds of screams and cries like a whisper in the dream, made Aska woke up with eyes half-closed still. At first Aska thought it was just voice left from his dreams but after few seconds the voices not yet gone instead it become clearer and tangible as if very close to him.
He woke immediately but carefully peeking out of the window. There he saw a flash of light shooting to and fro like there was a battle in the silent night. Figures in the black shoot the village and take them down one by one and within the chaos some thin creatures picked their bodies. In the shadows he couldn’t see them clearly but as they stretched their hand to uncommon length soon he realized who they are, for the Volk Tribe of the North had long quarrel with the grave robber. Though he felt weird to see them far away from home and do something unusual.
Aska stoop his head and hiding under the window as he felt something or someone look at him and when he looked down he saw his friend slumped on the floor unconscious. He crawled on the bed to get into Eorin.
“Eorin, hey Eorin! Wake Up!” Aska whisper-shouted while shake her up. “Wake up!”
Eorin opened her eyes to aghast, but Aska silenced her immediately. “Sshhh!”
“What happened?” asked Eorin.
“They come and attacked this village.”
“What?!” exclaimed Eorin in surprise.
“Keep your voice down!” said Aska.
Eorin groping for something on the floor, but there was nothing she could find except cold granite floor. “Where’s my scepter? My Sphere?” asked Eorin wondered.
“Hey mine too.” said Aska. Soon he remembered the last moment before he fainted and the last person he saw. “Marius, that Ogre-bred trickster, I’ll bite you if we met again.” he swore.
“Save that for later. Now we must think something to fight them.”
“Fight them?! Even if we had all of our Spheres I’m not sure if we could survive there less than five minutes.”
“So we just hide?”
