by Joshua Chou
“You’re planning something,” he replied. “That’s what.”
Gabriel folded his arms. He tried to make an intimidating face, but the face of a child could only be as scary as a teddy bear.
“In any case, you’ve got a job to do. One you’re not comfortable doing. How unfortunate.”
The ice spirit then decided to try touching a paper towel dispenser behind both of them. His fingers passed through the dangling towel, but the towel barely moved. Ethan paid no mind to that.
“You’re the reason why I’m in this mess,” said Ethan.
He twisted the faucet back. After a drawn out creak, the water stopped running. Gabriel turned back to Ethan.
“Water under the bridge,” Gabriel replied with a smirk. “Just let it go. But you can’t deny being afraid, can you? Your Sol knows what you want.”
The air grew cold. Ethan could see his breath in the chilling air. Gabriel pointed to the bathroom mirror. Ethan had little choice but to look.
A thin sheet of frost formed over the surface of the bathroom mirror. The ice coalesced to form a frosted silhouette of Gabriel’s other form: the knight with sword in hand.
This was the form Gabriel took when Ethan summoned him on his patrols, and this was the form everyone else knew was his Sol.
The Sol was one of many forms of defense against the creatures of the night. While other hunters used conventional weaponry and magic, Sol users could call out an inner spirit to fight with them.
He was one of these users. Everyone in his family had to know a magic trick or two. But Gabriel was a strange case. Ethan was not keen on letting anyone else know why.
“My Sol is a part of me,” Ethan muttered. He said it to remind himself rather than make a statement. “It’s just for beating down Wraiths.”
“But he could be better,” Gabriel replied. “Stronger.”
Frosted Gabriel’s silhouette mutated in shape. It grew jagged wings and widened in size. The image quickly expanded upon the mirror it was drawn on, and nearly jumped out at Ethan.
Ethan quickly slapped his hand against the mirror. Water and room temperature water ate away the soft frost. He melted away the cold silhouette, wings and all.
“I can’t let him loose,” said Ethan. “Not again.”
Gabriel walked up to Ethan. Ethan dared not look him in the eye. But Gabriel stared anyways. “How much longer can you keep me down? And you can no longer be denied what you need.”
Ethan sharply turned away. He snatched a paper towel and wiped his hands dry.
“Great,” he said. “I’m going nuts ‘cause a kid in my head is talking to me.”
He crumpled the towel and dunked it into the trashcan before leaving. The ice spirit watched him all the while but did bother forcing his message any further.
They were bound together whether Ethan liked it or not.
Chapter 4 – Mice and Men
Ethan tried to suck in more of that fresh air. He would need it to calm his nerves.
Elysium’s campus was in the heart of Manhattan, which thankfully had more greenery than the rest of the island. A park with plenty of trees and walking space was a five minute walk from the main building.
The park was open for anyone to enter, be they pedestrians, couriers, or street musicians looking to make a quick buck. So if anyone needed to get fresh air between classes, they came here.
Nora waited for Ethan under a tree right next to her next class. She was in no rush to go, but she did want some company before running off to study more.
The tree had no name, but it was big enough to be distinguishable from the smaller trees around her. The petit girl held a book bag with her notebooks and lunch inside.
A minute later, Ethan waved at Nora. She waved back. Ethan held an apple he just bought off a street vendor. They met halfway and took a seat on a nearby bench.
Ethan and Nora had a sort of ritual since the start of this semester: if one got out of class earlier, they would try to find a bench outside so the two of them could eat it.
That would change when winter came. The weather would be too cold for them to even consider eating outside. Until the snow started falling, Nora made sure to keep her end of the bargain.
“Any trouble finding a bench today?” asked Ethan.
“Well there were a few guys trying to get a game of chess going,” said Nora.
“What guys?”
“Does it matter?” asked Nora. “They’re gone now. I guess someone got salty over losing a bet.”
They still needed to get some food down. Nora took out her own sandwich and began eating. Ethan chomped down on his lunch, and he made sure to finish off the core as well. It was unorthodox, but he had to get as much nutrition in as possible.
“Who does that?” asked Ethan.
“Why wouldn’t anyone do that?” said Nora. “Because they could.”
Ethan paused. He recalled what he said before coming to the park. “Um, sorry for earlier,” he said.
Nora looked at him. She raised her eyebrows quizzically.
“I was being kind of a douche,” said Ethan. “And I’m sorry if it put you off.”
“Uh, apology accepted?”
“I’m not good at apologizing either.”
A pause. Nora snorted with laughter. “Is something wrong? You kind of walked out in a hurry.”
“No,” he replied. “Nothing to worry about.”
She glanced at him with scrutiny. Ethan looked back with some confusion. Nora had a strange habit of trying to stare hard at people to understand what secrets they were hiding.
She usually didn’t learn much. If anything, that gave people more reason to assume she was an awkward middle school kid.
“You’re usually less finicky,” she finally said.
Ethan realized he still had the last bit of apple core in hand. He quickly popped that in his mouth and chewed. “Am I?” he said with a mouth full of food. “I haven’t noticed.”
Nora finally stopped staring. “So how did it go the other night? With that other Wraith?”
He swallowed. “Not much. I killed it after it tried to take my legs off.”
“Are you okay though? There’s something on your-”
She tapped the side of Ethan’s face with the scrape. Even though it was more than a day old, it was still raw skin. He winced.
Nora reeled her hand back. “Sorry!”
“Just don’t touch it.”
Ethan sidestepped away, but not too quickly. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare Nora. He began walking back to campus. Nora followed right beside him.
“So what’s it like?” she asked. “I mean to fight one alone?”
“Well there’s not much to say,” he replied. “It comes down to who outwits the other. Though it’s kind of cheating if I have a Sol.” Ethan shrugged with a smile.
To his dismay, Nora hung her head low. She drummed her fingers against her thigh. “Must be nice having one,” she said.
“What?”
She quickly picked herself up. “It must be nice to win all by yourself. I got stuck with the others.”
“Well someone had to catch that straggler,” said Ethan.
“Basketball practice is in an hour. Meet you there?”
Ethan nodded. “Yeah. Let’s get this over with.”
Shortly after, practice started in the gym. And everyone on the EU team made good use of their space.
Elysium’s basketball court was the same one that they played their game last night. This time the hoops that were reclined now hung for as many people to use simultaneously as possible.
Other teams and individual athletes trained on different floors of the gym. The lowest level contained the basketball courts, the weight rooms, and the swimming pool.
Above that were the gymnastics, wrestling rings, treadmills, and running track. Most of those rooms could easily peer down to the basketball court at the center of the whole building.
Off to the side was none o
ther than Coach Day. Coach was in charge of Ethan’s team, and always called the shots during their games. He did virtually everything that required logistical thought if it involved a ball and his athletes.
While the team did well to practice on their own, Coach still required that the team practice nearly every weekday to be in peak form. Today they ran an exercise straight from hell: the crunch.
It started when the whole team lined up on one side of a court and ran on Coach’s cue. After that, they ran to the other side of the court, touched the baseline with one hand, and ran back.
Everyone had approximately fifteen seconds to do that before Coach went off again. But Coach always shaved off a second after every rep, which gave the team less and less time to catch a break.
“On your toes, on your toes!” he cheered. “I want to see those happy feet!”
Ethan found himself sweating again, but with less panic than last night. But he still found himself out of breath after all the running, turning, and running just to keep up with the others. They barely had the time to turn around before Coach told them to turn and do another crunch.
A door opened off to the side. Ethan stole a quick glance. Nora entered and passed by the whole scene. She kept her eyes on Hector, who was running with the rest of the group. Ethan knew she was in position.
“Break!” said Coach. “Good work! Now I want to see some two-pointers! I don’t want to see you all doing those easy lay-ups all the time!”
Someone groaned under his breath. Ethan realized it was Hector, who had managed to find a place next to Ethan. They exchanged glances, and Hector smiled back.
Ethan reluctantly smirked in response. He kept an eye out for Nora, who walked closer to Hector.
Someone yelped. “I’m cramping!” said another player.
Coach turned his attention to that player, who knelt on the ground massaging his leg. Coach rubbed his chin in thought. If that kid was faking it, he probably just wanted to catch his breath. But Coach stopped and checked him out.
Hector turned around, finally seeing the girl walking towards him. “Nora?” he asked. “What’s up?”
Nora smiled as sweetly as she could. Her hand was in her back pocket. “Got a moment?” she asked.
She curled a finger to suggest Hector to step off the court. He grinned from ear to ear and did just that.
Ethan had the dismay of watching Hector act so full of himself. But while Hector was distracted, Ethan reached into his pocket. The talisman’s runes felt warm to Ethan’s touch.
Nora led the guys as far to the side of the gym as possible. They were out of sight and could do their business with minimal interference.
Hector finally noticed where they were standing. His smile disappeared completely when he turned to see Ethan. Hector was surrounded.
“Uh, what’s all this about?”
“Just take it easy, Hector,” said Nora. She held her hands up non-aggressively. “But everything is going to be alright.”
Wisps of black mist began to form at the floorboards from Hector’s feet. This was bad. Hector suddenly found himself more energized out of newfound anxiety. Ethan had to act quickly.
“Did I do something?”
“No, Hector. We’re just trying to help you.”
Hector stole another glance. Ethan crept closer with his hand still in his pocket. “With what?” asked Hector. “I’m fine.”
The mist only thickened. Ethan got close enough to apply the talisman.
“Just hold still,” said Ethan. “This will be quick.”
At that moment, Hector’s face changed. The look of worry evaporated. His eyes locked on with Ethan’s and turned a sinister shade of gold. The Wraith showed its face at that moment.
It shoved Nora back. She fell on her seat, but she scampered away. Hector’s Wraith turned its attention to Ethan, who kept a cautious distance. Ethan finally revealed the talisman in his hand.
“I know what you’re up to,” it said in dual tones. “Can’t believe this jock didn’t figure out something was up immediately. But look around. I’ve got a whole gym of fresh meat. Any funny moves and I’m eating dinner early.”
At this time, some of the basketball team stopped their exercises and saw the scene going on. Coach hadn’t noticed yet. Nora quickly got back on her feet. Ethan stared down Hector’s Wraith.
“It’s never the easy way,” Ethan muttered under his breath.
“Or what?” Nora asked the Wraith.
Hector’s Wraith scowled. “Lemme go. And I promise to not kill anybody.”
“You’re a Wraith,” Ethan spat. “I doubt you could keep any promise.”
Nora glanced at Ethan in surprise. The Wraith turned his frown upside-down.
“Ah, who am I kidding?” it said. “Go time!”
Immediately, wafts of black mist shot out from Hector’s body. They came from his ears, eyes, and mouth, and engulfed Ethan completely.
The mist was a black vapor that smelled of brimstone and was just as unpleasant to feel on human skin. Ethan got the full brunt of the blast and was stunned.
Now everyone knew something was wrong. The whole basketball team yelled at the sight before them. It was too late for an exorcism on the spot.
Hector’s Wraith finished its possession and was ready to twist itself to become the form it needed to be.
As soon as it hit Ethan in the face, his eyes stung from the sudden impact. He had to act now. Ethan stepped forward to hit the Wraith with the talisman, but he hit nothing but mist.
The doors to the gym snapped open. Some of the mist cleared and blew outside. Ethan forced his eyes open to see where Hector’s Wraith had gone. He spotted the creature running away, but he was too far for Ethan to catch on foot.
“Nora!” said Ethan. “Come on, we have to go!”
Nora stepped out of the mist. She cupped her hands over her nose and mouth, but her eyes were leaking tears. Despite that, she knew exactly what to do.
She grabbed Ethan’s hand and ran after Hector’s Wraith. The small girl also pulled out her phone and speed dialed Iris.
“Iris!” she said. “We need backup! Now!”
The two AXEL trainees burst from the doors of the gym. Already their target had a head start. Nora and Ethan ran as far as they could, but Hector’s Wraith was out of sight.
No doubt that it was transforming itself further. This was bad. They needed to sound a citywide alarm.
“She’s coming,” said Nora. “We have to get to the north gate.”
Ethan turned in that direction. The two of them rushed as quickly as they could to the north gate of EU. Ethan rubbed as much of the black mist out of his face as he could. Nora managed to orient herself despite lacking clear eyesight.
Almost as soon as they arrived, Iris’ car rolled up with a police light cupped onto its roof. Iris was at the wheel, with Liam in shotgun.
“Load up!” said Liam. “The trunk’s open!”
Ethan and Nora ran to the trunk and flung it open. Within were briefcases of emergency equipment they needed in an event like this. Cases for additional holy armaments, conventional weapons, bullets, and firearms were packed and ready to go.
“This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening,” said Nora frantically. Her voice trembled almost as much as her fingers.
“It hasn’t eaten anyone,” said Ethan. “Not yet at least.”
Nora opened a small case and grabbed a revolver. Ethan pulled out his curved sword, a steel katana. He opened it slightly to check the sharpness of the blade.
Ethan quickly sheathed the sword. He would draw it again very soon.
Chapter 5 – Hunting
An evening sun draped its dying light over the city.
By now Manhattan already knew about the runaway Wraith. A citywide alert sounded from every emergency speaker installed on the streets. These were installed as early as the 18th century, and almost everyone needed to know when a monster was on its way.
A shrill siren hit every
wall, every street, and every room. The people of New York already knew what that meant. Drivers quickly left their vehicles and ran inside. Pedestrian foot traffic evaporated as they did the same.
Everyone needed to hide, because the Wraith could be coming for them at any moment. Hector’s Wraith, wherever it was, was in the vicinity.
“It’s fully transformed now,” said Liam aloud. He sat in the passenger seat with a shotgun between his legs. “You guys ready to take it down?”
Their senior AXEL member turned to the back seat. Ethan and Nora were ready. Now she was loading a revolver. Each bullet was nothing more remarkable than a .45mm piece of lead. But she also came equipped with more talismans to get the job done.
“Yeah,” said Nora as she loaded the last bullet in the chamber. “Ethan?”
Ethan nodded.
“We’re here,” said Iris. She brought the car to a stop.
Iris’ vehicle pulled up to the last known location. CCTV cameras spotted it running around this part of town. They alerted both the police department and AXEL, and Iris drove via bus lane to get there.
Iris stepped out first. “This way,” she said.
Ethan stepped out with the rest of his teammates. They left the car running in case they needed to use it again. He held his sheathed blade to use it at a moment’s notice.
This was an alleyway. Ethan’s team was looking at a space between two brick buildings with some garbage in between.
Iris pressed her back against the wall. This was to stay out of sight while approaching the alley. She turned and poked one eye around the corner.
She curled her finger. Ethan, Nora, and Liam followed. All of them made sure to make as little sound as possible, lifting their feet from heel to toe.
Catching a Wraith was almost like catching a wild animal, but with higher risks. They had to exercise caution at all costs. Each held their weapons at the ready. Ethan looked into the alley with the rest of his team.
Here was a different alley than the place Ethan trapped the Scorpion Wraith. But there were plenty of alleys in this part of Manhattan. These were good places to find a Wraith trying to hide.
