They Called Me FIVE

LANCE

"Why? Who - what is she?" I intended to use the 'who'. Figured it might be rude to Sam when he thinks she's a monster. 

Magnus paced back and forth. Seven is staring at us from her forest den, Alpha Beast is nowhere to be found. It might have been my imagination. I can't see Sam so of course it is, but I think he growled in her direction.

And Seven heard it. She stared to where I can feel Sam seated. Meanwhile, Magnus is brooding by himself behind us. Muttering under his breath. At last, Seven detached herself from her spot. 

And storm right to where Sam is. I blinked in surprise. One minute she's sitting at the floor few feet apart, now she's kneeling at the wall with her hand grasping air. I heard Sam growled and fought her back. 

"What the f*ck b*tch?! What are you doing? Let me go!" she's gripping him tightly. The floor is making scraping noise. Probably from his feet. 

In my mind, there's an urge to step up and stop her. But something is telling me I shouldn't. Knowing Seven, there's a reason behind her actions. So I stood on my spot. Watching her, listening as she whispers in low tone. 

Her eyes are calculative, squinting, like a mechanic focused on fixing car parts. When she finally let go and laid back, a bead of sweat trickled in her forehead, a tall teenage boy with grisly black hair and startling brown eyes stared wild eyed at her. 

"What the fu – That hurts b*tch! Wait - huh? Why am I visible?" 

The grisly haired boy stood on his feet and gazed, surprised at his hands, then to his naked body. Yeah, he's bare naked. And he's spreading his legs. His chest and stomach is flat, not muscle toned but enough to tell me he undergoes outdoor sports or exercises to make his body fit. 

"Seven did you undo his invisibility blessings?" I asked. Seven nods. She took a black overcoat from Magnus's duffel bag and covered Sam's naked body. Then get back to her initial position as if nothing happened. 

Magnus choose that time to stop his solo muttering moment and take a look at Sam. Grabbing his forearm where the Mark of Two settled itself. He lets go and reached for his wrist, where the golden bracelet with thirteen gems is located. 

One particular gem, a grey one, shone like light mist. It got our attention. Particularly Sam's. 

"Two… It's great to finally meet you at last, The Chosen One of Deity Dio. Sam, the Eklektos Two, I am Magnus, your Seeker." Magnus introduced himself politely. Shaking Sam's hand I think back at the time we spent in Opra. 

How he sounds foolish and shady back then, the man I'm facing now is completely a different person. Was this his real personality? So even I didn't know him that much. I think back on the stories he used to tell me when we roam the school grounds. 

About his teammates back in magical realm. The Rank Elders. The nasty Rank Ruler, his adventures, and the matter about his father. My eyes clouded for a minute. Remembering Lista is probably not the best to do right now.

Nor Dad. They're dead. All of them did. I'm sure of it. I don't know how Seven and Magnus survived but… Magnus survived it once, no question he'll surely survive another death wave again. 

I pushed back their image. Determined they won't ever appear in front of me again. A movement came to my back. Seconds later, Sam is straddling my back. His arms wrapped in my neck. 

In outside perspective it looks like he's strangling me, yet his grip don't even come as choking, his arms barely touched my neck.

"Don't come any closer." He warned. "Or I'll kill him." Then he whispered to my ear. "Pretend you're in pain." 

I scrunched up my nose. Like how victims by snatchers do when they're choked. I guess my acting wasn't convincing enough. Magnus doesn't look alarmed. And Seven is staring at us with bored eyes. 

"I don't think you understand how bad is our situation right now, Sam." Magnus said cautiously. 

"I don't give a damn." Sam gritted his teeth. "I don't care who you guys are but I want you to leave. Leave and don't come back." 

That's when Magnus intercepted and caught Sam's wrist. Something in my ear wheezed. A small blink blink noise I know so well. 

Magnus grabbed Sam and leap towards the wooden chairs, they crashed and rolled off the ground. While I jumped towards Seven, she use one branch to catch me. Wrapping it in my torso, she pulled me towards her. Alpha Beast is folding his parrot wings beside her.  His small eyes squinting at the figure trespassing Seven's tree branch barricades.

"What the hell did you -?" Sam kicked off Magnus and stood up. A red single line danced in front of him and Magnus shoved him down. 

"A black beast.." I murmured. Staring in disbelief as the figure, swallowed by darkness, targets Sam again and arc his fist to a heavy punch. Seven's branches shot off and pierced it in the heart.

It takes its true form. Twist its ugly body and crack his neck in an ugly angle. To us. It bared its black dripping teeth. Seven slashed her arms in the air, branches sprouted from all walls and caught something in the air. 

Piercing flesh with an ugly crunch. Dozen of ugly black beasts appeared before us. All hovering in the air. All writhing in pain. They twist their necks like the first one. Magnus took out his crossswords and started to leap from one branch to another, cutting off their necks. Dropping head in the floor one by one. 

I stepped up to help him but Seven stops me. 

"Do not move." She said in my head. 

Opposite us, Sam froze with me. I reckon she talk to his head too. 

"These things aren't Black Beasts. They call them Childe. Servants of Twylyth and Blood Hogs." She snapped one wooden stick with sharp edge and sent it hurling in the air. Like a javelin. 

It strikes at the wall. Black blood ooze out before a Black Beast appeared out of thin air. 

"What can they do?" I asked. Picking up another stick and striking the Black Beast goblin like ugly face in one swoop. It's body squeezed and crack until it disintegrate into grey ashes.

"They can walk through walls. And stay invisible." She said while giving an eye to Alpha Beast. He flinched, his small toes trembled. 

In a very low squeak he said, "I'm sorry." Before floating to my shoulder. 

"Why are you saying sorry?" It took a few seconds before Alpha Beast answered my question.

"It's because the ventilator is dirty, has a foul stench of dead rats. I can't possibly crawl in there. When Magnus said keep an eye, I know he meant I should go outside to look out, but the ventilator is so… ugh… my sensitive nose can't take the smell. I'm so sorry." This could be the first time I heard a parrot sniff. 

I glanced at the grey ceiling above, just for a second I saw a prominent shape – melting in the darkness. A human silhouette against the grey walls. Belonging to no one. I shoot one stick towards it.

The wood bounced back to me. I watch it go, patting Seven's shoulder to draw her attention to the silhouette. She frowned at it. Moving slowly towards Sam's direction. A shape of talons appeared at it's front. 

Claws so sharp it could rip out someone's heart. Sam. I realized. It's going after Sam. 

"Sam look out!" 

At this point, I began to notice I was useless towards Seven and Magnus pairing. Magnus was agile to his feet. His strikes are powerful and accurate. He can leap through high meters in the air, do acrobats and landed with his sword cutting off a Black Beast's head without a miss.

Seven was quick with her control on her branches. She's amazing. How she sprout them out of nothing, control it to do her bidding, all of it escapes me. I should also do something to help them. 

I'm an Eklektos too. I have powers too. I can manipulate my shadows and kill anyone with it. I can kill monsters without actually touching them. I can catch bullets and twist them back to the shooters.

Yet, here I am. Doing nothing. Acting stupid. Gaping as Seven save Sam multiple times with her branches. Sam was down on his feet. Scared at the things happening around him. I'm supposed to help him.

He trusted me. He had fun as I told him my story. He made an act of threatening me, which he didn't actually do. Deep down, I know he's the same as me. Scared, broken, shaken, just forced to stand on his own feet. 

Because he has no one to go to. Because he has no one to trust to. I was once like that. But Seven is here. Magnus is here. Alpha Beast is here. I have three people I can trust and rely on.       

My job here... is to give him the support these three have given me these past few days. I grab two sticks on the ground. I know it's stupid. But I got no choice. 

I leap from Seven's protective circle and raced towards helpless Sam, without my blessings, without protection, just two sticks as a weapon. I know I'm racing to my death. I really am.