They Called Me FIVE

LANCE

"What's the use of our powers if we don't use it to save our own?!" I countered.

Magnus swallow a big lump on his throat.

"Only deities can defeat one Lance. You may have your blessings but it's useless. You can't even take down the Class 4 Faeries, how much more a demon?"

He lower his hand covering my lips and draw a short nervous breath.

"There's gotta be a way. What can we do? If we jump in and intervene it may kill Seven and Sam, use us to fill their position. There's gotta be something." He murmured.

He close his eyes and tug on his hair. "Think Magnus think. What did those Rank Elder said about the Demons? What was their weakness? There's gotta some information buried in your pea brain for opponents like this."

I left Magnus to his chantings. My eyes slid back to Seven. She's growing weak. Sam has hold of Magnus's swords now. He did a great job slicing and cutting black forms trying to pierce Seven's skin.

I hold my breath. I left Sam and Seven's shapes and turn my attention to the black pit. No matter how I look at it, it's a pit. There's a small circle dots that lead straight down to the center.

It was too late before I realize.... The pit that I'm thinking... Is actually its big mouth. It shot black forms everywhere. To impale Seven, to force Sam lose his balance, trying to reel them both to its ugly mouth.

At the top corner, right where the small circles disappear, I saw a Mark.

A black Mark. Like ours. It wasn't that obvious because of the darkness floating around the black demon, but I'm sure of it.

Instead of a circle shape, its a star like form. And I couldn't mistake another set of intricate symbols dancing at the edge lines. Because some of it glows faintly.

"Magnus." I whispered.

He had his thumb tuck in his mouth and bite.

"Magnus!"

"What?"

"Why does this demon has a Mark?"

Magnus scuttled closer to me and peered.

"Where?" I want to point my finger out but can't. I resisted the urge.

"At the top corner. At the right - I mean left side of you. Can you see the slight glow? That's a mark like ours. What it's doing there?"

Something in Magnus mind click. He beam at me.

"I see. So that's what it is. Come on Lance, we have somewhere to be -" he pull my hand and force me crawl my way back. I whisk his hand away.

"Where are you going? We can't just leave them."

He spared Seven a glance and his face etch with guilt.

"I know. But we're useless if we jump in. We might initiate their deaths. If we want to save them, we must go back to where this all started."

Where this started.... He doesn't mean that Twylyth?

He and I break into a run. Sprinting like our life depends on it. We didn't stop. Even when the fire hogs come to block us in all side. I leap and knock one's face out. Before jumping and resuming my sprint.

Magnus is keeping up with me. At some point we met Jesper again. Babies crying are lying in his feet.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" He casually call out after punching a fire hog in the nose.

"Take care of them for us! We'll be back!" I shouted.

"Oh okay!" He shouted back.

After a few minutes of leaping trunks and avoiding holes, we came back in the steep slopes. We jog our way down on it. The moon has disappeared in the horizon.

Dawn is breaking ahead. Mix clouds of orange and blue exist in one sky. We cross the road and slowed down when we get the front yard. The door is there. The peeping hole.

I tried it for myself. See if that Twylyth is here but Magnus is impatient. He kick the door down. Storm inside and leap three stairs at the time.

I came running after him. Take the stairs and see his figure looming in one of the doors. He's not moving. He's staring. Stiff and frozen on the spot. I try to peek what he's looking at.

Turns out I can't see anything. There's only a bright yellow light inside. I slid in the room beside he's standing and try to listen what's happening inside. I hear nothing.

The sound that's coming out, is a soft tapping of a finger in the table. And then a voice came.

"And who are you?" I frown. It's a kid's high pitch voice. Definitely not the Twylyth nor her hordes of black flying foxes and armies of goblins.

"I'm talking to the Eklektos hiding behind the room next door." I flinch. "Would you step up please?"

What the - How does she know I'm here.

"Come on now hurry up. Don't waste my time."

I swallow the nervousness climbing to my throat and step out. Magnus is still stiff at the door. I pat his shoulder.

"It's useless. He won't move. - I mean they can't. This inn became my adorable private place."

I turn towards the kid..... No she's not. She has purple eyes, I initially thought it's contacts. But the eyeball is small. It could have been my imagination but I saw it lit up. On purple fire. Her hair is ponytailed, red shiny hair on two bums. A sparkling gemstone littered on her ears, neck, fingers and wrist.

She's wearing a high black boots, red sleeveless dress, black fur draped on her shoulders, black belt and a choker.

"Well, hello young man. Care to join me for tea?" She gestured for the empty seat across from her.

I'm tempted to bolt on the spot. But I can't leave Magnus alone. Not when he's standing stiff right at the door. Like a petrified statue. I touch him and his skin has turn to stone.

Beside the girl, is the Twylyth glaring and baring her teeth.