They Called Me FIVE

LANCE

Dad chose that moment to slid inside the van and slammed the pizza box to Lista with the soda drinks. I flinched. But my body cannot move so I just close my eyes. 

"What the hell Dan? Are you trying to damage the pizza inside?" Dad didn't answer. He just stared. Probably blinked his black eyes thrice before resuming his seat beside me. 

"Dad -" Lista muffled my mouth. Dad raised his hands, with scaly talons ready to smack me in the face, send me groveling at the van floor.

"I wouldn't call him 'Dad' if I were you Lance. He no longer recognized you. Just stay sharp. He's way passed human now. Wanna know why?" Lista removed his hands from my mouth and got his attention back to the pizza.

My stomach feels not so hungry anymore. Pizza doesn't smell good nor look so enticing anymore. My strength is evidently gone. Staring at Dad, at the monster I no longer recognize.

"You don't know do you? Well, it's like this. Faeries made slaves out of humans by sucking on their souls right? Half of it was still existing to keep the body from rotting, like how you put batteries for remotes and toy cars to function, Faeries don't absorb the 'whole' soul so a mortal body won't go to waste. Of course you knew that." He pats my back. 

He fetch the pizza box, after having his own share, he invites the driver to eat one. He refused. Lista shrugged and put the pineapple with sausage pizza on my leg. Two slices float in mid air and pushed on my sealed lips to open. I did. I much the pizza. 

Suddenly, it doesn't taste that good.

"So, Dan here, with his comrades, offered his soul to the boss, our boss is one of the Dark Elf prince by the way, I'm sure you'll see him very soon. And he'll be very pleased. Anyway, we told you about the rebellion on our kingdom against the Rulers right? To get back on the royal families who sold Dan and his comrades to Faery slavery, they're willing to offer their souls, in exchange for massacring the entire royal family and for the Gifted people in that kingdom to live in peace. The Faeries keep their word. I was sent to eradicate the royal families. And I made sure to slaughter all of them. Oh the blood. I missed it. I could almost taste it in my lips." 

A drop of hot sauce slipped from his lip and lick it. 

"So that was it. The soul offerings. The Temptress honored her promise to them, and after doing her end of the bargain, she sent them here in the mortal world and posed as parents, friends, close relatives to the Eklektos scattered all around the human realm." 

He stuff the last bit of pizza to his mouth and took another two slices from the box. My mind is still ringing from the word 'Temptress'. He's talking about Meira right? 

"What exactly are the Faeries? Why are you after us Eklektos?" 

Lista's expression closed up as quick as you turn the doorknob close. 

"Hmm, not really sure about that to be honest. As I understand it, the Faeries has thousand years grudge against the Gifted people and the deities. Especially the deities, yep. You Eklektos are kind of like the apprentice you see. One day, you might replace the big shots up there so they're planning to stop that. They can't kill the Seeker because of the protection on his bracelet, and you two with Seven won't die either."

I frown at him. 

"What?" 

"The Seeker… I mean Magnus, is your son." I paused. I observe his reaction. There's no signs of surprise from his eyes nor does he froze out of shock.

"You knew…so why are you trying to hurt him?" 

He sighed. "He just had some bad luck. Besides, the things he don't know won't hurt him. I'm not telling you all these so you could gossip to him about me. I'm trying to tell you not all Faeries are bad. And not all Gifted People nor the deities are good. This might be too late to say this, but I grew fond watching you train Lance. You reminded me of Magnus when he's a little brat. I taught him how to honed his Koha technique when I was in prison. And he's a fast learner." 

He finished his pizza and sip on his soda. While I'm not yet done munching the fifth slice trying to slid inside my throat. 

"But the fact that he's raised by the Rank Elders, the very people who poisoned his Mom and he's chosen to be the Seeker… means that one day we're gonna stand on different side of the battlefield. He had his mission to fulfill, and I have mine. The years we spent separated has lead us to where we are now. I don't want him to be led astray just because of me, his very own Father, became his enemy. He has his own choices. And I want him to take the path what he think is right. Let me be dead on his memories. At least I was still the most valiant Ranker he idolized in his childhood. Not the loser I am now whose overruled by hatred and revenge." 

He fell silent. And I felt miserable. 

"But you are still his enemy. And you hurt him. What kind of Father are you to just watch idly as the other Faeries torture your son senseless?"

He looked at me straight in the eye. He didn't blink. He didn't break eye contact. Not until the van screech into a stop and the driver announced.

"We've arrived." Lista got up and forced a drink of soda in my mouth. I choke. He flip a black cloth in the air and put it over my head. Not letting me see the way out. In fact, the window glass pane never let me see the world outside. 

I felt hands dragging me up and we got out.