Chapter 24
My God, what on earth do I do?
A level five demon this close to the school? If it detonates, it could reduce the building to rubble and leave dozens injured—or worse. There's only so much one person can handle. I could call the girls back, but I don't know if they've sealed the portal yet. If it opens fully, the demon here might be the least of our problems.
There's no time to hesitate; all these people are in danger now.
I bolted down the school hallway, feet pounding the tile. The bell rang. Students poured into the halls like a tide, and I had to dodge and weave through them. A few shouted for me to slow down.
"If only," I thought, grimly whispering to myself. I wish I could right now.
All of my team is exhausted from the portals opening up everywhere. These portals have kept us on edge for weeks, and just as we find a temporary fix—then this. It feels like a twisted game of chess: we make one strong move, and the enemy counters with a devastating new move.
A level five here now—could this be a coincidence? Was everything leading up to this just a decoy? Or just fate playing a cruel hand?
With our newly trained abilities, the girls should be able to sense this thing. They'll come. I just have to hold out. Buy time.
As I burst through the front doors, a chill struck me—I was looking for this demon, but I couldn't feel it. At level five, its presence should be overwhelming to me.
Nothing.
Was something jamming my senses? Had it already fled?
I couldn't afford to stand still. Instinct led me behind the school, past the tennis courts, toward the woodland area by the chain-link fence. If I were a monster trying to stay hidden, this is where I'd go—the darkest and most secret place to be.
I released my blade, "Soar, Rising Crane," I whispered, calling my blade to hand. I tightened my grip as I crept slowly and cautiously into the woods.
And there he was.
The Demon Phoenix was standing casually behind a tree near the sports shed. My stomach twisted. I felt my skin burn—not from his flames, but from rage. We hadn't seen him in over two months, and now he returned like nothing had happened, like we hadn't fought tooth and nail to fix the damage he caused. He has taunted us some in the past, and enough was enough.
Was he always level five, as our update source said? I don't get it. Nothing seemed new about him. I could see that he looked the same; where his wing once was, there was a bandage.
The moment our eyes made contact, he took his beak around the bandages and pulled them off from his side. It came off, unraveling and falling to the ground.
We locked eyes.
Slowly, deliberately, he unraveled the bandage with his beak. It floated to the ground. His wing was whole again. Regrown. He waited until now to reveal it—taunting me. Was he trying to show that all my efforts did not affect him?
Once his wings were fully regenerated, he lifted them sharply into the air with a quick whip. His wings caused embers to fly, dancing across the ground and trees.
With a proud screech, he spread his wings wide. The motion stirred a wave of embers that rained down around us. The heat kissed my skin—a warning: he was quite pleased with himself.
Then he lunged.
Flames erupted from his beak, and I ducked behind a tree. I could hear the fire sizzling against the bark. He was putting on a show, but the danger was very real.
I bet he is here to exact his revenge, but I don't understand how he knows that I'm here. I hid my spiritual pressure, I thought. Well, perhaps I didn't do it as well as I could, since this is a fairly new practice.
I stepped out from behind the trees and proceeded to attack. I gripped the hilt to the point of cutting off blood circulation to my knuckles. They were white, and both my hands wrapped around my sword.
I stepped out from cover and charged. My knuckles whitened as I gripped my sword. Around us, the flames closed in. He was trapping me, just like last time.
"This trick again?" I called out, my voice biting. "That's old, birdbrain. Why don't I take that arm of yours?"
"On the contrary," a voice replied—human, smooth, cold. "This time, I'm taking something from you."
I froze.
The Phoenix was speaking, not screeching or snarling, but speaking like a man. And his voice—I knew it. It was familiar. Young. Around my age.
"This time, we're going to play this game differently—my way, by my rules now. I have more time on my hands this time," he continued. "Thanks to the hand you stole. It inspired me," he said with a mischievous laugh.
His flames shifted—from red-orange to a sickly, sinister black.
Feathery embers flared and scattered, his avian body twisting, transforming. Smoke cloaked the clearing. When it cleared, a portal glowed where he once stood—with strange energy. Black lightning shot from it, and malice poured from his direction.
A red aura encircled him, swirling with the smoke from around the field.
I could only stand there, frozen in fear and amazement. I've never encountered a demon turning into a human form, and this must be what it means to be a level five.
It seems as though he had complete control over that demon, and it empowered him.
Seconds before he was close enough to reach me, a large gust of wind blew the black smoke away so I could see his face. He had dark, golden-yellow eyes and short, red, spiky hair.
I gasped.
"Josh?" I whispered.
Beck's best friend.
He vanished with his father months ago. And now... this?
Why, Josh? Was all that I could come up with as he crept a little bit closer?
I took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Josh, do you even realize what you're doing? Who are you hurting? Becky still cares about you. She'll be devastated to see you in this condition."
"Condition!? My dear, I have been set free from the immortal chains that bind us all. I have to say that it's thanks to you."
"Thanks to me? I haven't done anything to make you like this."
"Oh, but you did. Becoming a Waymaker unleashed power—not just in you, but in those around you. Similar to Micah, Becky, and me. I am aware of the moment when their powers emerged."
"That said, when you chose to become a Waymaker, I made the complete opposite decision, and a man presented me with a deal I could not refuse. He promised to grant me everything my heart desired. Now look where we are."
I stepped forward. "You think it's all worth selling your soul for all your treasures and desires of this world. How far do you think this path will lead you? Do you feel like you have absolutely everything you've ever wanted?"
I continue to try to reason with him. "Is there not even a part of you that longs for anything else? Something that screams deep down inside of you that you're missing out, that there has to be more?"
"Enough!" he snapped. "I'm not looking for one of your petty inspirational speeches that persuade me to change my heart. Do I want more? I don't. I'm done playing human. I want blood."
"So Becky means nothing to you now? You'd spill her blood, too?"
I said as I lunged forward and launched off the tree in anger. I was not looking to go for his arm; I'd take his head instead!
I thought bitterly, "If there's no persuading him, then there's no way of saving him." He dodged my sword with such overwhelming speed that my eyes could barely trace his movements.
He said, "It looks like I am not the only one out for blood." He was toying with me.
Mid-dodge, he ducked down and drew back his fist, slamming it as hard as he could into my lower ribs and sending me flying feet into the air.
I got back up quickly and coughed up blood. I quickly regained my composure. I must find a way around his new, improved speed.
"I'm guessing you found that the Phoenix demon doesn't allow you to be so nimble. So you changed things up a bit, even if it meant revealing your true nature."
"Yes, indeed, I must confess, I'm not very mobile in that state. I'm not going to give you another chance to attack me. Not again, you won't so much as lay a scratch on me."
I have to admit, maybe I'm blind with rage and off my game.
"You caused so much destruction to the townspeople. All these portals you've been opening up, and now you're out here ready to hurt your friends, including someone who loves you. Do memories mean nothing to you? Becky loved you!"
"She never cared about me, even when we were kids.
"You don't know the whole story," I said. "She cared. She held back because she didn't want to make things harder for you. You moved too much. Your father was always dragging you around. She didn't want to hurt you more."
"She just laughed, shrugged it off, and ignored me. Your lies are but a sham. You're procrastinating your time away, waiting for backup. I told you before that nothing is going to save you; I'm out for blood."
"It was never my intention to imagine that you would have changed your mind. What I told you wasn't a lie. She was reluctant to speak with you. She was trying to abstain from bringing you any more suffering, furthering your anguish."
Josh's expression twisted. "Pathetic. You think that excuses it? I never had a home. And when I gained power, I let go of all that weakness. When I gained this power, I released all my worldly possessions, thoughts, emotions, and other dreams or ambitions that were binding me—I ascended.
"You're the one calling me delusional. I think you, being in that Phoenix demon form for so long, have toasted your tiny birdy brain."
My tactics seem not to be working. Still, I had bought time. The girls should be close. So we can give him the ass-kicking he needs.
This time, I darted from cover, blade flashing. I took another swing with my sword as I charged out from around the trees at his back this time.
He dodged me!?
He grabbed hold of my sword, and it cut through his hand. I watched as blood was dripping to the ground; it was all that I could focus on as his other hand closed around my throat and lifted me into the air like a ragdoll.
"I told you—you only had so much time to procrastinate, to keep dodging me," he whispered coldly in my ear, his voice deep and emotionless. "Your time's up… And now, I want my blood."
"Lucky for you, this current situation doesn't require me to finish you right now," he murmured, the chill in his voice deeper than the grave.
His grip tightened around my throat with terrifying force—my windpipe crushed beneath his fingers. I couldn't breathe. My lungs screamed, clawing for air that wouldn't come. Seconds blurred. My limbs weakened. My vision darkened.
Then he let go.
My body dropped like dead weight, slamming into the ground with a harsh thud. Pain exploded along my side—the same one he'd struck before. I felt it then. The fracture in my rib snapped completely.
I couldn't scream. There was no air left. Just pain. And silence.
I fought to stay conscious, clinging to the fading edges of reality, drifting in and out of darkness.
Then I saw him.
A figure. Sword like mine. Familiar face. Older.
I blinked slowly, unsure where—or who—I even was for a moment. My thoughts were scrambled, drowning as I started to lose consciousness. But then, through the haze, something clicked.
I remembered.
A boy. From my childhood. The one who shielded me from bullies when no one else would.
His face was clearer now, older but still familiar.
He was a lot older now. What was his name? D. No, "Evan," I breathed—my childhood protector.
Evan POV
Evan "What's up, little bro? Back in town, causing trouble again? Dad put you up to this?"
"Stay out of this, you little punk, if you know what's good for you! I was just finishing up business here, so don't get in my way."
"Not today. I've got an obligation—to kick your sorry ass."
"Ha... Good one, jokes on you," Josh sneered, eyes glinting with fire. "You used to beat me without even trying—back when I was just some helpless kid."
His smile twisted into something cruel. "But things are different now. I've got power you never had. Let's see how your winning streak holds up now."
"Oh yeah? I figured it was only a matter of time. Dad liked to play with demons, and of course, his precious baby boy had to follow right behind him. I just hoped—maybe—you'd pick the lesser of two evils. But I suppose that was too much to ask. I had hoped you would have chosen a different path. It's not fair that I haven't seen you in quite a while, and you have to have a family reunion like this. It's sad."
"I told you I have a business right now that I have to deal with, and you're in my way. I don't have time to play your childish games."
"Aw... what's it to you? You got time to play with this young girl, but you don't have time to play with your dear big brother," I said with a crooked grin.
- They were locked in a battle, and his sword and the fist of the demon Phoenix had a gauntlet with long-bladed claws. -
"I've given you enough warnings; my patience is already worn thin. "I am done!" Josh roared.
Josh had Evan's sword in one hand, and the other dug his claws into the chest of his brother Evan.
Agh... Evan let out a groan before collapsing to the ground.
Josh walked over and picked up Kaysi's unconscious body and carried her toward the portal without a glance backward.
"Until next time, remember I am your true big brother," he said with a smirk as he descended into the portal.
"No!" Evan cried, struggling to rise. "You've lost your mind—you can't take her down there!"
"Oh my God, Kaysi!" Micah's voice rang out as she arrived.
"Josh?" Becky gasped in bewilderment.
"No," Baby screamed as she reverted to her animal form, leaping towards them.
Too late.
"I hope he gives you everything you want," I whispered bitterly and sarcastically.
The portal closed shut, leaving no trace but the scorched Earth behind, just as Baby's paws landed on it.