Monsterstruck

Chapter XXX: The Masked Cresclunar Warrior

        The two yomas had also disappeared in the clearing, leaving Craig aghast as the image of Vylet disappearing into a purple ball of light dancing across his mind. He was beyond awestruck and muddled by the whole bizarre. But he had to find her now. Maybe those yomas abducted her! A spike of fear pricks in his skin as he thought about her with those monsters.

        He frantically combed the whole area. The cresclunar glowed again, emitting a blue light and a figure of a masked man materialized before him.

        “Who are you?” He rasped. He was surprised by how his voice sounded scared, more than mystified.

        “Young man, she’s in good hands,” the masked man said gently in an assuring voice.

        “Who are you?” Craig repeated the question, this time with a sharp edge in his voice.

        The masked man gestured him to follow him. As they walked along, Craig noticed that the masked man also had a cresclunar amulet dangling in his right wrist. A cresclunar warrior! He felt like one of his queries was answered.

        “How did you get her that quick? I mean she disappeared right? What was that?” Craig probed with his curiosity, skyrocketing.

        But the man didn’t answer him, instead he quickened his pace as they headed to small cottage. Craig grew more bewildered by the nature of this strange masked cresclunar warrior.

        “Come in,” the man admonished as he swung the door open.

        He ducked his head and entered inside the cottage. And then his eyes flickered in a corner, where his beloved heroine lies.

        “Vylet,” he crooned, saturated with relief as he rushed to her.

        “Shhhh, she’s sleeping,” the man chastised.  Craig tucked a blanket swiftly to her and kissed her amorously in her forehead.

        “Thank you, sir…” he creased his forehead groping for his name. The man had not yet unveiled himself behind his Zoro like mask. Craig could tell that this man was a foreigner, based in the color of his eyes which was emerald and the way he spoke-- he had a rich American accent.

        “This world is full of mystery, the clandestine world of supernatural beings, unsolved murder cases, mysterious disappearance of people wherein after a week their bodies will found lifeless, with their carcasses sucking dry. All of these hideous thoughts fuel me more to combat the ubiquitous presence of such evil in this filthy world with my cresclunar.” The masked man related as he got himself and Craig a cold glass of water.

        “I didn’t choose to be like this young man, sometimes fate chooses us, and I do think the same thing with those monsters; they didn’t choose to become like that.” He asserted with a bitter edge in his voice.

        “It seems like you don’t like being a cresclunar warrior?” Craig quipped as the man handed him a glass of water.

        “Not that I don’t like. There were a lot of painful memories that I have in me brought about by being a cresclunar warrior.” The man countered as he pursed his lips.

        A frisson of pain grip on Craig’s thoughts when he thought about his father as he saw his father’s image popped on his glass of water, smiling faintly at him with his cresclunar dangling in his chest.

        “Yeah, I agree… being a cresclunar warrior is more like a curse and a gift at the same time…and because of that my father was brutally murdered by a monster and as of now, we haven’t yet found his killer.” Craig lamented as his lips is pressed into a hard line.

        The masked man threw him a sympathetic look.

        “I’m sorry about that,” he mouthed as he could see the white pain etched in his eyes.

        “And I just realized that being a cresclunar warrior holds no guarantee in saving yourself from evil.” Craig added, chuckling.

        “But it does save lives. Lives of innocent people.” The masked man quipped intensely.

        “Yeah, and that’s the best part of being a cresclunar warrior… you get to save lives especially your loved ones from evil…” Craig concurred casting a glance in the direction of Vylet.

        The man followed his gaze. He could tell that this young man’s love for her was pure. But he could also tell that he was clueless about what she really is, an immortal cold-blooded monster, a yoma. He didn’t want to spill the beans to this young warrior, for he didn’t want to ruin a beautiful love affair between a cresclunar warrior and a yoma. A stench of nostalgia gripped on his memories as he saw himself twenty- one years ago…ambitious, adventure driven, and never did he thought that he’d fall in love which he did realize too late. He did fall in love with her no matter how his mind refused to accept that silly feeling. But his heart was burning with fervor everytime the memories of her dominated his thoughts. He was now burning with regrets, tormenting himself for he did let go of her without her knowing that he loved her too, that he was ready to lay the world at her feet, regardless for what she is.

        “Sir?” Craig’s voice snatched him away from his reveries.

        “Uh, sorry,” he mouthed trying to conceal the sudden feeling of agony.

        “Going back to what I’m asking lately, what was that purple ball of light? How did she disappear? Are those monsters already dead?”  Craig probed.

*****************

    “Paul!!!” Vygnet shrieked in agony as she held the weakening body of him.

    “I’m okay,” he answered feebly as he slowly transformed back into a human form. They were both stunned to see that they were now in a different place, somewhere near the La Boracay garden.

    “God! I thought you’re going to die, and I won’t forgive myself if that happens,” she whimpered and embraced him tightly.

    Paul just smiled and brushed his temples on her cheeks, as he wiped the tears that trickled on it.

    “Shhhhh no, stop crying, okay? I’m still here, and as long as I live, I’m gonna do that for you.” Paul crooned.

    They stared at the night sky as the full moon casted its light. It felt like a black hole for them; a death trap for their kinds. Everytime they’d look at the moon, it predisposed them one thing: to get themselves in the lap of death. Because every full moon, cresclunar’s power was in its full swing.

    “But how did we get here?” Vygnet asked in bewilderment.

    “I don’t know… but I saw a silhouette of a masked man lately, he aimed the amulet at us, I thought he’s going to kill us, but to my surprise he didn’t. And all of that happened in a flash, Vylet disappeared and so are we.”

    “What? Are you saying that man saved us?  And how could Vylet…. possesses that kind of power?” Vygnet asked as she tried to collect the pieces brought about by the bizarre.

    “Really Vygnet, I don’t know anything about it, even that purple ball of light.”