Friends now enemies
1162 Words
Nox opened his eyes to the same horrible scene.
“Mom!” he shouted, running forward to reach her. But the red-haired bastard always set her on fire before he got there. Time rewound again, showing him his mother’s death over and over.
Each time, he stood up and tried again.
If this happened a thousand times, he would try to save her a thousand times.
There was no doubt in his heart, the scent of burning flesh jolted him. It was too real. With every failed attempt, he grew slower, more stamina drained. Behind him, a shadow crept closer, its presence gruesome and wrong.
The closer it came, the weaker he felt. His strength drained until he could barely move. Then, doubt slipped in.
Can I really save her? I’m too weak. She’ll die no matter what I do. It’s over. I can't save her.
A man appeared. He wore a white gown, and his snow-white hair was adorned with glistening beads. He looked angelic, but his shadow stretched unnaturally long and twisted. Nox, drowning in grief, barely noticed.
The scenery turned gray.
“Do you want me to save her?” the man asked, his voice calm and gentle.
“Yes,” Nox replied without hesitation.
The world changed again. Nox was back in the forest, the one he and Juro had entered the day everything began. He remembered nothing after that. When he woke, everything was normal. His mother was safe. He and Juro never had to part ways, it was everything he ever wanted. Peace had returned.
But it was all a lie. A dream.
Outside the illusion, his body was being controlled by the same being he thought had saved him. His mind floated in paradise, while his real body lived a nightmare.
All the other children trapped in slumber faced the same fate, surrendering themselves to Mare and taking the easy way out.
The five figures—Kirian, Ki, Soren, Mare, and the possessed Ren—charged toward each other with deadly intent.
Mare threw a bead into the air. Thorns erupted from the ground in Kirian’s and Soren’s direction.
“Ki!” Kirian shouted.
“Got it!” the golden-haired clone replied.
Ki swung his sword in a wide rotation, and a square-shaped earth shield rose from the ground, blocking the thorns. Ren burst through the shield, fist first. Kirian was ready. He caught Ren just as his guard dropped.
Ren’s lapse lasted only a moment, but for warriors moving faster than sight, that was enough.
BANG!!
Ren took a punch to the face and was flung backward toward Mare. Mare dodged easily, tossing two more beads.
BOOM!
Ren’s gravitational punch echoed through his body. It smashed the beads mid-air, shattering them to dust. Mare leaped high, avoiding Soren’s counterattack.
Ki was already above him. He swung his sword down, slicing Mare in two, but Mare’s body stitched back together almost instantly. Landing lightly, Mare gathered his long gown and turned to run.
Soren gave chase. Ki followed right behind. Kirian stayed back to hold off Ren.
Mare knew he was at a disadvantage. Kirian’s power was far beyond what he had shown, and Ren, though strong, wasn’t fully under control. Still, Mare grinned. He didn’t need Ren as a weapon. He would do well as a shield.
And he had a hundred more shields waiting, the children.
Ki sprinted round ahead to block Mare’s path while Soren closed in from behind. Mare threw three beads at Ki.
The first exploded into blinding smoke. Ki couldn’t see, but he could smell a thick, flammable gas. The second bead sparked.
VHOOM!
The air ignited, flames swallowing Ki. It wasn’t enough to take him down, but it left him open for the third bead. From it, a giant fist formed and smashed him skyward.
Mare’s laughter echoed through the forest.
Soren’s fury boiled over. His body ached, but he refused to stop. His gravitational punches had become predictable. He needed something new. Then it hit him.
I haven’t tried my legs yet.
If he could channel gravity through his kicks, it might work. The same idea, but unexpected.
Soren sprinted alongside Mare.
“Huh? Running beside me now?” Mare sneered. “Afraid I’ll bite?”
“Well, I bite,” Soren shot back, twisting in mid-air.
He kicked, and a gravitational blast erupted from his boot. Mare jumped to avoid it, just as Ki dropped from a treetop above him.
BOOM!
Ki crashed down with both knees on Mare’s back, slamming him into the forest floor. He raised his blade at his heart for the final strike.
A child suddenly jumped between them. Ki froze mid-swing. Another child clung to his back.
He staggered back peeling the kids off his body, who were multiplying by the second.
Soren rushed forward, rage burning hotter than the fire around them. Mare stood, brushing sand from his oversized robes and smiling.
He was using the children as shields.
Wait. If he’s using them, that means he's also using—
BANG!
A punch struck Soren’s jaw, sending him backward. He landed and steadied himself. Of course he was controlling Nox as well. His eyes were pale and empty, his expression lifeless.
The forest fell silent for a moment. Mare placed his hands on his hips and smiled.
“So, what do you think of my little soldiers? I call them Sleepers.”
“Sleepers?” Ki thought. “He’s controlling everyone.”
“How are you doing this?” Soren demanded.
Mare sighed dramatically. “Let me ask you something. Everyone has a trauma that haunts them. It hangs over their heads like a burning roof. You live each day waiting for it to fall. So tell me, if someone offered you a way out, would you take it?”
“What kind of question is that? No one wants to stay in a burning building,” Soren snapped.
“Exactly,” Mare said. “I’m the one who offers the way out, I offer relief , you never have to feel pain ever again, you can live forever in paradise, and all they have to exchange for paradise is control of their bodies. They don’t realize it, but I do. I delight in their pain. I offer escape, and they give me everything.”
His voice darkened. “But you two... I can’t pull you into the dream world. And I’ll find out why, even if I have to tear the answer out of your heads.”
He flicked his wrist, beads glinting faintly.
“Well then,” Ki said, smiling as he raised his sword, “let’s dance, demon.”
Soren clenched his fists. The children charged forward.
Nox stood beside Mare like a silent guardian.
Ren was their enemy. Now Nox was too.
Ki exhaled sharply. He was tired of fighting his friends, angry, and ready to kill.
“I really hate this forest,” he muttered.
- Writer
