The Dormant Queen of the Hybrid

Book 1, Chapter 13 Asterids

The house is discrepant from what she imagined as her mother’s simple but elegant home. It’s just old and not maintained, that’s all. She said to herself while clutching her backpack straps. No flowers, or any type plants, nor bushes can be seen in the lot. Broken furniture, chopped woods and other small plastic garbage surround the place. The house itself is made of wood. Some parts are already decayed from the years of rain and other natural elements. The window glass is shattered but the door is still solid and locked. Asterids tried to open the door from the inside, by stretching her hand into the broken window to reach the door knob. Her hand is long enough to successfully let herself in. The inside is as desolated as the outside of the house. It’s literally just one room with a sink and a wash area. The toilet and shower is separated by a plastic curtain. Asterids absorbed everything that she is seeing inside her mother’s home. Emotion is starting bubble out of her. This has been the life of her love Maruha, after the painful divorce. A broken house. The young lady continued to search the place. Right of the door is a bed parallel to the shattered window wall. There is a small nightstand beside the bed with no lampshade on top. Instead Asterids see a lump of books that she guessed are the ones from the library. She sat on the bed and begun organizing the books. Some of them, she directly put inside her bag to be returned to the receptionist later. She opened the bottom drawer of the nightstand and found a leather bound print. From the looks of it, the book is very old. An antique. Asterids carefully flip the pages to skim the book, and saw a signed name at the back. She is definitely sure that she found the book of spells by Absul. Hamorabi’s ancestor. The book is thick but small in size. Spells to summon the nature is the main content, but there are definitely compilations for the unique art of curses. Asterids pondered on how did her mother able to borrow this very special spell book. This one shouldn’t be available for the public’s access, given its dangerous contents. The blue eyed lady even noticed one of the spells—an enchantment to change ones form or façade, to be someone temporarily. The pages also have scribbles around it, possibly from Maruha. There are runes drawn as a footnotes. Asterids immediately hid the spell book inside her backpack. She went back to the bottom drawer and found a folded piece of thick paper. When she opened it, she saw an old detailed map with more scribbles of runes and footnote. There are five landmarks circled by a pen in the map. The very first one, the young lady recognized. The black church of Sabbath in the witches district.

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Asterids went back to the Library at the Litany section with haste, to return the books to Rex, the receptionist. The book of spells, she kept for herself, including the map. She reviewed the drawings and decided to track and visit the landmarks. It’s within a walking distance, and it’ll be a good way to spend her day off anyway, she sarcastically said to herself.

The start point of the map, the Black Church of Sabbath is circled in red. The other landmarks are circled in black. She didn’t read much into it and started walking, which turned into jogging. She’s actually appreciating the vistas around her. This part of the witches district has more vegetation, occupying twenty percent of the whole cityscape. There is a thick and wide acres of forest North-West from the church. Which have the second landmark. Reading and following the coordinates indicated in the map, with the help of her googling-how-to using her cellphone, Asterids was able to pinpoint the landmark. A tall old tree, possibly ancient, mesmerized the young lady. It’s probably four meters wide. Looking up, she was not able to gauge how tall the tree is. The tree branches spread widely, it might actually cover half of a basketball court. Asterids circled the tree and found a stone altar behind it. The altar have a drawn symbol in green paint, that she recognized as the same rune drawn in the book of Absul. She remembered seeing it at the last page. However she is not able to understand it, being she doesn’t speak ancient witch language. She copied the symbol rune by drawing it in the map. She also added ‘green’ next to the drawing, then took some pictures of it.

The next landmark is west of the black church, and south-west from the tree altar. She noticed a paved way in the forest and followed it. Using the same method for reading the coordinates, Asterids arrived at a small water garden full of koi fishes. The middle of the manmade pool is a small island made of cement and stones. Asterids had to walk towards it, so she removed her shoes and socks and begun walking the knee high muddy water, cursing and mumbling something gibberish to herself. Praying the koi fishes won’t eat her toes.

There is definitely a pattern here, Asterids thought. The pond altar have a different rune drawn on it using black paint. The young lady also took note of this, then captured some photos. She also recorded a video of the koi fishes to show her boss, for the laughs for later. She then proceed with tracking the fourth landmark. South and a little bit to the east from the koi pond.

She almost missed the fourth landmark. It’s so rusted that you would mistake it for an ant house. But in fact, it’s actually made of solid metal. Asterids noticed the rune symbol is painted in white, or perhaps metallic or silver. There was nothing impressive in the area, so the young lady just took a quick video, jot down the findings and left for the last landmark, east from the boring metal altar.

The last landmark is a bit better than the rusted metal. A zen rock garden. They call it karesansui (translated as "dry-mountain-water"), originated in medieval Japan. It is renowned for their simplicity and serenity. Asterids noticed some old ladies, possibly witches, doing chair yoga. She decided to keep silent as to not disturb them. Except her phone camera shutter sound was so loud, that it disrupted the ladies anyway. Asterids left the area while being stared at, as she write down the drawn rune in yellow paint.

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“Hey, Rex. What do you think of these patterns and symbols?” Asterids showed the young chubby receptionist the map, spreading it on the counter table, as she pulled a stool to sit on. “Aren’t you guys studying this runes in your masters degree or something?” she added after settling in.

“I’m still in high school, Miss.”

“Oh.”

“I’m not really interested in witchy-watchy magic spells. A lot of girls in our school likes them, though. Introduction to Mana Study falls outside our high school program's required subject areas. We get to select them as Electives.”

“Interesting.. Hey aren’t you popular amongst your peers—”

“I’m not.” Rex immediately answered, squinting his lifeless eyes.

“Eh.. Can’t you introduce me to one of your girlfriends who’s here right now? I would really want to talk to them about that Introduction to Mana Study Elective thingy.”

“Ms. Asterids, you might not notice it because of my good looks and sexy body, but I’m a nerd! I’m not popular to any hot women.” But Rex called a classmate anyway.

After a few minutes, Asterids got disappointed because they don’t know anything about the symbols. The runes are very ancient-ish after all. They do however understand the meaning of the colors used to draw the runes. Red, green, black, white, yellow. In Taoism, this colors can also symbolize the five elements. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water

“Thank you, Baby doll! Go along now, always be good and don’t do drugs or something. Also give Rex a chance, he’s a keeper!” Asterids immediately packed her bag, as soon as she got the info. Rex’s voice is the last gibberish thing that she heard, as she left the room and the teens to their normal hormonal life.

“Ms. Asterids is right you know. You should take a chance on me, Baby doll.”

*** *** ***

As soon as she confirmed the pattern of the runes, as well as the meaning of the colors used to draw them. Asterids was able to easily conclude that the landmarks are part of a huge spell that uses intricate shapes, the golden ratio, or divine proportion. It’s some older version of a pentagram. And according to google, every pentagram have a middle rune for the output. And it seems that all the surrounding rune altars’ projections crosses path at a specific point. Asterids noticed that the said point or dot in the map is a known landmark among the witches, which is located at the west of the Black Church of Sabbath. The witches graveyard.

Asterids stared at Maruha’s tombstone, next to her son Andy. Once again, she ponders on a lot of things about her mother. “Where you being controlled by someone? What’s happening here, Mom?” she whispered. She felt the coldness in the air. The sun is already starting to set. And from where she is standing, the young lady can see a very old cave-like mausoleum at the very center of the lot. No one can notice it at first, but there is clearly a rune written in black at the top of it.

“Mom,” she whispered again. The bubble of emotion that she’s been suppressing the whole day, is starting to creep out of her. Asterids remembered her mother. Not just the happy version of her, but also the sad ones. She remembered Maruha the day of her seventh birthday. Her unhinged mother, who tried to kill her. The mother who took her own life in front of her daughter. I shouldn't have given birth to you! Asterids can still hear Maruha say those painful words of regret all this years. Tears fall down her eyes. She chewed her lips, as if trying to control the suffocating feeling inside her heart. She wiped her moisten eyes, as she longed for the comforting warmth of her mothers kiss on her forehead.

The amber sky turned purple, then darker. Twilight changed into dusk. But for some reason, the heavens is void of any glimmering light. Suddenly Asterids felt that she is no longer alone. Whispers echoed across the graveyard. And the crawling night time added to the eerie cold feeling. She sensed that someone is staring at her from somewhere unknown—somewhere beyond. The place is no longer safe for her, and so Asterids immediately take out her phone, to call anyone. She tried to leave the place, but it seems that her feet kept glued to the ground. “Hello? Boss—boss! I-I can’t move!”

“What? I’m on speaker. Asterids?” It seems that Dook is driving, based on the background noise on the other end of the phone call.

“W-west graveyard, block E, left of the Black Church of Sabbath. My feet can’t move. He’s here, the specter!”

“F*ck! I’m near the area. Do NOT hung up!”

*** *** ***

The air is very cold. The desolated graveyard felt vast at night, and the sinister feeling has alerted every hair fiber on her skin. Her eyes went wild as she starts breathing rapidly. Somewhere in the shadows of her mother’s graveyard is moving in slow motion.

Suddenly, whispers and agonized panting lingered in her ears. The shadow kept moving towards her, as she kept still, unable to move.. Bigger than every creatures she had faced in her lifetime, it shrieked. The weeping angel of the night. Hamorabi, the cursed Asrael.

The specter’s form is of black mist. Only his screaming unhinged mouth can be identified, as something part of a human. Everything about the creature is evil and darkness. And it came to take Asterids life.

Ponudi mi ja dušata menuvač [Offer thy soul lowly shifter]

He spoke on ancient tongue. As he start reaching for Asterids eyes, with his shadow like arms, moving like a piece of cloth in the air.

Thunderous roar dispelled the frightening attacks of the specter. Dook himself, is no longer human, when he arrived on time. He is in full animal form Byakko. It seems that Asterids’ boss is now able to manage his animal self. And using his Haku, he was able to push Asterids away from the creature. Breaking whatever entrapment was casted on her. Immediately, Dook bumped his assistant, as if instructing her to move her ass off. He let her ride on his back so they can run away to safety. Asterids hold on to her life as the huge white tiger speed up running towards the entrance gate of the graveyard. However, the specter remained on their tail, shrieking, speaking in ancients, echoing in the air. Dook stopped running to face the specter, then growl to release a surge of electricity. It pushed the specter away, but it seems that it did not do any damage. Desperate for their life, Dook focused on running away instead, so he speed up until they no longer see, hear or smell any sign of the entity. It seems that it was effective, and possibly the summoner won’t be able to reach them from the safe distance.