Rimholm University: Clandestine

Chapter 37

"I didn't expect things to be turned out like this. Marinelle is using blades," Mira whispered. A chain wrapped around the branch then a hook hits Salem's shoulder left shoulder, causing the girl to kneel to the wood while her blood is staining her clothes, "Salem!" Mira shoots it before someone behind the smoke pulls the chains.

"Hold it Salem. I can fix it." She slowly lifts her gaze on Mira then pushed her away.

"Focus on them. I can handle this."

"Oh! I thought that I hit the elf from the Rimholm team." Someone said before it got followed by threads of laughter. The man stepped out while whirling the chains on his side. Mira and Salem are now both surrounded by the new team. Mira accidentally caught a glimpse of a piece of red fabric peeking on the pocket of the man standing in front of them right now. He tilted his head as he scanned Salem's bloody state, "Seems like I hit her that hard, right boys?" He looked at his teammates and all of them cheered.

"He got the flag, does he?" He asks while looking down at Mira who's hiding Salem behind her.

"No, none of us have those."

"Don't lie, I know you did, or do you want her to die at the moment?"

"Don't make me laugh." Mira mocked, "You see. We don't have any weapons to hold at this moment, so what's the point of having the flags with us we can't protect it?"

"You got a point. But if you think that we can spare both of you because you're a girl, wake up from your dream." Mira stood up against the man to stop him from getting closer to Salem. She looked at him with her brows almost formed into a line, "I'm curious about your school. What does it feel in studying on Marinelle?" Mira gets into her act while waiting for the right moment to use her magic. Without any hesitation, Mira simply took a step and applied her magic to maximize her speed.

"Where is she?!"

"You sneaky--" The blue flame surrounds the whole place and prevents the team from Marinelle to get close to Mira. She smirks at them before hiding the flag in her pocket. Vines started to crawl on the branches and wrapped around the man's teammates' mouths before they got hanged upside down. Freddy hides behind the tree again after Mira and Salem stand behind the fire.

"Sneaky what?" Salem asked while holding her shoulder and performing stretches on her arm. She dropped the hook then looked at Mira who's chasing her, "Their hook is kinda coated of rust. These are the guys that threatening you, Mira?" She pointed them. Mira nodded and simply makes a move.

"Your lion friend looks tougher than them after I kicked him out of the roof and brawled with him."

"Just let those little fellas, Salem. I bet they won't notice this." Mira showed her the three flags on her hand. She's chasing her breath after that fast movement. Even the shifters or vampires on the team don't notice her move.

"Marinelle is eliminated. We repeat, Marinelle is eliminated. Rimholm is doing a great job of dominating this game. But this is odd, there are no signs of Kramishna's team yet." After that announcement, they decided to leave the place behind and proceed into the final spot.

"There's no point in hunting down the Kramishna's team. They started the game before the wipeout." Kellion said and Julius nodded in agreement,

"They know where and when they should start," Julius added. Mattheo held the satchel tightly then glanced at Zachary.

"They'll come after Mira's group to take the flags," Zachary growls, "Kellion, bring these two with you." He commanded before shifting into his wolf form and letting out a howl. Zachary runs into the place where his three teammates are.

"I should do this but it's our captain's command." Kellion murmurs. He held their shoulder and let the air swirl around them like a tornado, "Both of you, close your eyes." Mattheo and Julius obeyed what he said; allowing him to do anything despite dizziness oozing on them. The explosion outstands the natural noise of the forest. The trees that bordered their place from the valley got pulled from the ground. A thousand birds gathered together and buildup a massive flock while flying around where the explosion happens.

"This is bad news."

"All the remaining players, please gather all your teammates and leave the game venue as soon as possible."

"What colorful flag you got. Have you got tired playing of these wonderful charades?" Mira stopped from following teammates after a sharp, deafening sound ring through her ears. She went down and slumped to the healthy roots as her legs turned to jelly. Her whole body starts to tremble when a burst of laughter from deep pits echoed around. Salem and Freddy are out of her sight anymore.

"Why won't you stop being blind and ignorant?" A pitch-black figure of a man asked.

'Ignorant! Ignorant fool!'

"Please, leave me alone."

'Leave! Leave! Haha! I won't! Even if you die, I take you with me!'

The tall man stepped out from the shadows. He's wearing a lengthy hooded black cloak that drapes even to the branch. The small voices whispering in her ears give her disturbance. She reach for her ears to cover them yet, it all went futile because the voices gets louder. Mira looked at him in distress. Ellistal immediately comes out from the gun and hides Mira on her back, "You!" The whole surrounding brings to a halt. Darkness invades the whole place, trees started to wither and the animals started to fall into the ground; lifeless.

'Death! Death always abides you!'

"It's you again." He laughs. Ellistal glared at him but the spirit flew away and got pinned on the tree. The dark smoke crawls from his foot towards his face like a snake slithering on its way to its victim.

"Ellistal!" Mira screams. She tried to rush on him, however, the pitch-black man pinned her down just by lifting his finger. Her throat started to go dry and her wounds started making her body numb. "Who are you?"

"Ha! Before you ask me that, do you know yourself?" He walks towards her and held her face by a hand; forcibly making her lift her gaze despite how the smoke brushed against her skin and make her sight vague, "I'm amazed how you fought for your life day by day even you don't know who you are."

'Haha! Pathetic fool. Got deceived easily.'

"Does your friends know who you are?" Mira looked at him in confusion. She doesn't have any clue, to begin with. Her eyes started to water while looking at those ruddy eyes. Mira hasn't cried over fear before yet his words keep on repeating on Mira's head and his voice frightens her the most. That's the voice that keeps her awake on her lonely nights in the human realm. Nonetheless, Ellistal's agonizing scream shakes her train of thoughts.

"I don't know what you're talking about but please, let Ellistal go." She begged, making the man laugh.

'Coward.'

"Well, well, do you want to hear a story?" He asked even he expected no response from Mira, "There was once a child who came out of this world dead. Her mother died by giving birth to a deceased infant while the father got summoned by his comrades on that night."

"Once he went back to their room, he found his spouse and daughter both lifeless. He embraced the dead infant in his arms tightly as he wished for them to come back. However, no one hears him aside from me. He prayed but none of them hear him out. He talked to me and asked if I can take the dead child back." He looked directly at Mira's tearful eyes and a disturbing smile cracked upon his lips. Deep cuts appeared in the girl's skin, making her whimper in pain. Mira tolerated it silently: she can't scream or do anything against him. Her sanity is too clouded.

'You lose your battle and everything at the very first.'

"Familiar? Her father doesn't know about the last statement written on the contract. His daughter will be mine. You know what does it mean?" He tapped his foot against the ground with a face full of empathy.

"I'll take what's mine." His rubicund eyes gleamed in malfeasance and meets the helpless gaze of the girl in front of him. He snapped his fingers and made her fall into unconsciousness, "The right time will come soon, I cannot wait to have a bloodbath." He grins as his eyes glazed to the girl who's having a silent trance into his arms. A loud crash breaks the ice of silence and gives a way for the light to enter. Ellistal got released from the fog that restrict him to move.

"Hand over that girl to me." He nonchalantly looked in the direction where the voice came from. A man was standing in his glory while holding a scythe burning in gold; ahead in foot taller than the hooded guy. He got golden and ancient markings tattered from his arms, feet, and face; creating a line that runs under his eyes across to his nose. He is also wearing white clothes with a hint of gold that drapes into his lower body.

"Well, well. I didn't expect someone like you around here. Are you watching the games too? Because I am."

"Hand over that girl, I said." He repeated emphasizing every word.

"Or what? Kill me? How hostile of deity like you."

"Surrender that girl and you won't perish," He stomped his scythe on the ground twice. The smug grin of the man in black clothing fades away when golden lights flickered around them and swiftly form into thousand arrows pointed at him. He caressed Mira's hair and lay her to the ground near him then turned back into the deity with a mocking look on his eyes, "No." Without any words coming from the deity, he stomped his scythe again.

Thrice is the meaning of punishment. The golden arrows showered down to him like started falling into the sky. He immediately lifted the girl and dodge the incoming arrows to him. Those arrows wounded him badly but not Mira. He glanced at the wounds all over his body and stepped away from the smoke. When the smoke vanished away, the deity is now out of the sight. A sharp and cold blade runs through his back, making him knocking him to his feet. Golden lights flickered around Mira and her familiar to protect them from an unwanted will come at them.

"That's what you sought for."

A pair of bare feet with golden tattoos stopped in front of him, "Say, is this girl involved in the contract of yours?" The deity used the sharp edge of his scythe to lift his hood. There's no hint of fear and regret on his face, instead, it's a fierce and sardonic expression. As expected to someone like him who lives in vain.

"Don't stick your nose on my business, royal deity." He replied before vanishing into a thin air. The darkness of the whole surrounding vanished together with him. The situation from the outside has gotten worst; monsters are scattered around and searching for their victims.

"Lord Aibek, God of the Moons." Aibek lifted and embraced Mira delicately in his arms. He stared at patches of dried blood on her clothes and wounds, "How long did he restrain this girl like that, Sun Goddess' disciple?" Ellistal looked at the seven moons after catching its blinding brightness.

"Couple of moments before you arrived, Lord Aibek." He replied. The monsters started to approach the three of them. God's presence and the scent of Mira's blood enticed them. Aibek looked at Ellistal after the beasts stopped halfway to them and turned into dust.

"It's not me, Lord Aibek."

"It's....a-alright for me if I didn't know who am I. I wanted to live my life in peace."