Summoner: The Book of Dimension

70 Peter’s Theory

Everyone was so shocked and scared. One of them was Peter, who felt like he was the most scared of them all. But he had no time for that. He also had no time to wait for the shadow monsters to attack first just so he could predict their next move.

“s**t,” he cursed as his heartbeat so fast. He glanced back at everyone behind him who was visibly scared. “Get ready, everyone. They might attack altogether. You have no other weapon but your torchlight. Hold at it like your life depends on it. Because it’s true. Keep yourselves close to each other.”

Peter held his palm open as if he was waiting for anything to fall on his hands. The two bluish rings stood over at each of his palm, hollow and empty. Everyone was in amazement to see those; they couldn’t believe what they were seeing at the same time they had no idea what would it even do to help them.

Right then, something like a dashing light came from the bluish ring, going toward one of the shadow monsters. It pierced through the shadow monster like it had flesh. Peter grinned.

The shadow monster immediately turned to ash when the dashing light pierced through the shadow monster. He didn’t know it would work. But that was just one. There were numerous of them still.

The shadow monsters, however, didn’t seem to bother it. They were just there at their own position not minding that one of their kind just died. And he understood why. Another shadow monster appeared to the place where the ash of the dead shadow monster was.

“This will be a long day,” Peter sighed. Just then, the shadow monsters charged at them. Peter’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly composed himself and continued to fire the dashing light from the ring on top of his hands.

Everyone was frightened. The beams of torchlight were here and there, it almost looked like a party light in a bar. One screamed from the group, as she was dragged by feet by one of the shadow monsters. One of the attendees came to rescue and held her hands, while another person flashed the torchlight at her feet. The shadow monster hissed at the touch of the light but still continued to drag the woman.

Peter saw it by the corner of his eyes and pointed the ring toward the shadow monster that was dragging the woman and didn’t wait to see it but the shadow monster turned into ash as the other shadow monsters did. Ray and Zack who couldn’t do anything, remained with the group and helped repel the shadow monsters away from them by their torch lights.

Peter slid to a side to dodge when a group of shadow monsters attacked him. He quickly killed them with the dashing lights that pierced through them. The ashes of the shadow monsters fell right on his body but he was quick to roll or else it would go into his face.

Fortunately, the dashing lights he called arrows of light didn’t go one by one. He could fire multiple of them at a single time.

He panted when he got a little tired and walked close to the group. “Is everyone alright?” he asked without looking back and fired the arrows of light against the attacking monsters.

Everybody stated their “yes” in a shaking tone. He nodded and walked around to dispel and kill the shadow monsters that were surrounding close to them.

He lost count of how many shadow monsters he had killed but he could tell it was many. Suddenly, the attacks paused and he was thankful. He at least had time to collect his breath and rest a bit.

He was not surprised. He was losing energy because the magic spell eats out his energy. He was even using his energy to move around at a fast pace. “Peter, are you okay?” Ray worriedly asked.

Peter quickly turned his head at them and nodded before he looked back at the shadow monsters. He had no time to rest. He had no idea how many were still outside and how many shadow monsters would still come at the mansion to attack them, but he needed to kill them as soon as possible, as long as his energy still lasts.

Without saying anything, he continued to let the arrows of light come through the bluish ring on top of each of his palm, turning the shadow monsters nearby, one by one, into ashes that plopped to the floor. Like earlier, the other shadow monsters didn’t mind.

He continued to do so until the number of shadow monsters around them decreased. “Stay close,” he reminded everyone because they started moving from where they were. "It’s still not safe. They're just idle,” he said and turned his head quickly to glance at them. “Check the persons beside you and see if you all are alright.

Everyone followed Peter’s instructions. “Mr. Benedict is tired,” the housemaid said.

“Oh? Then someone should come inside your group circle and hold the torchlight up like he is doing,” Peter instructed, which the housemaid obliged herself. “Hang on for a little more, we’ll get through this,” he encouraged them but more to himself. Because he himself was feeling tired as well.

The shadow monster returned to their attacks. Peter continued what he was left to do but unfortunately, three shadow monsters pinned him down. Everyone else panicked.

“Peter!” Ray and Zack yelled and were about to go to him but he stopped them.

“No! Stay where you are!” he yelled back and groaned because he couldn’t move his two legs and one arm, each shadow monster holding him down. A few more gathered to keep him still and they started getting close to the group.

He assumed the shadow monster wouldn’t possess him because they were in their different form. And he was right. The shadow monsters couldn’t go back to being translucent because they devoted all their dark energy to be in their original form.

He glanced and saw how everyone was scared. Grunting loudly, he pulled one of his arms away and when he managed to, he quickly killed the ones pinning him down and came to the group’s rescue.

He ran towards them and shot the shadow monsters arrows of light. He quickly fired as many as he could so there would be enough space for the group and they wouldn’t be crowded by the shadow monsters.

He stood in front of Ray and Zack while panting. “s**t, that was close,” he said.

“Where did you get your power, Peter?” Zack asked suddenly while watching him continue on firing everywhere to the shadow monsters that got near any of them.

Before he could answer, interrupted. “Did you perhaps used the book?” he assumed and accused. “Is this why you have that power? I can’t do that.”

Zack nodded. “Yeah, is it a trick using the book? Did you summon something to obtain that power?” he asked.

Everyone else could hear what they were talking about but they didn’t pay much attention to it. Because first, they don’t have any idea what they were talking about. And second, they were too scared to even think anything else than their life.

Peter shot them a look and continued with firing. He was finding it hard because he felt that his energy was going down. “No, of course, not!” he denied. “I learned it. I haven’t used the book ever since the encounter at the villa.”

“You’re not bluffing?” Zack suspected him.

“No, I swear on my grave,” Peter said. “And I have something to tell to the two of you,” he said in a hush but enough for the two to hear. He was panting as he spoke. “I have a hunch—well, theory.”

“About what?” Ray asked.

“About Josh’s death. No matter how hard I think, it just doesn’t feel right,” he started. “Hang on,” he said and quickly ran to the other side of the group to kill the other shadow monsters there. He went back to Zack and Ray. “His accident. I don’t think this is just a normal case of hit-and-run,” he whispered at them turning his head for a second towards them.

“What do you mean?” Zack now asked, confused. “Is it something like a mystery?”

Peter nodded. “Sort of. This isn’t just an accident, it’s a fabricated accident and Emma has something to do with it.”

The two looked at each other. Unlike before, they accepted the possibility of her being an accomplice. They realized that when she was suddenly gone, it was suspicious.

“Don’t you think it’s too weird that everyone close to him is gathered here?” Peter asked. The two thought and they just listened to his theory. “Whoever it was behind this, along with Emma, they must be against the summoning organization. They are after the book.”

“They should be looking for Edgar’s book and one way to find it was to gather those who were close to him; the one who possibly have the book. Josh inherited things from Edgar when he died. When they knew he didn’t get the book, they must’ve used his death because they knew Josh gave it to someone else,” he continued.

Peter turned his head with a serious face. “It means that they are after the three of us.”