The Phantom Riser

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX - FOREVER

Theodore teleported everyone just as Kiro asked. Even Jovak and Isaac were with them. If it were up to him, he would leave them there to die seeing as he didn’t have the courage to kill them himself. He was never really the fighting type. His group generally wasn’t the fighting type. They had gone through most of their challenges using their wits. They had taken down a lot of enemies that way, making them quite intimidating. But all that wit disappears when you are facing people with immense differences in raw power. People like Jovak and Isaac. It would have been suicide if they were facing Kiro’s team. Annoyingly, they also had very witty members to couple with their ridiculous strengths. How was that even fair?

Finally, Victor, Isaac, Jovak, and Karenia slowly regained consciousness. But it was accompanied by a heavy dose of migraine. It took a while for her to get cognizance of her environment. Theodore had taken them to the Rift Valley; a place she hadn’t seen before. So, in a way, it felt like a dream… until she woke up. “Where’s Kiro?” she said with a jolt of shock. She couldn’t really remember what had happened before she got there, but he was nowhere in sight. Did he get captured? Did they leave him behind to save themselves? A lot of things ran through her mind until the memory hit her hard in the head. “Why isn’t he here? He was with us at that time!” she yelled.

“Karenia, calm down,” Victor said softly. He was worried as well, but putting pressure on the others wouldn’t necessarily yield results. Not everyone could handle the pressure of Karenia yelling at you for something. He was sure that something happened. If they were going to help him, they would need to be as calm as possible. It took a while, but finally, he noticed Jovak and Isaac. “Why the hell are they both here!” he yelled as he sprang to his feet.

“I thought you just told Karenia to calm down,” Lucas said.

“Actually, why are we here? Why did you save us?” Jovak asked. He had been quiet since the moment he woke up. He was the only one other than Theodore that heard Kiro’s request to save them. He was bewildered by his gesture. Was he doing it as a kind gesture or did he have something else up his sleeve? No, it was very unlikely. If anything was to happen, his friends would not be able to defend themselves against him and Isaac. And yet, he trusted that he would attack them? Why? How could he be so sure if he didn’t know him personally? Or was he just being naïve? No? the Phantom Riser was anything but naïve. If he did something as bold as that, it would be because he was sure beyond all doubt. Even his teammates trusted him completely. Now that he thought about it, the Phantom Riser did mention that working together wouldn’t work out. Maybe he really could see the future. Or at least a part of it. Enough for him to boldly make such decisions. All that…

“Calm down, Jovak,” Lucas said. Jovak was surprised to hear him say that. If anything, he looked the calmest of the four of them. Or did he accidentally call his name instead of Victor’s?

“It wasn’t a mistake. And no Jovak, I can’t read your mind. But your expressions are all over the place. You all need to calm down. Kiro wanted you all here and we obliged. If he doesn’t return in the next hour, we are to leave without him,” Lucas said.

“What!!!” Karenia and Victor echoed.

“And who decided that?” she asked. She was already boiling past her threshold already. It was visibly obvious.

“Kiro himself,” Theodore murmured. But it was loud enough for them to hear him. He wanted nothing but to stay out of the spotlight. He was far from being in agreement with what Kiro had said, but he knew that he shouldn’t defy it. It was unlikely that he would survive the ordeal with the Ranger. He was sure they were all aware of that. So, to him, it was like honoring a dying man’s wish.

“And you listened!” Karenia snapped.

“You didn’t see what he was like!” Theodore retorted. He knew it would come down to him being blamed. But it was frustrating nonetheless. “If you did, you wouldn’t be speaking to me in this manner. He was… he was truly terrifying. Other than those two Rangers, I have never felt that kind of a chill from someone’s energy before. He said he was going to kill the Ranger,” he said.

Karenia and Victor were both silent. They had a fair idea of what he was talking about. Even Isaac; who had been on the receiving of Kiro’s fury understood clearly what he was saying. “That Riser has it way over his head,” Jovak said.

“No, he doesn’t. I have a fair idea of what he is saying,” Isaac blurted, much to Jovak’s surprise. Remember the power I spoke to you about, the power he displayed. That might be what he is referring to. And if it is, he might just---”

“Are you joking? Didn’t you feel how powerful those two were? None of us stands a chance. Not even a close,” Jovak said.

“I’m going. Theodore, take me there,” Karenia said.

“Are you insane? Even if he could somehow hold his own, even if, you’d just hold him back. What do you think you could actually help him with?” Jovak blurted.

“Why do you care? You were trying to kill us a moment ago. Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Because I understand. I did the same thing with my members too. And they understood that following me would just be them getting in my way.”

“Is that how you view your teammates? As deadweights?”

“If the Phantom Riser didn’t feel the same way, he wouldn’t have told him to bring us all here. We are simply deadweights.”

“You are wrong. He’s not himself right now. And it’s extremely dangerous for him if he remains that way. We need to get him back and leave immediately. Theodore, please, help us,” she said. Victor moved towards him as well in a bid to convince him.

“You do know that for this to go smoothly, you need to take me as well, right?” Lucas said.

“We’ll all go. To repay the favor,” Jovak said.

“We don’t need your help,” Karenia snapped.

“You can decide that once we’re there. But it’s better if you take all the help you can get,” he said.

Reluctantly, she obliged. Almost everyone there was reluctant. But he struck a valid point. They did need all the help they could get. And maybe finally, for once, after all this they could rest. But what rest is there to expect from an apocalyptic world?