HOSTS

THE AWAKENING.

Fred.

I saw it! I saw Draven snatch Edwin into the lightning! I was scared stiff. He looked at me, smiled and vanished. As I remained outside, speechless, Hans came out to see what was going on. “He took Edwin”, I said. “I saw it with my own eyes”.

“Who took Edwin?”

“Draven. Draven took into the lightening and vanished”

“Well, that could only mean one thing,” said Hans.

“Edwin never cheated on Christie. He took Edwin as bait for Christie. He must have felt the power of her scream”

Then Christie remained inside her room. She didn't eat, she didn't even show up, throughout the next full day. Dad would go knock on her door a few times without reply.

I could imagine what Edwin was going through. Poor human. I've heard no one survives Draven's torture. Edwin must be in his own pool of blood facing Draven's men while Draven prepares for the awakening. I just hope there's a way we could fix this. If not, everyone is toast.

Then she came out. Christie just opened her door. She wasn't hungry for sure? She looked more pale with saggy eyes. I hate to break it to you but I think Christie was crying for Edwin. Oh you knew that already. But she didn't move. It's like she was possessed. Maybe by Draven. Or maybe it's just her love for the new captive.

She just stood at her entrance, staring at me.

“Why did you bring him to this house?”, she asked.

I was now sure why she was acting up. Ed had eaten up into her. I opened my mouth to speak but I swallowed it. I didn't want to upset her. Hans came bringing her food but she sent him and the food flying with just a swing of her hand.

Her hair blowing in the breeze showed how violent she was becoming.

I don't really love dad in any way but I felt a soft spot for him as he fell. I had to speak some senses into Christie's thick skull. “And you think that would bring him back?”, I continued “You left him, not us. If you've been cheated, you deal with it, young girl. You don't have to throw your father away like an animal just because you are the Host leader”.

She replied, saying I'm not the Host leader. She flaunted her power right before me and her father and I gave her the words, “Mum didn't summon dad! We both knew that. We were just looking for whom to express our aggression towards. Mum loved dad but we hated him. You seem worse. And I'm sure mum would never be proud of you wherever she is”

I didn't finish the words before I got struck by a terrible fireball. Christie was literally after my life. She held me by neck, flew high to the sky, destroying our roof once more and went back down, crushing me into the ground. I could transfer my pain to her, not because I pity her but because I'm uncontrollably loyal to her as the Head of the Hosts.

Her eyes were dark red as she crushed my bones. I was sure that I'd be dead in a few minutes. My ears were sounding like I had just received a terrible slap. I couldn't feel my legs. My visions were blurry but I could see Christie standing with a leg on my chest.

Suddenly, I felt a vibration on the ground. Christie looked up as if she heard a sound. I could barely hear her but she said something that looked like “The Awakening”. And then, she vanished. The sky turned dark again with thunderclap. Father rushed to where I was as he knelt towards me calling out my name. His words faded with echoes in my ears as I closed my eyes.

Here I am in my own darkness.

By the time I open my eyes, I'll be sure if there's heaven or hell. I just hope it won't be Draven's hell.

Edwin

I was telling the story of my life to the two guards from Draven while they held me captive at their Colony. I wasn't sure who or what they were at that moment until Draven showed up. I recognised the face. It was he who took me into the lightning. I was being held as a ritual at the center of Hillard where kazulli was buried.

Draven conjured a terrific lightning into the sky and with taking a long time, Christie appeared at the entrance. The guards tried to hold her but they were no match for her powers. After some time, Hans also appeared at a distance with Fred in his arms. I felt a little consoled but we were outnumbered.

Hans was protecting Fred and also fighting while Christie went straight for Draven. Fred woke up like he had been sleeping all along. He held on to his father. As Christie reached the center, she saw me hung on a tree, nearly bruised to death. She became soft and tried to help me but it was too late. My blood had been spilled on the center as a ritual to get the kazulli.

I was doomed already. This was a bait to get Christie's tears. The second material need for the ritual. She cried and her tears fell on the ground. Then Draven appeared to kill Christie with his lightning. Hans appeared behind her as the lightening struck him instead.

Christie seemed to realize her fault as she rushed to her father. They never loved that man they way they should. Anger was the last rite needed for the ritual and everything was going just as Draven had planned. Christie screamed with anger and tears right in front of me. It was a sound I've never heard before. No ordinary human could survive that sound.

At that point, Draven seized the moment as everyone froze. He summoned Kazulli. The staff broke the ground and as Draven stretched out his hand to grab it. Well you would wonder how I got to know these things. I forced myself to break my freeze. I just did, I didn't know how. I grabbed the staff before it could reach Draven. ImmediatelyI took the staff, everyone was released.

Everyone was surprised, including me. I tried to use the staff against Draven but couldn't. Draven got the staff from me and used it on Hans who vanished at once. Fred was regaining his strength so he joined his power with Christie as they faced Draven. They were still no match for him as Draven sent them flying.

Draven wanted Christie to suffer the pain of love so he came for me. He started to hit me with his terrific lightning. The first strike send me on a trance. It was as though I was watching my own memory. Every strike switched my memory till I realized I was a Dark Host, I am Draven's own son.

I shouted “Father! What have you done!” Draven was lost for a moment. He thought he had killed me when he killed his parents but I was hidden by my mother whom he also slaughtered. I was confused as he said “I killed you” “you killed a human, not me”

As we spoke, Christie twisted the staff from my father as she threw it to me. In anger, Draven sent her the greatest lightning that no one could ever survive.

With the staff, I froze everyone with the lightening.

I redirected the lightning back to Draven and threw the staff with it. It entered right into his skull.

The beast was dead.

His body vanished as we took the rest of what we could. It was just I, Christie and Fred. Christie went on her knees and said she's sorry.

I told her it's fine but I realized she wasn't talking to me.

She was talking to Hans.

I became the only Dark Host alive and the strongest of all Hosts as I held the kazulli. But I have learnt to restrain from pride and arrogance.

A funeral was held in respect of Hans just beside his wife's grave. We were all dressed in gold and it was written. For the love of family, Hans Galdur.

I learned a lot from the man and I have decided to live my life in humility just as his.

Back in school, I had a special drawing session with Fred. The genius won again, thought I didn't make it easy for him. After school, we went out. Christie was waiting for us in her car as she drove us away.

Right there in the car, I had a vision. A young boy came out of the basement of the Grey Hosts mansion and looked at me. I was right in front of him. He was obviously an angry survivor and the last Grey Host alive.

He said, “Your father owes me”

The End.