บท 21: CHAPTER 20 - HIS DEVIL SOUL
"Alright, let's begin!" Arthur said and started running slowly.
Hearing his footsteps, Lucian and Nate began to follow from behind with their blindfold intact. This was a little challenging as Arthur's footsteps were not the only sound being heard. There were sounds of birds chirping, the rustling of branches, and twigs snapping underfoot, including the very sound coming from their footsteps. All these made it extremely hard to focus on Arthur's footsteps.
On the other end, Arthur's running seemed to get faster with each step, causing the two boys from behind to look even more frustrated, but none of them were willing to give up.
Just then..."Argh...that hurts" Nate hissed from the pain. He had crashed with an outstretched branch and fallen backward. Hearing Nate, Lucian stopped in his tracks. He had always been good at telling how close people were to him, and he was much more familiar with Nate's scent. He turned back and crouched beside him. Though he could no longer see Nate's soul due to the blindfold, he could still smell him.
"Nate are you ok??" he asked sounding worried.
"Yes I think I just kissed my first branch..." he responded trying to lighten the mood.
"You go ahead, I'll catch up"
"No! Hold my hand, we'll move together" Lucian extended his hand and managed to find Nate's hand and held it tightly.
They got up to move only to crash with the branch again.
"Shit...I forgot the stupid branch was still there...little god, you're not hurt are you?" Nate asked rubbing the back of his head.
Arthur had stopped running when he realized the boys were not following. He broke a branch and started hitting the nearby tree to make a loud sound.
Lucian and Nate heard that sound. " Alright, let's get up, I think Arthur is doing that so we can locate him. Looks like we'll have to bend so we don't crash with the branch again..." Lucian said and helped Nate up. They both bent and moved till they were sure there was no hindering branch.
"Little god, can you tell exactly where the sound is coming from??" Nate asked seemingly at a loss.
"No..." Lucian responded.
He was having it worst because of his heightened senses. He could hear the sound of every little twig snap, every bird chirping, any animal movement, the bustling of the wind, and every other sound. All of these accumulated into noises in his ears making it hard for him to focus on the sound Arthur was making. He was beginning to feel depressed.
' Do you have to go through all these? Aren't you being pathetic? just let me take over. All you have to do is shed off this body. I'll teach you how to. Don't you want to protect the people you care about, I can help you.' A hissing voice shot out in his head. It carried a malicious intent with it that scared Lucian bringing him to his knees.
'Raphael was that you??' Lucian murmured, not realizing he had spoken his words out.
'How can that be me? That was your beast. You need to stabilize your emotions. You're feeling depressed. Your feelings affect it too. And don't listen to anything he says.' Raphael responded with uneasiness in his voice.
'He spoke, how come he spoke? You never said he could speak. What did he mean by shedding my body?' Lucian asked, feeling anxious.
Raphael had no idea how to reply. This is because he had been lying to Lucian all this while.
The thing residing in him was not a beast. It was more than a beast. It was his devil. He had no idea how to explain this because Lucian was a special case. He had a body that belonged to the gods. One that was carved for gods, but his soul was that of a devil.
The two hadn't fused. And he didn't know how a body could live without its soul. Also, it is an impossible feat for Lucian's body and soul to fuse. They were incompatible unless he got rid of this body. Lucian's devil's soul had been locked deep inside of him.
He had initially arrived in his body to be an intermediate and prevent him from losing control. He thought Lucian had a beast like their kind, but it was far from that. He found out after living in him that what was within Lucian was not a beast but a devil. And he was his soul. But he honestly didn't know how Lucian was living with a locked soul. Was he a walking body?
This he was unwilling to disclose to the little boy yet. He hadn't gone back to report to the overloads either, and he didn't want to. Lucian will be sort after and killed. Somehow he has grown to love the boy.
"little god...little god are you ok," Nate asked. He didn't know what was wrong with Lucian. It seemed like he was talking to someone.
"Am fine..." Lucian said and forced a smile. He was glad they had a blindfold on so Nate wouldn't see how depressed he looked.
'Lucian, stabilize your emotions. To focus on one sound, you need to eliminate the others. Pay attention and listen carefully. You can do anything, as long as you set your mind to it. Practice it now and teach your friend to do the same. His may not be as effective as yours, but it's a start.' Raphael said neglecting the question he asked before.
Lucian did as told and stabilized his emotions, he began to stay focused. He had always been a fast learner. No sooner, he managed to grasp it perfectly, hearing only the sound Arthur was making.
"Nate listen to me, stay calm and focused. Put aside all other voices and noise and picture Arthur and the sound he is making in your head. Focus on that"
Nate stayed calm and tried what Lucian was saying, it wasn't working. He could hear the hitting of the tree but he couldn't focus on it, and he couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. But Nate wouldn't be called Nate if he gave up. If he didn't make this happen, he wouldn't be worthy to stand beside Lucian. He started forcing his center of focus into work not realizing he was giving way for something hidden in him to come to light.
Suddenly there was a tripping sound in his head. It felt painful, but after that everything became clear. He could suddenly tell where the hitting of the tree was coming from.
"I did it...I did it, little god I can tell" Nate exclaimed excitedly. He didn't think he could make it but he did.
Lucian had a genuine smile on his face.
"Alright, let's move. I wonder how long Arthur is going to keep hitting that poor tree.." Lucian said and Nate chuckled.
They started running slowly towards the hitting sound coming from the tree with their palms firmly interlocked.
The ground beneath their feet was uneven, with rocks and roots jutting out causing them to constantly trip over and fall, but they would get up together and keep running.
Arthur heard their footsteps and looked in their way. He was greatly surprised. The two boys had their fingers interlocked looking determined and heading his way with their blindfolds still on. They looked like they knew exactly where he was standing. Was the fabric transparent?? That couldn't be, he made that blindfold himself and had tried it on. You couldn't possibly see a thing. How did they manage to achieve this that fast?
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