Chương 4: Significant Other

Conrad jolted awake.

His breathing came in ragged gasps, and he felt his heart pounding relentlessly as the remnants of yesterday's disaster still rang fresh in his mind.

— The deafening explosion, the maddening pain, the sight of his parents being torn away and his own bizarre body.

All of those made it difficult to align his thoughts.

"I don't know this ceiling"

What made it more difficult was the unfamiliar room he found himself in.

He sat up and the rough mattress creaked in response. The dim lit room received its light from the dawn of day seeping through the broken window.

However, the air was thick with the scent of dust and decay.

"Good morning"

As his eyes adjusted to the setting, he noticed a figure standing by the window, silhouetted against the weak morning light. His visage became clearer as Connie's vision fully adopted.

The man stood tall at around 6'2" and his unruly pitch-black hair flowed with the slight breeze that came from the window. He was fit in a white shirt, dark pants, and a long, sleek coat that billowed as he moved.

Connie's blood ran cold as his eyes widened. Last night's events rapidly raced across his mind, especially the part where he showed him an odd-looking goblet with his parents somehow trapped inside.

"You!!"

"Yo..."

Connie flung his legs over to the side of the bed and began to sprint towards Fern with a clenched fist. Paying no heed to the fact he was naked as he did.

Fern's expression did not waver at all, it was just his casual grin.

—Guah!

The former suddenly felt himself being flung back across the room.

His trajectory was cancelled by the wall he collided with and sent him back down on his butt to the decrepit bed. The throbbing pain he felt in his stomach prevented him from attempting another assault.

Fern followed by lowering his raised leg, an indication of the kick Connie had suffered.

"Calm down. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have just left your unconscious body where I found it"

He said in a casual tone.

Conrad's body trembled and his breathing was hitched due to the fear and anger boiling inside him. Clearly, attacking him head on was stupid. This man is a skilled fighter. He struggled to calm his mind and gather his thoughts.

It was also difficult to be grateful to someone who dragged you into trouble.

"Did you sleep well?"

"You… What did you do? What was that? What did you do to me? Mom and dad, what did you do to them?"

With each question he asked he could feel his tone and anger steadily increasing. But still, all he could do in that situation was get some answers through dialogue since the old fashion way was heavily against him.

However, the man spoke as if he was discussing the weather.

"What did I do? I brought your unconscious body to rest comfortably here. What was that? I believe they call it, self-defense. What did I do to you? Save your life. What did I do to your parents? Bravely rescued them from an assassin. Don't worry, they're safe for now. That should be everything"

'What's with this guy'

He did not think that Fern would abruptly answer all of his questions in such a fashion. Even though he got answers, those were not the answers he was looking for.

At least two of them put his mind at ease. Like how he got into this room with cracked walls and a broken window.

"Let them go. Please, they have nothing to do with this. It's me that you want right?"

"I would but I don't think Miss Sandra would like that. Besides that, you are no longer someone that can be overlooked "

—Just who the hell is this guy?

By the sound of it, he seemed to be under the thumb of some woman. Was it her? Is her name Sandra? The girl he met at the station, she was the reason his life turned upside down. Were they in cahoots? These were questions Connie could not bring himself to ask.

He was dealing with a dangerous mysterious individual after all, possibly an entire underground organization. Asking too much might lead to more trouble.

So, he just stayed silent with his head down.

"Now that your questions have been answered. My turn, for starters. Where is the box you stole?"

His voice became cold as he asked the question.

This made Connie shiver as he raised his head. The box? The box he swiped from that girl? The box that was full of cards? The box that got him into this mess? That box? Connie clenched his fists, his nails dug into his palms.

After a brief moment, he regained his composure.

"I left them under my drawer. The explosion probably burnt them to ash."

"Seriously!? She is definitely not going to like this. They could be anywhere right now!"

Fern exclaimed in a winy voice.

Connie did not know to respond to the complaints of the man before him. Mostly because he was not sympathizing with him. But what caught his attention was Fern acting as though the cards were still in one piece.

Now that he thought about it. Not too long ago, this man was doing all sorts of supernatural stuff, the ones you would normally see in movies or anime. Alongside him was a man in a fancy suit. Both seem to be after the same thing.

—magic maybe?

"Answer me this. The stuff you and Suits did back there. Was it because of the cards? Are they the reason I survived back there?"

Fern was taken aback for a bit, yet his grin never left him. He was quick to catch on. Connie had come to this conclusion when he remembered how Suits started to glow once his card was disintegrating. Perhaps this man had a similar one.

"That's right. You hit the nail on that one. These are called the Arcana Cards…"

From his hand, a card popped up. Albeit he could only see the back of it though.

"Mysterious and ancient magical artifacts that grant their holder, also known as Diviners, incredible supernatural abilities. You know, like how they do it in the movies. Catch is, you need to be marked by one to use its power, or something like that. I don't remember how they explained it to me. Was too complicated to follow…"

While Fern mumbled to himself, Connie had an expression of disbelief. That just now sounded way too unreal. He remembered the cards he had in his possession and the power those two had been displaying. Suits shot fire from his hands and Fern was teleporting.

What about him though? He somehow came back from a near death fatality.

He looked at his hand.

'Does that mean I also have powers?'

He pondered the possibility and how awesome it would be.

"And Luxie, is just one example of those Diviners."

"That card you're holding, is it yours?"

Fern chuckled while he took steps to get closer to him, his smile never wavering. Up close, he could see Fern's piercing turquoise eyes. Once he got enough distance, he flipped the card and Connie's eyes went wide.

"This one? Nah, its already too late for me, someone else already has it. This one belongs to you now. You have been Marked by The Devil"

That card. It was among the deck he had last night, how was it here? How come it was not destroyed in the blast? And what did he say?

'Marked by The Devil?'

What the hell was that? What did he mean by that? He had a lot of questions but did not ask them out loud.

As he closely observed the card, it still held the same appearance. It depicted a menacing figure with bat like wings and an invented pentagram on its forehead. Looking at it still made him shiver. He had never seen or heard of a creature like that.

There was no doubt in his mind that this was a monster.

"The reason I'm still alive is because of that?"

"Yeah. Take it easy, your body hasn't been fully awakened. If that was the case, then that kick would have barely fazed you. I didn't even put any real effort it. Consider it as an initiation of sorts."

Consider what an initiation?

The man turned around and began walking to the window.

Connie was silent, he did not know what to make of this situation. Fully awakened? He recalled how his body had been ravaged beyond saving in that explosion and how it built itself up. He looked at his hand once more, it looked the same but felt different.

"That's enough chit chat. Get dressed, we're going to Sardes. I managed to get you some new clothes. It's a bit different from the one you were wearing but it still fits"

"If I refuse?"

"I'll knock you out then drag you there like I did to get you into this abandoned building. It's all the same to me. Also, you wouldn't want your parents getting hurt, would you?"

Connie swallowed hard as the weight of the situation pressed down on him. It looked as though he had no choice but to follow the man. Till he is able to find a way to save his parents and get some answers, he is willing to play along.

"Oh, we need to pick up someone on the way. But first, What's your name?"

"Conrad Adre Thorne"

◊ ◊ ◊

Conrad and Fern stepped out of the taxi. People hurried past and the noise of engines in the background was evident of the bustling subway station.

"Talon?"

This was where it all began. Images of his interactions with that girl flashed in his mind. Could it be? Connie shot Fern a sideways glance, he stood beside him with a calm and almost causal demeanor.

"Is the person we're meeting happen to be a girl?"

He asked the burning question he had, whether or not he and she were in cahoots hung heavily on his answer. Also, this had broken the silence he had endured throughout the taxi ride.

"I shouldn't be surprised since you've met before. She's waiting for us in there. Honestly, I'm really looking forward to how this will play out."

Fern replied without bothering to even look at him, tilting his head slightly as a smile played on his lips.

As they entered the station, Fern led the way. Even though Connie trailed from the rear in the sea of commuters, he knew that trying to outrun someone who can teleport was nigh impossible. Even so, he had a tighter leash on him.

Wait a minute.

"Your name is Fern Kael Ackerman, right?"

"What's up?"

He remembered that name when Suits said it the first time Fern had appeared.

"You can teleport. So, why did we spend an hour on a taxi when you could have gotten us here instantly?"

Connie was curious. Was he exhausted or was there a mechanism behind it? There was a brief silence before Fern answered.

"I could have but it doesn't work like that. In any given situation, you just need to make the most with what you have"

That was such a vague reply. But he did get some idea of what he meant. So, since anyone who can call upon supernatural abilities used these cards, what did the card he got meant? What powers did he get? It might be regeneration given how he had survived a fatal injury.

Speaking of which. He wondered what card Fern possessed. But his thoughts were interrupted when the latter abruptly stopped.

"We're here"

Connie had almost bumped into his back. They had reached a quieter part of the station and much to his surprise. His suspicions were spot on. His heart pounded intensely as he saw her.

And just like before, she wore the Emberwind school uniform.

"Mel, look who I bumped into"

She turned her head to Fern's voice. Her cold gaze met with that of Connie's from the reflection of her oval shaped glasses.

"That's him?"

"Yep, say hi"

Fern wrapped his arm around a blushing Connie. He had an awkward expression while waving a hand to her.

However, she just turned back and began to walk.

"Follow me"

She said in a very stern voice. Connie and Fern exchanged bewildered glances.

'So, her name is Mel. Should I apologize for robbing her the other day?'

By the weight of the situation, now did not seem like a good time. Perhaps when she alone seemed like a good time.

They trailed her through the crowd, past bustling commuters and constant announcements echoing through the station.

"This is it"

Mel had led them deep into the Talon station. There appeared to be no sign of maintenance in this place, this suggested that this was an old, abandoned part of the station.

"What are we doing here anyways? Is there some sort of secret entrance?"

"I'm equally curious too"

Connie side eyed Fern after that response. Was he not the one who was supposed to know what was happening?

Mel turned to face them; her eyes locked on to him with an intensity that made his skin crawl. From her hand, she revealed an Arcana Card. Connie began to feel a sense of unease, as if every cell in his body was telling him to run.

" [Ace of Swords] "

The Arcana radiated an otherworldly light in response to her words. In a flash, a katana materialized in her hand. It was longer than most, resembling a nodachi with a dark blue hilt wrapping and a square tsuba with two rectangular attachments on two ends.

"Woah—"

Connie suddenly felt his body being dragged down by the hood of his hoodie. His line of sight had changed from seeing Mel shoulder to shoulder to looking up at her from the view of the ground. By the stance she took, it appeared as though she lunged at him and sliced her blade through the air from where he had been standing.

In that moment, Connie's shocked eyes locked onto her murderous eyes looking down on him.

He rolled away from her and regained his footing.

"Phew that was close. Are you trying to kill the poor guy?"

"Please, stay out of this Kael. This shameless thief needs to be taught the repercussions of stealing from lady Sandra"

"I understand. But don't overdo it. He's much more useful alive than as a corpse"

Connie saw that Fern was sitting on his butt. By the looks of it, her attack also targeted him. But why? Are they not supposed to be on the same team? Or did she know that he could dodge it?

'If he hadn't pulled me away from that, my head would have been rolling on the ground. Damn it, another psycho'

His heart raced and his chest felt like it was about to bust.

He felt fear.

Connie almost raised his fists until he realized that this is someone with a katana. Sure, he had gotten into a handful of fights before, but this was ridiculous.

Nobody in their right mind would fight an armed opponent while unarmed themselves. Then there's her speed. He could not react to her movements much less see them. Fighting her would be suicide.

"What the hell was that? Did you bring me here to die?! Look, if this is about the other day. I'm sorry. There has to be something I can do to show how sorry I am. Please, let me make it up to you"

He shouted at the two.

His chances at violence are narrow so time to resort to dialogue. But all he got from Fern was a shrug and from Mel, it was silence more chilling than any word.

She disappeared from sight. Her katana swung down and this time, there was no one to save him. The blade bit into his right arm, severing it cleanly.

"Guwaaaaargh!!!"

A scream tore through his throat as he fell to the ground, clutching on the bleeding stump. He felt a familiar excruciating pain that burned through his entire body as blood sprayed from the opening.

'Not again. Why is this happening to me again?'

The sense of utter helplessness filled him with dread once again. His body felt too heavy to stand on its own two feet and so, he tried to crawl away from them. His vision was blurred by the tears of pain as panic flooded his system.

Mel quietly stalked him from behind.

"Stop!.. What do you people want from me?!"

He started to shout; his voice cracked as he did.

'Why isn't it healing?'

He did not feel like it was getting better like in the explosion, the pain was rapidly increasing. Connie felt the blade cross through his back. The sheer pain that came from that last attack forced him to lose all hope of escape.

Still.

"I, I. Can't die. Not yet. I don't want to die"

The next instance. He felt the blade pierce through his body relentlessly.

Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab.

The world faded into black.

bình luận bình luận của 3

Bình chọn

GỬI QUÀ TẶNG

Load failed, please RETRY