Chapter 3: Lingering (Narrated by Abel Lee)
Since the village was opened for tourism, many of the villagers' houses were transformed into B&B and hostels. We did not have any difficulty to find a B&B near the Rourkes' house. In fact, we found one exactly at the opposite side of the Rourkes' and our room window gave us perfect view of the said house. While waiting for Alexa taking her shower, I opened my connector and updated our situation to Brenna. Miss B had not yet return, but Brenna assured us that we would get our back up whenever we needed it. I also sent her the Balin's data from my Pandora Box. I hoped I could get more information from the lab, which might help us to find efficient method to fight the master.
"I also gonna need whatever information that you can dig on Liam Rourke, Bren'," said I, before I severed the connection.
Alexa finished her shower and had now changed her tops with an over-sized T-shirt that we bought at the souvenir shop next door. Drops of water from Alexa's hair had dampened the T-shirt on her shoulders and part of her chests, faintly revealing the colour of her body suit. I was sure if it were Brenna, in that same condition, I would already have growing problem in my hands. I definitely would be having difficult time to contain myself from the waking urge and the crazy beats of my own heart. However, I felt none of that feelings seeing Alexa in her current state. I really took pity on her lack of womanly attractiveness.
Alexa saw the blinking light on my connector and started to grumble.
"You contacted the HQ without me."
I threw my connector to bed and said to her crossly. "Yep, I've reported it all to Brenna, while you were consuming fresh water for...almost 45 minutes. Now, it's my time to have my shower. Please mind the connector, because Brenna will send important information, 'Kay?"
I did not wait for her reply and grabbed a clean towel. I dashed into the bathroom and locked myself in it. I let out a whistle, complimenting, when I saw the bathroom was old-fashioned but clean. Next to the toilet, there was a wooden mirror frame and simple-styled sink supported by a wooden structure. The bathtub was small with shower on it. The water was still warm from Alexa's turn. I dozed myself in the heat of the water, and let my muscles relaxed.
I was about to sing my favourite song when I felt my surroundings were shaking. At first, I thought I was imagining it. I turned off the water, nevertheless. I wiped dry my face and body while waiting for the next quake, if the previous one were not merely my imagination. I didn't have to wait long for the second one.
"Abel!!" My petite partner yelled from the bedroom, with background sound of people yelping from our floor and downstairs.
"Earthquake!!"
I put on my shirt and trousers, and then barged out to find Alexa. The girl stood next to our room window, with her gaze locked outside.
"What happened? Was it really an earth quake?"
Before Alexa could answer my question, someone was pounding our door. It was the inn-owner, asking us to go out for our safety. His voice was urgent and he was relentless.
"Alright, we're coming out!!" I yelled back, although my body was approaching Alexa instead of the door.
My steps were stopped by a strong quake that crumbled our room wall, snapped its wooden frame, at the exact point where Alexa was standing at.
"Lex!" I dashed toward her, trying to grab her hand.
Alexa, however, did not fall down. She was floating in the air instead. She morphed her hands to a pair of bird wings and flew back to my side.
"Abel, try to scan that area. I don't think this is your average quake."
I did her bidding and cast my radar vision to the pointed direction. My partner's hunch was proven right since I saw flashes of golden surrounded by green aura clustering into the shape of giant tree roots, that were launched, approaching the village in high-speed.
"The master had tracked us down and decided to act first! He's trying to kill us!" I yelled as Alexa planted her bird's claws on my shoulders, trying to take me out from the B&B. She flew out through the hole on our wall.
How I yearned for my power on time like this. If I could still use it, I could transform myself into iron body, and had no need to feel Alexa's bird claws pricking against my shoulder's skin, started to feel painful.
"Go outside the village, Lex!" I yelled once more. "The master is pursuing us. We could jeopardize the safety of the villagers if we stay here!"
Alexa heard me and she flew down toward the grassland on the outskirts of the village. She dropped me once we were close to the ground and morphed back. We were lying on our backs for a while, trying to catch our breath, especially Alexa. She seemed exhausted. Well, I could not blame her. She just carried me(who was two heads taller and weighted twice of her weight(flying for almost half an hour.
"Are you alright?" I asked, stroking her back in circles.
Alexa was still coughing and panting, but she nodded. "He doesn't after us?" She whispered.
I cast my vision around and saw nothing out of the element. "So far no. He may lose us for now, but I think he won't stop just yet. My previous hunch was right. He is a sorcerer with wood element. He is able to manipulate trees to be his weapon. I think we're safe as long as we are not standing nearby any tree. Did you get our connector?"
My partner nodded once more. She gave me my connector and Pandora band.
"Good girl," I praised her, stroking her hair gently.
Alexa hastily pushed my hand away, looked genuinely annoyed by my ministration. I didn't know why she never liked it when I showered her affection.
We wore our Pandora band and tried to contact the HQ. When we were still waiting for connection, the night sky above us was twinkling for a beat. Soon after, we started to feel another quake.
"Oh no, he found us," I murmured. "Lex, I need you to take me in the air once more. I will try to search his location mid-air."
"Good idea. Once you pinged his location, I'll go catch that bastard!"
"I? We!" I protested. "Do you planned to leave me out and go by yourself?"
"This is just 10 PM! You said yourself that you could only use your power once a day, in fifteen-minutes time window. Why would I let you join me if you'll be nowhere in being helpful?" My partner cocked her hands on her waist, glared at me.
"There's no way I would let you go by yourself too, Little Girl!" I said as fierce as she did. "I may not be able to use my power until this day over, but my vision could help you. Moreover, I have my geomancy gun with me!"
I downloaded my gun and showed it to her. The gun was also another compulsory equipment to bring when we were on-duty, as obliged by Miss B. The gun was shaped like your traditional, everyday regular gun, but it was made of titanium with magazine filled with silver bullets that could explode mid-air, shooting geomancy wave toward the enemy once it was shot.
Alexa gave a sarcastic look at my gun. As an Esper, there was no EOPID agent who felt any necessity to bring and use that mandatory gun. We always considered our power to be our strongest weapon.
"Listen to me, Old Man, just for this one time! You have to stay here, until you regain your power. I could detect that sorcerer location with the department standard goggle!"
Information, the said goggles was another mandatory field equipment. Principally, the goggle was made based on my radar vision ability. However, as usual, human creation, no matter how good it was, would never exceeding natural creation. The goggle could only detect the location of non-human energy or creature, but could not show their elemental aura.
Alexa, as my partner, was hardly using the goggle. She preferred to rely on my vision. This time, she showed her determination by downloading the device, to challenge me back. She even called me an 'Old Man'?! This is war!!
We glared at each other, with no intention to yield first. However, we were stopped by another quake, while a tree that was located around 100 meters from us started to animate. Its root grew longer, ripped the soil beneath it and stretched out to attack us.
"Run!"
Alexa's hands started to grow feathers before they were completely transformed into a pair of wings. "Listen to me, Abel! Stay away for a while!"
"You listen to me!" I yelled back, but quite helpless, as my body was being lifted up to escape the tree that tried to catch us.
My partner flew higher, while I cast my vision to our surroundings. I did hope that the sorcerer was not a too high-level one, who could erect a barrier on himself while casting the chant to animate trees. Because, if he were that high-levelled, then it would be hard for me to scan him.
"Turn South, Lex! I haven't seen anything!"
Alexa executed my command. This time, even when it was only a glimpse, I was able to detect a spark of golden aura.
"To the castle, the museum! He is in the forest next to the castle!"
I felt the bird Alexa flew closer to the ground. Before I could stop her, she let go her grip on my shoulders when we were only a couple of meters high from the ground. My body hit the grass hard as Alexa flew away.
"Alexa, stop!!" I yelled. "Alexa!!"
I forced my legs to run as fast as they could, giving no attention for the pain caused by wild grasses and sharp pebbles that scratched my bare feet. I pushed myself up as quickly as possible when I fell on a rocky slope. I ran lightning fast toward the castle and passing by the village where we stayed previously. The quake had stopped there, but many houses were destroyed as the aftermath. Some of the women were crying, yelping, or could only stare bewilderedly with their children on their lap. The children cried, hugging their parents or screaming in despair, looking for their parents. The men clenched their teeth, tried to collect themselves as they dug the ruins to find any missing clansmen. They braced themselves to console their family, to become the rock their wives and children needed.
I saw our innkeeper stood in front of their B&B's ruins. The husband embraced his wife's shoulder, tried to comfort the woman. They noticed me when I was running passed them, looked at me dumbfounded, but did not try to stop me. I also did not have time to say hi and chitchat with them, nor to offer helping hands to help the villagers, even though I felt guilt storming down my heart. They would've never to face such disaster if it wasn't because of us. I collected myself, focusing myself with matter at hands, which was to find Alexa, before I eventually joining the villagers here to mourn for their beloved ones.
I finally reached the castle's gates. I narrowed my eyes, striving to see through the veil of the night's darkness. Half of the castle complex had been shattered from the quake, leaving ruins everywhere. I pushed my way into the forest, climbed the mounting ruins that were blocking my way while casting my radar vision everywhere. I tried to scan any trace of human being there, with no avail. However, I was a bit relief because my 'green world' did not show any trace of other being either.
"Lex!!" I tried again.
I could still feel a subtle quake beneath my feet. I tried to ignore it and only focus to find Alexa.
"Alexa!!"
My voice was bounced by the trees once more. However, this time I got two kinds of responses. The first one was the soil beside me opened up and the tree roots shot out of the ground, bashing my ribs mercilessly. I could feel my body was flown in the air before it finally landed hard on the ground. Then, the second one was, when I tried to stand up, I saw a body flying toward me. I recognized the petite figure and the red head that was lit up under the moonlight anywhere. I hastily got up and prepared to catch Alexa with all the power I still had left. I managed to catch my partner, but the repulsion force was too strong for my legs to keep their hold. We fell down with me being sandwiched between Alexa and the forest litter.
"Lex!!" I tried to suppress and ignore all the pain that piercing my body like needles. I rolled us over to check Alexa's condition instead. "Lex, are you alright?"
I stroked her head gently and then moved my hand downward to her shoulder. It was then when I felt my hand was sticky with some reddish and warm liquid. "Alexa!!" I panicked once I realized that it was her blood.
This time, Alexa groaned. She opened her eyes and frowned in pain.
"Are you alright?" I asked once more.
"My shoulders hurt...," she whimpered, trying her best to hold back her tears.
I pulled her closer, slightly relieved that her wound did not hit any vital part of her body.
"It's okay, it'll heal soon. It won't hurt anymore after a while," I whispered, rocking her body gently in my arms. "Let's get out of here first and wait for back up. Or, we could wait until past midnight. Once I regained my power, I'll slice that sorcerer to pieces. What about that, hmm? You can wait, right? Hold the pain, Okay?"
Weakly, Alexa nodded. I ignored my fractured ribs when they were screaming in protest as I carried Alexa on my back. I swung my legs to run as fast as possible, trying to outrun the roots that made it their life mission to knock me down. Then again, the sorcerer did not have any intention to let us go that easily. He cast spells to make the trees in the forest blocking our exit, frustrating me since I could only run in circles.
After some time spent running like a headless chicken, pain and exhaustion finally took their toll on my body. I fell once more, Alexa's body sandwiched me down to the ground. I felt her blood dripping on my cheek.
"Abel...," Alexa whispered half-conscious. "Are we gonna die...?"
I spat on the jinx. "Nonsense! Do you think I will let you go that easily from your calling as the partner of the magnificent Abel Lee?"
In the midst of the dark night I thought I saw Alexa's thin lips tugged up on one end.
"Right...," she whispered once more.
I hugged Alexa even tighter. My eyes glanced over my Pandora Box. Actually, I still had one more secret that I had never told Alexa. Inside my gadget, I had one instrument that might be able to help me to use my power again, even though the day had not yet changed. With that instrument, I could also use all five elements in 15minutes timeframe. However, the woman who raised me said that the instrument could only be used for five times in my whole life. And, after using it, I would have to rest my power for three days. All the restrictions came along with one additional warning: the internal injury if I were planning to use my power more than once in a day.
Alexa grimaced in pain once more, while the earth in front of us cracked open. I drew my power and collected myself, carried my partner to dodge sideways. It seemed I had to take that last measure, I cursed mentally.
"Open box, password...!"
My words dead in the air, got interrupted by a beautiful singing voice. The voice echoed all over the forest, breaking the sorcerer's chant and stopping the trees' movements.
My partner recognized the voice too. She opened her eyes slowly. This time, her electric blue eyes were shining bright, filled with hope. Her thin lips flashing a relieved smile.
"This voice..."
I nodded and laughed, equally relieved as she was. "The song of siren..."
Strung along the singing voice was a melodic guitar sound. The guitar sound accompanied the singing voice as it grew louder and sharper. The rhythm got more intense, yet maintaining their gentle harmony. The harmony of the singing voice and the guitar sound was so beautiful and mesmerizing, hypnotizing each of living beings there. The trees slowly moved their mighty branches and opened the path. Now I could see clearly the museum ruins, and there were two familiar silhouettes walking toward us.
"Shyu..., Pats...," I called meekly, never felt so relieved to see them before this.
I watched as the couple approaching us. They were our colleagues, field agents like us, partners on both professional and private levels. The lovers both had small and slender figures, made them look cute together. The female's name was Patricia Virtanen, Pats for short. She had stopped singing by now and was watching us with a wide, gentle smile spread across her chubby face. Pats was 19 years old this year, two years older than Alexa. The two girls were equally petite, but Pats was far more mature than my partner was, personality-wise. Pats' light-brown eyes were sparkling in the dark, round and brilliant. Pats always cut her brown hair short, looked boyish as usual, but it also became her signature hairstyle. She was indeed excelled in masculine sports such as martial arts and gun-shooting. However, her strongest talent was singing. It was, in fact, her super power. Her voice could break any spell and touch any living beings to their core. That's why, the nicknames "siren" and "song of siren" were attributed to her. As in myths, sirens were known for their beautiful voice that could hypnotize anyone who was listening.
Her partner-slash-boyfriend, Shyu Ikderi, was an Asian of Manchu descend, with a cute young face. He was quite short for a man, no taller than 170 cm. His Asian trait was obviously showcased by his pair of almond-shaped black eyes, the same colour as his nape-long hair. Under his left eye, he had a small beauty mark that made his cute face even prettier. Actually, I thought that Shyu and Pats were resembling each other. Maybe that was what made them look so good together. Shyu was two years younger than me, 20 years old, and could be considered as one of my best friends in EOPID.
If Patricia's super power was her singing voice, then Shyu's was his manipulation for wind energy. He could create, borrow, and/or using the power of wind with or without media. However, ever since he got to know Pats and even more after they started dating, he preferred to channel his power through his guitar. He even named the instrument by "Little Wind Goddess". The guitar also served as his weapon. Using it, he could channel his wind power to support Pats' singing power or to restore her energy, strengthen their offensive power, or to attack the enemy. I, myself, preferred more of Shyu's style when he was not using his guitar and cast his "Wind God Fist". It was more interesting to see, although I admitted that his attack with the guitar was no less fierce than his fist. With all modesty, I acknowledged the couple as two of the strongest Espers I ever met. Their collaboration would hard to be rivalled by other field agents, or even by any Esper, Alexa and I included. Fortunately, the two were very nice kids and very humble, made us get along very well.
"The boss sent you?" I asked, half-panting.
"Miss B has not yet return," Pats answered. "Brenna called and asked us to help you. She's worried since she couldn't get a hold of you, yet the Law's satellite showed high-level of supernatural movement near your last-known GPS position. She has erected the barrier around the museum complex and the forest, so we could fight as hard as we need to. I could see that the sorcerer is really strong to be able to make the two of you like this."
I cast a faint mocking smile. "He's got lucky because I have used my power for today to kick his pet's ass. It's a piece of cake for that sorcerer to face Alexa solely."
"Watch your mouth, Lee...," Alexa let out a protest with a pinch on my cheek.
"I gave the pain-killer serum for Alexa and stopped the bleeding. Why don't you two take covers at that castle, while we take care the sorcerer," Shyu helped Alexa to stand and was about to walk her back to the museum ruins when I blocked his path with my giant body, in comparison with his.
"...and missed the chance for some pay backs? Yeah, right...," I sneered, extending my hand with palm up to my best friend, "Give me one of the pain-killer serums and I'll go with you to kick that bastard's ass."
"Abel..."
"Shyu, I think we could use Abel's power," Pats smiled toward her boyfriend. "Just give him the serum. In five-minutes time, he would be able to use his power again, anyway. Right, Abel?"
I winked to Pats. "It's always lovely to chat with a sensible woman."
"I wanted to go too," Alexa pushed Shyu away and tried to stand firmly as proof that she was still adequate to fight.
I groaned at the back of my throat. "Lex..."
Noticed that we were likely would waste time for a pointless argument, Pats immediately intervened. She threw pointed look to us with a big smile split her face.
"Stop arguing, or Shyu and I will knock the two of you out 'till tomorrow evening. Both of you are wounded and none is actually fit to fight. So, this is what we are going to do: I'll let you to join us, but you have to promise that you will let us make the opening. It's not until I gave you signal, that you can join in to blow the final attack to pacify that sorcerer. Are we clear?"
Alexa and I looked at each other, realizing that Pats was right. We then nodded in agreement, made the boyish girl's smile grow wider. She started to sing again when she saw that the trees resume animating. Shyu also started to strum his guitar. This time, they played more aggressive and intimidating melodies to open a path. Half stumbling, we walked even deeper into the woods.
The sorcerer did not allow himself to be intimidated and tried to fight back. Each time his chant was broken by Patricia, he quickly cast new chants. The trees repeatedly opened and blocked our path with their branches and roots. Shyu added his energy, made him beam with bright yellow aura, like a radiant aurora in my radar vision. Receiving the supporting energy from her lover, Pats immediately raised her pitch. This time, they were successful to open even wider path. Based on the plummeted recovery time that the sorcerer needed to recast his broken chants, we knew that he must had been wounded from Pats' attack. This fact made us add our walking speed. We certainly could not let the bastard heal first.
"There he is!" Alexa hissed.
Not far in front of us, standing behind giant trees fort, we finally saw Liam Rourke. His handsome face wore a disgusted expression at the sight of us and his royal blue eyes that fixed on us were full of hatred. His plump lips did not cease to read chants. The chants were dancing outside his erected barrier as the tattoos of magical patterns on his forearms(which not covered by his shirt(were glowing each time he shot out his magical energy. Sorcerers were actually pretty easy to be identified, since they always tattooed their strongest spells on their body, particularly on their arms and back. However, sometimes they used veil spell to hide their identity from laymen, but would need to reveal it whenever they wanted to use their power. Pats and Shyu took their melodies to a more intense level, made Rourke's handsome face contort in agony, as some of his chants were broken once more. This time, he barely had the energy to replace them.
I glanced over the digital time on the connector. Ten more seconds and it would be the new day. I silently did the countdown. Right when I count to zero, the lovers managed to break Rourke's last strain of chants and crack his barrier walls.
"Now Abel, Alexa!" Pats yelled.
Alexa roared, promptly bolted in her panther shape. I also gathered my energy and cast out the metal element. In the five elements theory, metal was the element that could control wood. Thus, by borrowing the power, I hoped I could crush that bastard.
I let the power gathered on my hand and used it to smash Rourke's barrier in one blow, opened a path for the panther to tear the warlock apart. Of course, as trained sorcerer, Liam Rourke would not only be sitting duck. He animated a tree near him to protect himself from Alexa, but I took a precaution one-step ahead by erecting a metal wall around the three of us. The wall managed to prevent Rourke from animating another tree for protection, made the Irish-man growl in frustration. He finally used his last energy to blow waves of energy attacks to Alexa.
I did not want to spoil Alexa's enjoyment, so I merely stood at the side, making sure that my metal wall standing firmly. My partner roared once more and transformed into a Minotaur, but her body was of a bear, completed with a gator's tail. Inside my barrier, energy bolts flashed in turns with burst of bear's claws and whip of gator's tail.
In many opportunities, presumably due to her rage, Alexa was careless. It kept me busy to protect her with my metal body. However, she did not wait until I pacified all the attacks, but keep dashing forward to the sorcerer with her might. She managed to plant her claws on Rourke's body, including on his good-looking face.
Eventually, after resisting with all he got from Alexa's fierce attacks and drained all of his energy, Liam Rourke ceased his attack and surrendered. His hands fell weakly on his sides, his tattoos stopped glowing and his blue eyes gazing blankly at us. My partner, still pumped up with adrenaline, failed to recognize the sorcerer's submission and had bolted to bite his neck off. Luckily, Shyu and I were fast enough to erect a somewhat combination of metal and wind shield to bounce Alexa back in the nick of time, made her fall on her back. Afterward, after transformed back, that petite girl kept ranting out her dissatisfaction on this incident.
"Liam Rourke, we are Extra Ordinary Phenomenon Investigation Department agents. We are arresting you for the abusive use of sorcery and alchemy, which led to death and other significant damages for the civilians. Therefore, we will take you with us and send recommendation to your Order to strip off your power," said Pats after she put on a collar to cancel any supernatural power one possessed.
I saw Liam Rourke smiled bitterly. He took a glance to each of us, filled with anger and hate, until he fixed his gaze on me.
"Were you the one? Did you kill him?"
"What?"
"Nathan.... Were you the one who killed him?"
The royal blue eyes shed anger and pain.
"It was me! I'm the one who killed you pet!" Alexa growled, stared at the Irish-man nonchalantly. "I bit his head off."
Just when Alexa finished her word, Liam Rourke silenced the girl with a spit. My partner was not yet ready for such 'attack' and could only freeze when the man's saliva stained her special suit. However, after her brain returned online, the petite girl immediately burst into a flame.
"You bastard...!!"
Pats and Shyu hastily jumped to catch Alexa and stop her from morphing to chew the sorcerer alive. All EOPID agents were required to abide to the International Human Rights Declaration when we were executing our tasks. One of the interpreted rules was, we should not intimidate or deliberately hurt any surrendered or arrested power user.
Liam Rourke ignored Alexa's threat and curses. He returned his gaze to me. This time, pain was dominating his eyes.
"You scared him," he hissed. "Nathan was scared of you..."
For seconds, I was speechless from his words. The scene of how the Balin's red-eyes were glinting with fear witnessing my transformation played vividly in my eyes.
"He shouldn't have kill two people. You were supposed to stop your pet from killing civilians thoughtlessly...," I finally spoke.
"He was not my pet!!" Liam roared. However, this time, his eyes were not only shed pain, but tears also ran down his cheeks, dampened the scars left by Alexa. "He wasn't any pet..."
Liam Rourke fell on his knee and kept crying inaudibly, made us could only look at each other dumbfounded. This could be our first time to see a master crying for his pet Balin. Most of the case, sorcerers created Balin to do their dirty laundry. Therefore, Balin basically was a mere pet, or property for its master. My partner seemed disgusted with the view. She decided to step away. She stood next to a tree about three meters far from us, pointedly giving us the sight of her back only.
After managed to compose himself, Liam Rourke lifted his head and stared at us. "You were wrong. Those two..., I killed them, not Nathan. You…, you should've killed me instead of Nathan!"
The confession stunned us. This could also be our first time to handle such case. Although sorcerers liked to make experiments using living beings, but they would be very careful not to put their piece of works for public display like the murders in this village. The reason for that, nonetheless, was because sorcery community had always been an exclusive and secretive community, hidden far from the hustle and bustle of the civilian world. If there were any thoughtless killings, usually they were the doing of Balins, who were less experienced and tend to show their power off(the power that they were certainly never taste during their 'life'-time.
"Those two tried to seduce Nathan. They took advantage of Nathan's innocence and naive nature! They were two pieces-of-trash that deserved such endings!!" Liam Rourke's voice echoed in the forest, including inside of our head. His eyes filled with anger and jealousy. After a beat, I, Shyu, and Pats finally realized the true motive of Liam Rourke's act.
"You were in love with your Balin!" We choked in our words.
Liam Rourke drew a faint smile, yet asserting all of his feelings. I noticed that one side of Pats' thin lips tugged up awkwardly, while Shyu seemed bracing himself from not throwing up out of disgust and I inevitably let out a gagging sound. This case was really a whole new experience. Hopefully, it would be the first and the last for us. Otherwise, Miss B would have to provide more of the enhancement serum for us.
I heard two 'ping'-s from Alexa's connector vaguely before she padded her way across the forest to find us.
"What the hell?!" She was screaming hysterically with her eyes glued on the connector screen. I poked her and whispered.
"Shush, shall us not to be bigots. Isn't it quite common nowadays? You know, for those of same gender to..., you know... It's just this time they were Balin and its mas..."
I let my words dead in the air, was unable to continue with all the nausea I felt, thanks to the elaborated fact of the real nature of Liam Rourke and Jonathan Cowell's relationship.
"Alive and dead...," Shyu added, as quiet as he could, ending his words with a fake cough.
Alexa gave us pointed looks and then inconsiderately pointed Liam Rourke with her index finger. "Dead...and dead!"
My partner narrowed her eyes when she saw that we did not give any reaction and only stare back at her, stupefied. She raised her connector right in front of our noses and told us to read the new message she just received from Brenna.
"What??!!" This time, the three of us screamed in unison.
"Are you sure this is not mistaken?" Shyu asked. "Liam Rourke, born May 15th, 1990..."
"Died July 24th, 2012...?"
"Died?"
"A day before our Balin," my partner finished our sentence with a stern look. "He is also a Balin."
"That's impossible!!" I screamed in disbelieved. "He is too strong for a Balin!"
"Read the information once more, Abel! Before he died, he mastered alchemy. He was a sorcerer!"
"Still...!" I stubbornly screamed in despair. I could feel that at this very moment my pride was disintegrated and shattered into small pieces.
"That's right," Liam Rourke hissed. "Since I was little, I learned so many crafts and alchemy. However, no matter how much I mastered and studied them, none of them could help me to cure my illness. I finally resigned myself to fate, was ready to embrace my condition. However, the resolution crumbled after I met Nathan. He was so full of spirit and vibrant with life, so young and naive. He was so innocent that I couldn't restrain myself. I was fallen in love with him. For the first time in my life, I was obsessed to try to live on as long as Nathan lives in this world. I just wanted to live with him, grow old with him, yet it was too much of a dream. My body betrayed my wish. My lifetime study disappointed me. I was destined to leave this world hastily, leaving my beloved one, my true love behind. However, fate seemed took pity on me. She didn't let me leave this world alone. She, too, took Nathan to accompany me. We, then, started anew. We went to a new place, built our new life... We had never been happier..."
Yet we came and put that happiness to an end. I swallowed hard, was not able to face the weeping face of a Balin in front of me. I, Abel Lee, was an EOPID agent for four bloody years, and I had killed numerous Balins. Yet, at this moment, I was unable to even look this Balin in the eye.
Liam Rourke shut his mouth, but remained staring at us, crying. For some minutes, we all were silent.
"Something's wrong!" Shyu suddenly hissed. He hastily approached Liam.
"Wh-... What is it?"
Shyu waved his hand in front of Rourke's eyes and then shook his shoulders. The Balin did not give any reaction.
"Shyu, watch out!" Patricia yelled and pulled his lover away from the sorcerer.
Said sorcerer's body was now sizzling and smoke came out from pores of his skin. His handsome face had now lost its shred of humanity. His body blackened, while the royal blue eyes were losing its colour.
"He's dead," Pats whispered. "His master turned him off..."
Alexa cast her eyes to our surroundings, as if she was trying to take a glimpse of any responsible culprit who lurked in the dark of the night. "Coward!! Show me your face if you dare!!"
I walked approaching what was left from a Liam Rourke. I stared to his now blank eyes, similar with Jonathan Cowell's last gaze.
"Open box, password 5531, user Lee, Abel..."
The once was a sorcerer transformed into digital mosaic, then sucked into the Pandora Box.
"Let's go home," I whispered to my colleagues, pulling Alexa closer by her shoulders. "It's more than enough for a day job..."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone