“So, mages have a corrupt government. What do we do about it?”
“You run. Simple. I can erase all trace of you and Eileen in Sorcerer city. A member of the organisation can manipulate thought and mind and make anyone who sees you on and near the departing train to give false directions and lead them down an entirely different path. You should be fine when you get to George Crossing.”
“My different scent can mask Eileen’s, so they won’t follow a scent of a dragon. What do we do when we get to George Crossing?”
“Right. The Frost’s erased all runes that Gospel did around the Academy. In case that was to occur, he gave me this before he left.”
Mika handed me a folded note. When I opened it up, there was an address? 68 Toronto Pass. “Is that a street? Who are we going to see?”
“An old friend of Gospel Frost. Kyle Preston. He will explain all he can in detail.”
“What’re you going to do?”
“Besides pretend not to know where you are. Find out more about ‘type zero’ and what the organisation plans on doing. What is it that they are really up to with the help of Hopper? You don’t worry about us. There are two backpacks on the train already, cart five, door thirty-two. You should get going.”
Putting the note in my pocket, I scratched the back of my head and felt the heat dawn on me on what is really going on. Mika smiled, but the little shit is such a baby, his eyes started to water, and he had to look away before he bursts into tears. Huffing, I raised my hand and put it into a fist. Looking away, I was getting embarrassed as well as the heat climbed up my neck when he pounded it with his small hand.
“Goodbye, Lawliet. Stay safe.”
“Same goes to you. I don’t want the only family I have left to die on me.”
“I won’t. I plan on countless years of tormenting you,” he broke out into a grin, and it made me smile, as I lowered my hand and left.
I am going to miss that devious little shit head.
Chapter 39.
Eileen – goodbye part one.
It is cold. The air, with the constant glistening snow and delicate surroundings that glowed. The large cluster of dead winter trees leaves that have already fled and was now hidden beneath the slush that crunched under boots. With the frosty bite of the wind as well as the hand that was clutching my arm. It’s cold. There was no sense of warmth.
We walked for a while. Complying with what he wanted, I followed willingly. It ended up getting me sent out the back and past the backcourt where the mages go to play their sport. Breaking through the trees, I now was standing awkwardly with only the snow and my soft veins that were hiding underneath the winter coat I wrapped around me. The fur that is around the hood of the coat tickled cheeks and was slapping away with the howling wind that blizzard across the open space. It wasn’t an inviting place, as the clouds that covered the moon disintegrated, and thinned. The shadows of the tree branches that stretched out into demonic claws and were reaching towards me.
Releasing his grip, I took three steps forward when he moved away from me. He tilted head up, and frosty white hair waved from behind and was going right. Shuffling to the right the slightest, I dragged boots along the snow and shifted from one leg to the other nervously while I waited for him to speak.
Frost air lingered out of the open mouth. Mitten hands pressed close to my jaw and were clutching together. Fingers pinched the sleeves of the coat and were hiding runes that were vibrating with power underneath. With hair tied back into a ponytail, it was easier to see surroundings, as I shuffled back three inches. As I waited, I looked at the distorted shadows. Lifting left leg, I tapped awkwardly. Impatiently waiting was nauseating.
“The mages who looked after me were murdered when I was nine,” Frost wavered and drifted off as he spoke from in front of me. “They were only protecting my identity, but the organisation came anyway. Seeing no reason for questioning, they murdered them in cold blood. Do you know who the killers were?”
“No,” I murmured a response.
“Your parents,” he growled as he whirled around to the left, as expected.
Taking a step back, I twitched a finger, and the rune under boots shun, activated and shot up into an icicle wall. The knife in hands sliced into it and twinkling light sparked with the blow. The look in his eyes was a coldly smiling sadistically at me while the set of his mouth was slightly opened into a smile that shouldn’t be portrayed on Lawliet’s face.
“Hello, stranger.”
Lowering arm, he took a few steps back and asked, “How did you know I wasn’t him?”
“Hands,” I answered, as I raised my own hands and clenched them repeatedly. “Cold.”
“Ha-ha,” his voice racked with uncontrollable laughter, as he bent his back backwards and wrapped his arms around his stomach. “Oh, my sweet Eileen,” his white hair began to shorten. The tips burned into brown and were liquidising up to the roots. Pale features started to darken, as well as height shrunk, shorter. Arms broadening slightly and turned more muscular. Eyebrows darkened, and the gold liquid in the eyes blotched and spread a dark brown. As he transformed into a mage that I considered very boring. “Are you surprised to see me?”
I shrugged.
“I suppose nothing would be surprising after witnessing your memories,” he lowered the knife that glistened in the moon's eye to his mouth. The tip delicately touched his bottom lip as he breathed a laugh. “How did it feel? Did your body tense as this knife sliced your throat and then pierced your chest? It was exhilarating. Watching your life be sucked out of you. Doing what you did to my Master!” He spat and sliced at the air with rage. “You know the craziest of things happened after I left. You didn’t fucking die. Why? He was only doing his fucking job, and you tortured him! Why? Why us, Eileen?”
I shrugged.
“I thought if I didn’t see you again, I wouldn’t care for your existence. I will still be hiding here and seek information and look for other prototype zeroes.” Prototype zeroes.
The word peaked my interest because I recall the mage he was claiming to be his master call me zero. Is there something I am missing? A strange vocabulary that has been overlooked.
“Lawliet Clarintine was my objective. Unfortunately, Mika kept him hidden in his own particular classroom. It would be strange if I kept going up there to observe. Rokk made it easier. I didn’t even have to manipulate him. He hated Lawliet since 7th grade. All I had to do was push him at times so he would see him and observe.
“And then you suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I thought I would have hated you. It was strange how I looked at you and saw an entirely different mage from nine years ago. There was no emotion registering on that beautiful face of yours. I will admit that getting to know you peaked my interest more than organisation telling me to observe you thoroughly. I knew you were a prototype zero but wasn’t ready to go back and tell them.”
“Why?” I asked. “I don’t understand.”
“Because I found you attractive. Ever since I watched you fall from the sky and land in the back oval. There was something about you that drew me to you. I wanted to know more about you and your life. Strange how I fell in love with the one who killed my Master. Your difference from then to now was compelling until that dragon came along and ruined it all. What is so attractive about him? Because his hair is white? Wasn’t I ever good enough?”
“You talked too much. Was nauseating, is all,” I answered.
A glowing white vein pulsed at his temple and the hand that was holding the knife shook as he clutched shakily. It seems honesty may not be the best start to a conversation with a mad mage. Especially one who looks to be at breaking point. Ready to enact what happened in the basement nine years ago. Understandable. The silly part is his infatuation with me. It hurts my brain, as I struggled to figure out the logic behind it.
“I could have protected you. Kept your dirty little secrets at bay but you pushed me aside just like everyone else for a hostile fucked up Dragon! It an
gered me ever since your rejection. Therefore, I did my duty and observed you both. Once I gathered enough information, I decided to give your memories back to you. After I had attacked you that night, I sent the information that I had collected from you and Lawliet to the organisation. Now that you’re in the system, I can kill you without being charged by mage law. I have done all this because I wanted you to know exactly the reason as to why I am set on killing you.”
“It doesn’t make sense. How can you kill someone you say that you love? Sounds bothersome.”
“If I can’t have you, no one can!” he raged.
Simpleminded answer.
The ice walls shattered when I shuffled back and the rune that was drawn on snow dimmed and the light blue disconnected. He seems to have stopped explaining himself and was getting ready to fight. As he narrowed his eyes, lowered knife and rolled shoulders. A clear sign that he will not back down until he pierces me with the same knife as he had done so before.
“Goodbye, Prototype zero, Eileen from the Frost family,” he said with a broadened grin. A glint of red rage in his eyes.
He moved forward, fast. His arm sliced forward at where I was initially standing. Now, few steps back from that spot, I stood, pinched sleeves and tugged them down.
If I could persuade him to stop and forget this whole thing, I would have done so. However, I was taught well, and if I know that whatever I can say won’t stop them from doing what they are doing, there is no point dwelling on the possibilities of what could have happened. I was trained mentally for moments like these. Unfortunately, I am physically inept, so fighting is a struggle when it is in close quarters. I am slightly happy that I advanced so much with gears of time being inside my mind. It was great training progression while I steered into insanity for those brief short moments before Lawliet came.
“Activate, defence level two,” I murmured, and the shield blinked up. Sparks flew as he jammed the knife forward with frustration.
What I know of gears of time is that runes activated don’t work while using gears of time. The activation deactivates, so simultaneous back and forth would be recommended. That sad part is that it was draining. For me to run wouldn’t solve the problem. Disarming him is logical.
“Ha-ha,” he laughed as he straightened up. “Playing with you is fun.”
Snow whirled up and burst. Narrowing eyes ever the slightest, the flakes of it dispersed, and he was nowhere to be seen. Heart thumping, I turned around when Spenc appeared from behind. His foot kicked into the shield. My heart was pounding in my chest as I glanced at the crack in my shield. It was only a centimetre long but very distinctive in my eyes. I never had my defence hurt before.
The howl of the wind breezed from my left. Not wanting to have my shield wounded again from his ice rune, I stepped back and shuffled feet into a circle. When he burst out of the snow particles, I lifted a hand, and an ice wall came up. He reacted within a heartbeat. His eyes went wild, and his smirk broadened as he disappeared. Heart thumping rhythmically, I twisted body and turned into the direction the wind felt wrong. Almost as if it was alive with thought and he appeared. I saw the knife glint in the moonlight before the hard-deranged look on his face. Blinking, I reverted into the gears of time and appeared near the cluster of dead winter white trees. Warmth struck with the biting cold wind, and there was a stinging pain on my cheek as it swelled. Touching with fingertips, I took a breath in, as the Crimson slipped down fingers. It looked like paint. Fake, as it dripped on the white snow.
It is interesting seeing my own blood. Not knowing the reality of the situation until the first wound was inflicted on me. Dropping hand, I saw the outline of Spenc, as the shadowed figure came towards me. The laughter of insanity was echoing with the wind.
“Level one, activate,” I whispered, and a burst of darkened grey smoke along with the gleaming blue rune shunned in the moonlight and sparked mage energy and essence. The streams overlapped each other, as the rumbling sound of growling thunder came into focus. The stone armoured knight rose, as my determination grows, the power of the knight holds.
“Ah-ha, how marvellous,” he laughed. The gleam disturbingly present in his eyes as he stared at the knight, mesmerised. “Unfortunately, this isn’t the Eileen Frost from before. I am going to push you until you are well past breaking point. I want the Eileen that murdered my Master and enjoyed it. Until then, I will play this little game.” His vein shunned at his fists when he raised his arm. A sharp blade on his left hand, between his knuckles, struck out and glowed with mage essence. “Two is always better than one,” he shouted, as he dived towards me.
“Knight, eliminate. Thank you,” I murmured.
“As my lady commands,” he nodded, and it made my heart lift.
Determined, he slammed a fist down to where Spenc was going towards. The figure of Spenc moved to the side. A breathy laughter escaped lips as he moved at the speed of hailing ice.
Tattoo’s hurt. I assumed there would be a pain. It was evident. After lengths of research, I imagined the pain, almost visualised it, however, imagining pain didn’t prepare me for the real deal. Once it was done, the redraw skin mingled with the ink that curved majestically. I had to wait impatiently for the redness to leave or else the burning will increase and spread up the arm and make the heat worse.
When it healed, the first rune I activated was the knight. He was the one I wanted to be created first, but Mum and Dad gave me the book instantly made me known of other methods and unique runes. He came out, shrouded in stone. His face almost looked as if it was an iron helmet made of stone. Unfortunately, he didn’t make a great first impression. It was the fault of mine, as I activated him in the lounge room at dinnertime. Almost crushing Donte and Nixon with his large stone feet, Isilies food uplifted from the glass coffee table that cracked and shattered. Hopper nonchalantly raised his arms, and the tea on the table was now in his hands. He leant back and was drinking it casually while – on the outside didn't show anything – I was in awe on the inside.
He was perfect.
He didn’t think so. He believed to be nothing but a cause of breaking beautiful things. He did do a lot of breaking. He wasn’t supposed to be used for daily life, but I never wanted to deactivate him when I concentrated hard enough to illuminate my veins. He was special. A creature with simple intelligence that was created by my own accuracy and hands. It made me happy. He didn’t understand the meaning of creation until I needed help. He was determined to save me from the stray puppy dog that got out of its yard and was heading straight towards me. After that incident, when Hopper had to pay for the medical bills, the stone knight knew what his purpose was and told me not to activate him unless was in trouble.
Right now, was his time to shine, as the billowing snow howled and was exploding with sound after every slamming of his fists.
It was getting harder to see, as the thick snow was being picked up. Wiping the blood that has frozen on my cheek, I tried to recall how he cut me in the first place. The blade was directed to my chest. There wouldn’t have been time for him to raise his arm when I activated gears of time.
Watching him trying to avoid the knight, I looked at his hand with the knife. He was moving it, almost as if it was a defence strategy. Glancing at his left, the glint of the blade between knuckles sparked mage essence.
“Activate level two and three,” I murmured. When both defence shields activated, I suddenly pulled up my sleeve and revealed the bright glowing blue rune that was merging with veins and was hardening the thumping pulse and thickening the power. Raising arm, I said firmly, “Morph.”
The hardened shell of level two wrapped around the iron knight, almost similar to a warm blanket that was being closed over shoulders and tugged tightly. Securing in place, it strengthened the armour and turned him a bright white colour. The rubber defence that moved when I moved, always protecting the front of my body transformed into a sickle ball and chain. It glowed a green colour and shone in contrast with the white snow and th
e glowing body of the stone knight.
Spenc danced backwards. A chuckle is leaving his throat. Shrugging his white coat off, I hitched a shaky breath, as I recall Lawliet was wearing the same coat on the excursion. As he lowered the hand while he stood on the lighthouse tower and asked, ‘Do you trust me?’
Rolling the sleeve of the top, so it stays up, I moved towards the iron knight. Raising hand, I touched the rough lumpy texture and stepped onto the palm of his hand. He raised me up until I was level with his shoulder. Walking along it, I sat down and lifted legs and hugged them with one arm while I was staring intently at Spenc who was advancing towards us.
Emotionless: (Prototype: Zero book 1) Page 37