by Joshua Chou
“Doesn’t matter,” he replied. Ethan drew his katana. “I’m going to beat you into a bloody pulp.”
Hector’s Wraith sneered back. Its arachnid face forced a smile with thirty two teeth to contort into a smile.
“I’ll wipe the floor with you,” it said.
A flash of blue light blazed. Ethan summoned Gabriel beside him. The Wraith struck first. Ethan and his Sol maneuvered about to flank the monster.
Blade and blade swept from both sides. They clashed with the spider legs. Hector’s Wraith shoved both back and latched itself onto the ceiling. The monster skittered away to get a better position. Ethan followed.
Hector’s Wraith ran up-side down for five seconds. The space between it and Ethan grew longer. Ethan sped up to close that gap. Hector’s Wraith spun about a pillar to attack Ethan. It shrieked with rage as it shot its sharp legs at his opponent’s throat.
Ethan drove his heels into the ground to stop. Gabriel formed an ice wall in front of its host. Hector’s Wraith pressed the attack. Ethan found himself driven into another pillar. Only the barrier protected him from being skewered.
He snapped his fingers again. Gabriel disappeared. Ethan snapped once more to re-summon his guardian. Gabriel re-appeared between him and Hector’s Wraith. His Sol kicked the beast away.
Hector’s Wraith regained its footing. The spidery legs dug into the concrete and thrust it forward. It was going for another lunge.
This time Gabriel took the hit. Ethan felt a sharp pair of piercing pains in his side. Hector’s Wraith landed two hits in Gabriel’s torso. The Sol knocked the monster back. But the damage was done.
Ethan’s breathing became shallow. His head was getting lighter, but that was a bad thing. That meant less oxygen was reaching his brain. If this kept up, he would be Wraith food.
Let me drive, Gabriel whispered.
He stared down the monster in front of him. Ethan felt his body grow cold. This was different than when he used ice magic. Something more sinister was happening, and he knew it. But he had almost no control over it now.
Gabriel ripped off his helmet. Underneath was a reptilian face fit for a monster. Black mist leaked from every pore in the Sol’s body. Some of it even began to rise from the ground Ethan stood on.
Hector’s Wraith stopped sneering.
“You asked for it,” said Ethan. His voice came out in dual tones.
His Sol screamed. The sound was something beyond pleasant. Jagged wings sprouted from the ethereal creature. Each feather bled stardust. Then Ethan and Gabriel charged.
They attacked in unison, now with more fervor than before. Ethan and Gabriel launched a pincer attack, where both flanked both sides of the Wraith. Gabriel shrieked once more as it charged.
Hector tried to swipe at Ethan, but only swung at air. Ethan’s body contorted to stay low to the ground. He got in ranged and swung away with Gabriel.
Hector’s Wraith parried as best as it could. But the attacks came too fast. Gabriel swept with blade in hand to cut off a leg. Its wings were sharp, and those chopped another off as well.
Hector’s Wraith screamed. It fell to the ground. The fight was over.
Ethan realized that he was losing his grip. His body was feeling too numb. He snapped his fingers once more, a few more times for good measure. Gabriel began to disappear with wings and reptilian face turning to dust.
The Sol disappeared with a final cry. Only Ethan and the Wraith remained now.
“Gabriel?” it asked. “He chose you as a vessel?”
“What?” asked Ethan. The toll on his body was more than he thought, now that the adrenaline was gone. “You got a problem?”
The Wraith glanced over Ethan once more. It laughed. “The Demon of Winter chose a worm? You may as well die now!”
Hector’s Wraith lumbered forward. Its remaining limbs dragged the rest of its body across the rough ground.
“Or maybe that demon will eat you before you know it,” the brute mused. “Just like I ate Hector.”
Ethan leaned against his sword for support. He barely had the energy to counter.
“I’ll never be like you,” he spat.
“You already are.”
The monster prepared to strike. Ethan was barely ready. But something drove into the parking lot at that second. Its headlights danced across their faces for a second. But Hector’s Wraith turned too late to see a car bumper pummel it.
Iris’ car drove in. It pinned hector’s Wraith in its charge. Iris floored the gas pedal. The monster went flying with the full force of a car and into the opposite wall. Another crash was heard, and the monster was stuck.
Liam quickly emerged from the passenger seat. Despite the head injury he had, he could still use his legs. He also had a talisman in hand.
“Get wrecked!”
He slapped the exorcism paper across the monster’s forehead. When the paper met the skin, a burst of flame came from the rune’s center. Fire enveloped Hector’s Wraith. None of it hurt Liam, who was closest to the flame. The opposite was true for the Wraith.
It did not scream. The damage was done. The contorted flesh melted away and dissipated into black mist. Even that quickly evaporated.
All that remained was a body pinned to the wall by Iris’ car. It was Hector.
Nora emerged. Iris backed up the car. Liam and Nora picked up Hector and laid him on the ground. The latter checked for a pulse.
Ethan watched in anticipation. Iris stepped out of the driver’s seat to see. Nora shook her head.
He watched Iris turn towards him. She was furious, and rightly so. Iris paced over to Ethan. She brought a backhanded strike against his face. Ethan remained silent.
“Are you insane?” Iris said. “You can’t run off without telling us! What the hell is wrong with you?”
Ethan kept his lips sealed. He still couldn’t meet Iris’ gaze.
“You could have been killed! Why do something so stupid?”
“I had to stop the Wraith,” Ethan replied. His voice was almost a whisper.
Nora watched all the while. She glanced to Liam, who carried Hector’s body to the back of the car. Nora slowly approached Iris.
“Well Hector’s spirit is gone,” Iris continued. “Are you happy now?”
Ethan said nothing. The lot grew eerily quiet. Tension only made the silence worse. Only the sound of Iris’ car was heard, but even that became something out of a hollow sound.
“Uh, hate to kill the mood,” said Liam. “But we got to move. ASAP.”
Iris only paid attention to Ethan. “You had no backup. NO plan. And you should be dead!”
“You’re right.”
It was the way Iris phrased it. Ethan hadn’t counted on her to say what he was thinking.
But it was true. Ethan had failed.
That revelation was more than enough to dispel Iris’ anger. “My God. I didn’t mean…”
Now it was her turn to grow silent.
“If it weren’t for my stupid decision,” said Ethan. “Maybe we could have saved him.”
Nora was close enough to step between them. Iris finally noticed her. “Did you have something to say?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Nora replied sheepishly. “Um, can I get a minute with Ethan?”
Iris stepped back. She turned to help Liam with loading Hector’s body into her car. Meanwhile, Nora knelt down to face Ethan.
“Given the situation,” said Nora, “calling you an idiot is an understatement.”
Ethan scoffed. “I think we established that already.”
“But contrary to what you think, I don’t blame you for everything.”
Nora looked back. Liam closed the trunk doors. He made a circular motion with his hand. “Keep going,” he mouthed silently.
So she did. “The situation got out of hand fast,” said Nora. “You were responsible for Hector’s Wraith, but so were the rest of us. And I’m sorry for making it sound like it was just your fault.”
Ethan fina
lly turned. A fresh streak of red was where Iris hit him. He didn’t seem to mind the pain that much now. He stood up.
“Are you saying that to be nice?” he asked.
Nora put one arm around Ethan. She turned so the two of them could face away from Iris. “Look, I know you mean well. And I know you’re not a petty guy.”
That was a lie, but a reassuring one. At least Nora meant to be nice. He couldn’t help but smile a little.
“The fact is that we need to stop Wraiths. If we’re going to do that, then we have to do it as a team.”
Ethan took a quick breath. His mood finally settled down so he could think straight. “Alright,” he said finally.
A car horn blared. Both of them turned around. Iris was in the driver’s seat and ready to go.
“We’ll talk more later,” she said. “Time to go.”
Nora let go of Ethan. She entered her side of the car. Ethan entered his. The sheath was lying on his seat.
Ethan realized that Liam collected his sheath, which he left laying on the floor earlier. He glanced to Liam, who subtly waved back in acknowledgment. Ethan slid his blade back into it as he entered the car.
As Iris started the car again, another chill ran down Ethan’s spine. He wasn’t casting anything this time. Ethan looked outside.
A familiar boy was waiting for him. It was Gabriel, and only Ethan could see him. He smiled sinisterly to his host.
Gabriel pushed a finger to his lips. A universal sign of silence. Ethan couldn’t afford to tell anyone either.
This was Gabriel’s personal joke. The ice sprit was a Wraith. More specifically, Ethan’s personal demon.
If Ethan spoke of this, the others would know his secret. Then they would have to do their job on him. Until then, Ethan’s personal Demon would always haunt him.
As quickly as he appeared in Ethan’s sight, Gabriel disappeared in a puff of black mist.
Chapter 7 – In Memoriam
The truth was that Hector was dead. He spawned a Wraith, and succumbed to it last night.
No one was supposed to know the truth. No one outside of AXEL at least. To the general public, Wraiths were monsters that lurked in the shadows and in Wraith hotspots across the world.
That was only the half-truth.
Wraiths were there since the dawn of humanity. They were always born from people. Hector was just one of the latest that was seen in New York.
An unfortunate casualty. One of many, yet Hector’s passing haunted Ethan more than the other incidents he heard of in his short career.
While these cases weren’t public enough, everyone was still uneducated in the real origin of the body-twisting monsters. The truth would upset them greatly.
Ethan reminded himself that while dressed for the funeral service. Others were around him: other members of the basketball team, other kids who knew Hector personally, and Hector’s parents.
All of them came for the service, as did the AXEL team that last saw Hector alive. Ethan couldn’t refuse that chance. It was the least he could do.
Coach led the service. He had a suit that he had outgrown at least five years ago, as the collar barely buttoned around his neck. Thankfully nobody cared.
Coach looked to the crowd seated in rows of fold-up chairs. Hector’s parents were at the very front. He glanced to the side. An open casket with Hector’s body was there.
They convened in the Elysium University gym. It was an appropriate place as any to hold the service.
“Hector was the pride of CMU’s basketball team,” Coach finally said. “But he was also a bright young man. Talented. Cheery. And full of promise.”
Ethan remained silent. Enough time passed for him to steel his emotions. But it was still difficult to not disclose that confidential information to the people around him.
Liam was here too. He drew out a suit that was barely cleaned up for the service. Was it a rental? This suit he was wearing was probably his, which showed how little money he really had.
Iris and Nora surrounded Ethan on both sides. Nora had her hair tied back to be something more formal, while their leader had the same cold, polished appearance she always had.
“It is with a heavy heart we bid farewell,” Coach continued. “Not because Hector had yet to prove himself. But because he was already a team player. We loved his smile and contributions, and he will be sorely missed.”
Ethan looked once more to the open casket. As Coach continued to speak, the service grew more and more solemn. Ethan could not look away from a classmate he couldn’t save.
Maybe this was his fault. He had to make things right.
But that’s what you thought before you got him killed, Ethan’s conscience reminded him.
He tensed his jaw and fist. Nora noticed and stole a glance at Iris. She hadn’t noticed her underling yet. Nora slowly crept her hand to try holding Ethan’s.
Iris turned her eyes venomously. Nora reeled her hand back. Ethan never noticed that exchange.
Soon everyone rose up. They formed a line to Hector’s casket to pay their respects. A few faces needed to leave, but that was understandable. Most of the crowd stayed behind.
Hector’s parents were first, and his mother cried her heart out. His father let her mourn for a few minutes before gently laying his hands on her shoulders. The other students needed their time to grieve as well.
Most of the students there paid their respects. Everyone had seen a death in the family before. For some, the shock came from seeing someone their age pass away. So respect was due for the young man in the casket.
The time when Ethan had his turn. He looked to Hector, whose body was laid to rest. It looked so peaceful in the open box, but vivid images of Hector’s Wraith were still fresh in Ethan’s mind.
No one should know the truth, Ethan reminded himself. He lingered on that last glance before moving on.
The rest of his team paid their respects as well. Soon the line dissipated, and the casket was closed. Coach aided the undertakers in properly sending Hector away.
“What’s going to happen to him now?” Ethan muttered.
“A burial,” said Iris. “You know how important it is to properly bury a body these days, don’t you?”
Ethan nodded.
“How are you feeling?” asked Iris.
“Better now,” Ethan replied. “But what about you?”
Iris sighed. “I thought it would be obvious.”
She looked to the other faces around her. She was perhaps the oldest woman in the room, besides Hector’s mother. Everyone else was a sophomore or younger. Yet they were here for a funeral.
“Meet me in the command room,” said Iris. ”We have a lot to talk about.”
***
Iris set up a little room for surveillance back in the West Dorm. This was the command room, and it was the de-facto location to give an AXEL related lecture.
Thanks to Elysium’s history with dealing with Wraiths, the school allocated funding for a specific meeting room for their business. Only interns in the program were allowed inside. This left the coffee table, a couch, and six other seats untouched and for Iris and her cohorts to use.
The room had a massive screen that occupied one wall. It split into many other monitors that streamed footage from every camera installed around and inside the dorm. For now, most of those screens were empty.
It was still daytime, after all. The most likely time to see anybody on camera was in the evening or nightfall.
Iris strolled into the command room and took her seat. Hers was the most lavish one, but the seat itself was solid and offered little cushioning. Ethan took his usual seat, which sat opposite of Iris.
“Shall we begin?” asked Iris.
Ethan nodded.
Her questioning started slow. Iris kept a steady voice when debriefing Ethan thoroughly. She hadn’t gotten the chance to get every detail, and Ethan made sure to let her know what she needed to know.
He left out details about Gabriel, of course.
Iris didn’t need to know how Ethan was almost possessed. He still needed to be honest in every other part of his story.
“After Nora and I lost track of the Wraith,” said Ethan, “We had a disagreement. Not her fault. But I got mad. So I did sneak off to try finding Hector’s Wraith. I figured that I could take it on alone, and it wouldn’t run-”
“You were reckless,” Iris interrupted.
Ethan closed his mouth. He nodded.
Iris drummed her fingers against the armrest of her regal chair. “Nora had your back until you decided to run off on your own,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“This team must perform perfectly,” Iris continued. “Even if you think you’re a hot shot, you are accountable for every mistake you make. Anything that goes wrong is on you. And by extension, that goes on me too.”
Ethan stifled a sigh. Of course, his leader would try to make this her problem. More specifically, Iris was trying to make this a problem she owned, like Ethan had no agency in it at all.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
Iris leaned forward. Ethan could almost see his reflection in her glasses. “I’m serious,” she said. “You’re lucky you weren’t punished further.”
Ethan growled. “Yes. Ma’am.”
She finally leaned back. The small of Iris’ back rested against the back of her seat. “But how are you doing now?”
The AXEL intern shrugged. “Maybe if I handled it differently,” he said, “things could have gone better. Hector would be alive.”
Iris looked at Ethan from head to toe. She noted every detail, every little hint of his psyche that was suggested by his body language and appearance.
The results were more depressing than she expected from a hothead like Ethan.
Ethan’s hair was matted and greased from tossing on a pillow. Sleepless dark circles formed under his eyes. He was probably too stressed to comfort himself after the ride home. Despite his tone, this was taking a bigger toll on Ethan than he was letting on.
“What’s done is done,” said Iris finally. “The most you can do is learn and move on. And I doubt you were strong enough to handle Hector’s Wraith.”